Bells Batch 6000 Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Hazy dark ruby/brown. Small, dense, creamy tan head settles to a thin layer. Nose of rich, burnt caramel, earhty, resinous hops, various dried fruits, subtle old wet wood oxidation. Same flavors- well balanced and drinkable for what it is. Full body, just smoother than balanced. Excellent barleywine.

12 oz. bottle via trade with Pailhead awhile back - Pours a hazy brown color with a half finger thick light tan head. Very light carbonation and spotty lacing. Aroma is full of esters and toasted malt. Again, flavor has lots of dark esters with a good bit of malt backing. Still has a bitter bite to it. Alcohol is noticeable. Medium to full body. A real sipper. Would have like to have tried it fresh. Thanks Kevin

Name: Bell’s Batch
Date: 05/07/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Party Pic, Indiapolis, IN
Vintage: 6000

Appearance: dark amber, whispy tan head,
Aroma: rich earthy malt aroma with nice fruity character,
Flavor: huge rich malt flavor, lots of fruity character, nice balancing bitterness leading to a long bitter finish, upon warming the bitterness begins to subside and the fruity character ripens,
-------- /> Name: Bell’s Batch
Date: 05/20/2006
Source: tasting
Vintage: 6000

sweet brown sugar aroma, thinning out and picking up a tartness, still the long bitterness, lost the fruity character,
-------- /> Name: Bell’s Batch
Date: 08/08/2008
Mode: draft
Vintage: 6000
Words: maduro

Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma with plenty of the brown sugar,
Body: body gets creamy upon warming,
Flavor: huge earthy flavor, dark caramel, just a touch of the fruityness, lots of the lingering bitterness, none of the tartness,
Overall: needs much more time to soften the bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4

GTMW 2007. Poured a hazy dark brown color. Head was light tan. There were whiffs of toffee, caramel, and alcohol. Thick, oily mouth feel with carbonation on the low end of the spectrum. Nice combination of burnt buttery caramel, dried fruits, alcohol, and a hint of wood all accented by moderate hop bitterness. Delicious.

GTMW. Dark bloody color. Smell of hops, dark fruit, alcohol, malt, nuts and caramel. Taste of hops, plums, nuts, wine, alcohol and malt. Very smooth and thick.

Courtesy SoLan. Pours a thick, cloudy dark maroon color, with a small light brown head. Smells of heavy caramel and maltiness. Alot of dark, sweet fruits. Definitely had all the barleywine characteristics. Very thick and rich mouthfeel. Alot of caramel mixed with slightly bitter fruits. some toffee and butterscotch add to the flavor, while the alcohol makes its presence felt especially in the finish and aftertaste. Just a big beer, that it full flavored and somewhat in your face.

On tap at Maduro’s

This is probably not going to be on tap very many more times which is what made finding it at Bell’s pre-Great Taste festivities a nice surprise. As I was impatient rather than starting with something lighter I went right for the big one. I was not disappointed at all. While it seemed to lack some of the characteristics it had when fresh (according to reviews) I think it more than compensates for that with what it has going on right now.

Aroma / Appearance - Wheat, yeast and caramel form a rich and dense nose. Nutty topiaca pudding and vanilla make me wonder how this is a barleywine as it seems a bit on the sweet side. There is almost no hop presence in the aroma which is not too shocking as it has almost three years on it now. The body was the color of chocolate milkshake with a fragile white head.

Flavor / Palate - Simutaneously hoppy and bitter I didn’t know what to make of this pour at first. Caramel, grape jelly and molasses create a playful sensation. Yeast and then malt take over before the woody finish caps things off in style. The mouthfeel is thick without being cloying. While still a high gravity beer it was easy to drink and has held up exceptionally well.

Bottle shard by YourDarklord. Pours a dark brown with ruby highlights, wisp of a head. Aroma of alcohol, rich caramel malts, and some subtle smoked peat. Soft carbonation, with a rich and mildy sticky texture. Flavor caramel, maple, and tobacco countered by a mellowed hop bitterness. Finish is semi-dry with the detected, but melded alcohol.