Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

I love getting beers that I can't get here in Texas, because it's like Christmas all over again.

This one pours inky black with a great dark tan head that stays. It's not an impy stout, but it pours as dark as one and has virtually no highlights like one as well.

The head throws off a sweet chocolate smell--sweet from the lactose, and chocolate from the roasted malt. As the head thins the smell turns a bit more to the roasted grain, but the sweetness is still there.

I'm not a huge fan of sweet stouts that go over the top, or chocolate stouts like Young's. If I want something that sweet or chocolatey, I'll eat a cake or drink a milkshake. Traditionally the chocolate taste is supposed to come from the roasted malt anyway, so I view those as being on the far edge of the style. This one though, it's more traditional. Great bitter, roasted grain taste that finishes a little sweeter than most stouts. Seems a little bit fizzy, which is the only real fault. Still has a heavy body to it though, as it should.

This is my favorite milk/sweet stout now. It's very well balanced and has the sweetness without giving up the bitter, roasted grain taste. Wish the carbonation was a little lower, but that's it. As it warms it turns from fizzy to creamy, aided by the lactose, so let it open up a bit and it's even better.

With any luck it'll be available in Texas soon.