Bells Batch 6000 Ale

Special thanks to Northernbrews for hooking up the Bell’s 4000-8000 tasting. All great brews. Lots of malt in this one. Dark fruits, brown sugar and a little toast. Great brew.

Sample courtesy northernbrews. This one’s been on my wants for a long time. Pours a thick reddish-brown color, thin sparse whitish head. Caramel and slight alcohol presence on the nose, candied dark fruit. Taste is surprisingly hoppy for its age, but the features are caramel, plums, and rich malts. I loved it.

Bottle, thanks Nathan for opening this one, and all the other great stuff from your cellar!
Deep russet brown, almost opaque until held up to light. Yellow beige head that fades to a modest skim. Cocoa powder and unrefined sugar nose, from there to walnuts, and on to plum liqueur and a faint puff of smoke. First impression with a sip is dark chocolate, that deep cocoa winey bitterness, but quickly surrounded by raisiny sweetness. Background note of inky old motor oil. Finishes with a surprising (for a beer this old) level of bitterness.

Deep caramel pour with no head. huge nose of molasses, toffee and prunes. Same in the flavor with a bit of expected oxidation.Tart finish with a hint of soy in the finish. Medium full mouthfeel.

Bottle 12fl.oz. @ home.
[ Trade by Bobby91w ]. Clear dark amber color with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, wood - tobacco, light to moderate hoppy. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate to heavy bitter with a long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is syrupy, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light to moderate alcohol. [20090528]

Bottle - thanks dmschefke. A deep auburn color with a finger of creamy beige head. Rich aroma is sweet with citrus, caramel, and toffee. The taste is smooth with aged hops in a citrusy blend with caramel and brown sugar. Elegantly smooth, yet a little bit of citrus hop bite and warming in the tail. I don’t know the exact age, but this has aged like a champ.

Hell yeah! Poured into my nice Stone Old Guardian glass. Pours a Dark brown color. Some notes of oxidation on the nose, but mostly I smell brown sugar, caramel(tons), toffee, dark fruit and some woody notes. Flavor is beautiful. I thought I smelled oxidation but I barely notice any at all. Flavor is sweet and still has a nice bitter hop finish. Tons of caramel, brown sugar, raisins, and woody notes. Damn I love Bells beers and this one is amazing even after all these years. Good shit.

In short: A maderised past-due-date barley wine that still kicks some major ass
How: Bottle 12oz. From dmschefke. Many thanks Dave. Consumed when… old.
The look: Opaque redish burgundy topped by a very small beige head
In long: Nose is extra-fruity for a big American barley wine. The carbonation is ultra-soft and the body ends-up being rather slick. Flavours include thick fruity caramel, toffee, sherry-like flavours (although it is probably due to the implicit maderisation of such an old beer), dark fruits (raisins and such), some tobacco leaves, unexpected mint notes, . I’m really surprised at how much I got resinous hops from this old brew. That thing was probably hopped as hell when fresh. I was told that this brew was properly cellared, and that’s probably true. I don’t think a “living room aged Bells 6000 bottle” is still worth drinking. I actually really really enjoyed that old past due-date beer. It kicks the ass of most fresh barley wines I’ve ever had. Wow! If all past due-date products were so good my fridge would be filled with delicious dairy products.