Bells Batch 6000 Ale

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

Rating 2300! Bottle courtesy of kp. What a rare treat this is, I never thought I’d get to try this -- big thanks to kp!! Pours, well, gorgeous! A cascading dark reddish-brown with an average size lasting beige head and a bunch of little floaties. Aroma has lots of earthy malt, lots of fruit and lots of hops -- all so well balanced, along with some alcohol, chocolate and toffee -- just wonderful! Flavour of dark fruit, hops, caramel malt, brown sugar, a bit of alcohol and a long(ish) bitter finish. Nice balance between the hops and malt. What’s the abv on this? I’m sure it’s probably high but it goes down sooo smooth. Medium to full bodied, thick mouthfeel. kp, you are one generous person, thanks again. This was amazing -- I loved it!

Draft at Gravity Head. Poured clear ruby color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly diminished with fair lacing. Heavy dark tart fruit and alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a tingly sticky texture. Heavy complex dark fruit flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish that was long lasting. This is a standout complex beer.

On tap. Pours a dark ruby color with a surprisingly nice, compact white head. Aroma is pretty amazing. Candy, dark fruits, intense caramel, a hint of chocolate, lots of intense maltiness and a leafy hoppiness that seems fresh, oddly. Really intense yet delicate. Taste is smooth, rich, quite bitter with a huge caramel maltiness and a bitter finish. Full-bodied. This one really balances between a real smoothness and a bitter, semi-hotness. Either way this one has come along nicely and I could definitely see this lasting many more years. This thing must have been a monster when it came out.

Toasted bread with notes of ripe candied fruit, nuts and diacetyl. Slight diacetyl upfront with with good bittering and a soft mouthfeel. Lots of depth with a lingering finish and more diacetyl.

On tap at Rich O’s, Gravity Head ’08. What a special lovely treat! Lightly hazed reddish brown with a creamy tan head, thinning to a film. Looks a lot like Angel’s Share, mad dark for the style. Lightly sweet malty backbone. Dim hops, a lot like an Old Crusty with some age. Lightly fruity and tannix with some small alcohol. Full viscous mouthfeel, creamy with lots of small bubbles. Sweet creamy malt. A hint of buttery diacetyl? Reigned in alcohol comes off a bit fruity. A bit of a tannic finish. Definitely a bit of that bubblegum thing. Glad to have tried it!

Reviewed on 6-21-05...I poured this fabled brew into a tulip. I somehow managed to keep most of the dregs in the bottle. Anyone who has poured one of these can understand my triumph. There is an initial three quarter inch thick head that fades to a thin, swirly haze. The colors are brown with a small amount of red. The nose is super hoppy with a strong malt presence. Every time that I taste this beer, my undying love for it grows. It creates a battle on my tongue between hop, and malt. There is sweet caramel malt that peeks its head out of the ground, only to be smacked in the face with some juicy hops. I detect cherry-like fruit flavors toward the finish. The finish is long and bitter, but clean at the same time. Mouthfeel is smooth and big with very little carbonation. The drinkability is superb. Why must this be a one time batch? By the way, I have yet to find the slightest bit of oxidation in any of this batch that I have sampled.

[Bottle, thanks Skyview and Tytoanderso!] Pours red with no head. Aroma is really malty with a fair amount of hops still present. Taste is even more malty, with an unidentifiable fruitiness and caramel in there too. Medium-thick mouthfeel with a pretty long finish. A pretty nice barley wine.

Tasted at PP bottle shop. hapjyduece brought it. I feel very lucky to try it. Great wonderful aroma. Some oxidation. Caramel color. wispy small bubble head. A little sweet. Some bitterness on the side of the tongue.