Had this as part of a Batch 4000 - Batch 8000 tasting 9/22/07. I received the bottle from tangfoot. Thanks alot Fred. Appearance: Pours a darkish orange with a slight haze. The 1/2 inch off white head fads slowly to leave some nice lacing. This looks awesome and has alot more carbonation than I expected. Aroma: Wow! Starts with some sweet orange and pineapple notes. There is a slight alcohol burn. As this warms, theres some raisons and dark fruit that creep in. Very nice. Flavor: Not quite as intense as the aroma, but this is pretty nice too. There is a slight tartness that I really enjoyed. Some of the pineapple and dark fruits leave a nice path to a dry finish. This is almost like a mild wild ale. Palate: This is pretty spritzy and the flavors hang around for a little bit. Pretty nice mouthfeel. Damn does this go down smooth. Its amazing how flavorful and balanced this is after all these years. It just goes down too easily. I could easily toss back a few of these, but I’m glad I’m just enjoying the little bit I had. I’m not too sure how old this is (I wish I knew when it was bottled), but it has aged vey well. It definitely exceded my expectations. This was my second favorite of the Batches from 4000 - 8000. Can’t wait til I can have this when we have our 4000 - 9000 tasting in a few years. If you ever see this, have a chance to try it, or have a chance to trade for it, you won’t be disappointed. Another awesome beer from Bell’s. I just I would have tried this fresh, but I suspect it is even better now. Thanks again Fred.

[Bottle, thanks tytoanderso and hellomynameis!] Pours really cloudy amber with a tan head. Fairly sweet but there was a bit of sourness also in there. Chocolate and caramel malt in the taste and something that I couldn’t identify in the aroma. Medium-thin mouthfeel with a good finish. Had at a tasting and not with a fresh palate, so wouldn’t mind trying this again to be able to pick out some more of the tastes/smells, but as it stands I was not particularly impressed with it.

Ripe dark fruit with some biscuit and molassess notes. Soft and herbal palate with a bready depth. Mild oxidation with a soft lingering finish.

12oz from pantanap - thanks, Kan! This one is super duper cloudy on the pour, almost like good apple cider in terms of its looks (although with a surprisingly substantial head, given the age). Very sweet and boozy, and I’m not sure how that compares to the young beer (which I obviously never had a chance to try), but fairly pleasant. Sour and caramel blend together with some tasty sugars and a nice bite on the tongue. More cider qualities emerge the deeper you get. I enjoyed this and big ups to Kan for giving me a chance to try it.

What a great great opportunity to try this! I have to thank the Minnesota raters for outstanding generosity. Mildly hazy amber, thin ring of head (not much at this point in its life....) Markedly sweet, but with a sour edge--due to aging? Caramel notes, to be sure. My final synthesis while sipping this is that it is a decent beer but it probably wasn’t worth keeping it this long.