Review of Bell's Kalamazoo Stout
Posted By Ken Saturday, 08 May 2010 10:35
Well, it is a chilly and windy day today here in Indy, so it's a good time to get a review done. This one I happened to try by chance while visiting a friend this week who had purchased a sixer of it. Being a fan of everything Bell's I had tried previously, I didn't hesitate to jump on the offer to try another one of their beers. Read on to see if the streak kept going or went down in flames.
Ken's Review
Taste: B+ The Bell's Kalamazoo Stout is pretty much what the name says; it is a stout. There is a nice subtle chocolate coffee taste that impacts your tastebuds just enough without overwhelming you with the chocolate or coffee flavor. I really liked the taste of this, but would have enjoyed it more I think if the taste had been kicked up just another notch or two to give you a little more depth on your tongue. Being a fan of chocolate and coffee, the balance was nice but in my opinion could have gone just a little bit further in adding a little kick.
Packaging: B+ The packaging one this one is kind of plain. The Bell's logo at the top, Kalamazoo Stout at the bottom, and in the center a picture of a bearded balding man. I'm sure that the face on the label is supposed to represent someone, but I'm not entirely sure who.
Value: B A sixer of this will run you in the vicinity of $10. This is not necessarily a terrible price, but a little more than I would personally pay for what you get in taste and alcohol content. It is a Bell's product, I get that, and it is a stout. But for me, I'll stick to getting this for free if friends have it.
Drunkeness: B+ Kalamazoo Stout comes in at an even 6.0% content. This is enough to get you a good buzz going after one bottle, and to really start kicking up your day/night after a second. Not really anything to complain about here. I had one and was feeling pretty good without being at a point where drunkenness was really starting to set in.
Overall: B+ I would definitely have this if it was made available to me in the future. While the taste didn't give me everything I would personally like it to, it is still a pretty solid stout and is very enjoyable. But like I said, I personally wouldn't go out and try buying this for myself to enjoy at a party or get-together, especially with other options available. Good enough to have every once in awhile for me, but a stout fan would probably enjoy this a lot more often.