Bells Batch 6000 Ale

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

Low carbonation and very little head. This beer, although listed as a barleywine, reminded me of a belgian beer. Smells like raisin bread. Raisin and plum taste with hoppy bitterness. This is not a typical beer, very unique. Better as it ages.

I absolutely love this one. Dull redish brown color with a nice off white head and some good lace. Aroma is complexly malty with lots of fruit comming through, some sweet syrup, doughy bread, plums, raisons, beats, and moderate alcohol. Mild hops in the nose. Toasty earthy malts that are sweet and strong. So many wonderful fruity flavors comming through. Hops are spicey. More malt accented with a wonderful batch of flavors comming through. Absolutely great stuff, big but with little signs of its strength. Drank these continuously while in Michigan for december and I grew very attached.

Intriguing rich, malty, fruity and sweet aroma, with notes of date, raisin, plum, molasses, faintly medicinal alcohol, dark bread and herbal, spicy hop. Mahogany hue with red highlights, quite solid-looking, with a delicately patterned head and fine lacing. Fresh hop flavors and fruitiness up front, becoming more malty, toasty and sweet, and with a warming, spicy, nicely bittering and very lengthy finish. Ample-bodied to be sure, the mouthfeel thick and indulgent. Well-suited for cellaring indeed, the hop level being well intensified. This is a great Barleywine, perhaps superior to even the Third Coast Old Ale. Cheers to krisbierjaeger for supplying me with this bottle.

Dark reddish brown and a light lacing. Highly complex aroma of sugar, plums and raisins, with hints of vanilla bean. A nice roastiness and malts perfectly balance the hops. Even some bitter coffee makes its way into this brew. Good, but slightly over-carbonated. The alcohol is well-masked, but it hits hard. Another great brew from Kalamazoo. Sweet and Syrupy.

Large frothy head with excellent lacing. Body is very dark red. Very nice and fresh hoppy nose. Clean and piney with some ruby red grapefruit and blackberry. Taste has a syrupy sweet middle with a large bitter background throughout. Fairly long dry bitter finish with a slight coffee feel. Palate is a little heavy, but not bad.

Nice and Thick. Lacy residue on my snifter. Floating pockets of foam linger for many minutes. Sweet alcohol nose. Very pleasing. Very unassuming on the tongue finishing with a slight bitter finish. Great barley wine. Perfect for a 0 degree night, which it is.

Not as attractive as the Third Coast Ale, this beer is deep red with a thin light brown foam. Reminds me of grain alcohol in the flavor. Heavy fruit like apples and pears. A smooth almost milky mouth feel. Very warm. The strong flavor finishes cleanly with less bitterness. Flavor is very nice, but high alcohol content makes this difficult to drink. Definitely not a session beer.

Amber-red color, thin but dense head. Huge aroma - fruity, toffee, toasty. Resinous hops. Woody flavors, toffee sweetness and more resinous hops. Huge full palate, long bitter hoppy finish. Seems to be a fantastic candidate for aging.

One year old now and certainly coming into balance. Woody hop flavors are still there, but the bitterness has waned a bit. A slight sourness adds complexity.