Bells Batch 6000 Ale

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

Lemon/orange/grapefruit citrus hop nose with underlying dough-like yeast and nutty malts. Opaque brown with fine-bubbled tan head that recedes slowly with minor lacing. Intense citrus hop flavour and aggressive bitterness with sweet undertones and notes of tropical fruits. Definite alcohol warming. Soft palate and excellent smooth mouthfeel. Perhaps not quite ready for primetime but very enjoyable already. With some maturity this will be a star. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT and Rastacouere.

Re-rate, I’ll leave my original in here as well, as this is the biggest difference I have had to date. Part of it is due to the fact that this beer has now aged for almost a year. Part of it is due to my drinking experience since I had this last. Overall, it is a neat thing to go back and see what a big beer like this tastes like after a while. Anyway, on this occasion, with a bottle shared by jerc and gregclow, I found a very strong hoppy aroma over a dark brown body with lots of sediment. The taste was quite hoppy as well, with alcohol that occasional came off as too strong (this could mellow even more for sure). There was no sign of the sourness I experienced the first time I rated it. Balanced, improved with age and pretty nice, just save for the harsh alcohol at times. Original numbers were 6 4 6 3 13 3.2. Bottle. Dark brown pour. Lots of alcohol and sweet grape like aroma. Very sour taste, mixed with a sharp hit of alcohol. On top of that, tons of hop bitterness comes through as well. Dry, roof of your mouth finish. Lots more malt than I’m used to in the Barleywines I’ve experienced so far. I sipped this one for a good hour and it was a thick syrup at the end. I’m torn - I can appreciate that this is a complex, well put together beer, but I wouldn’t say I really enjoyed my drinking experience. Perhaps with age.....Barleywines and Imperial Stouts tend to be overrated, because of their complexity, but at least with the Imperial Stouts I’ve rated highly, I could see myself drinking them again. I can honestly say I won’t have another one of these (perhaps an aged version), so take all that in to account when looking at my rating. End ramble now.

Sticky yellowish good-sized foam. Murky copper body. Abundant yeast floaties. Straightforward hoppy aroma unlike third coast old ale. Columbus and centennial hops perhaps?. Comes out orangey, sweaty, grapefruity and green leaves alike. Still, there’s a huge thick malt presence in there with suggestions of maple and honey. Taste is reminiscent of a less aggressive old crustacean. Pineapple flavours.Very bitter, almost extreme. Very warming, almost hot. Grassy, piney… complex hoppiness. Body is thick, malty, creamy, velvety, generous. This will definitely improve with some age on it. Thanks Psychprof.

09.01.04 12oz bottle, trade from jsquire. The pour is a murky cherry brown with little head. Aromas are hoppy-floral, brown sugar - heck, just lots of sugar - some berry hints. Palate is laid on a strong alcohol foundation, very nasal. The beer is coating, but it’s not too thick. Flavors start out mellow, sweet, and smooth, then an onslaught of hop bitterness rakes the sweetness right out of my mouth. Strong alcohol burn that doesn’t really help the beer except in the beginning - towards the finish and after the swallow, the burn seems to contradict the bitterness in a bit of an awkward way. Hints of coffee and a lingering sweetness come on late and stick in the back of my throat. This beer should be great given some time for the hops to mellow, the sugars to evolve, and the alcohol to ease into a sweet booziness. Right now, it’s just not ready. Thanks for the brew, Jeff!

I was lucky enough to get to try this at the Great Taste of the Midwest. This was well aged. Dark colored, and delicious. One of the more complex barleywines that I’ve had, this just blew me away. With a small sample, and a slightly tired palate, I had no hope of picking out all the flavors on this one, but I know that I would love to get another try at it. This one was amazing.

Bottle. Pours a thick brown color with a yellow/tan head. Aroma is like a raisin syrup. Taste is immediately malt/fruit sweet with a hint of chocolate. Long hop finish. Full bodied. Very aggressive hops. Need to cellar for a year and re-evaluate. I believe this just needs more time.

Reddish brownwith an almost ,I don’t know tannish almost golden orange head.great color .Comes thru with a citrus aroma but also sweet and not as hoppy as I thought,but Sh*t,complex,my nose is working overtime trying to decipher this.Just like my women,sweet and sugary.Fruit maybe but I sense a little bitterness which helps to contain the syrupiness.Has a good finish holding a pleasant flavor on the "palate".

Very complex- lots of levels to work through. Standard barley-wine begining, but as it warms, it becomes more intriguing. Buttery- but not in a bad way. Actually, went down to easily!! Thanks Nuffield.