Bells Batch 8000 Ale

Bottle courtesy of mgumby10 -- thanks!

Gotta say I’m disappointed by this one, especially given my generally extremely high regard for Bells. But this one? It’s no match for Batch 7000, that’s for sure.

Pours a very hazy light orange-gold with scant head, like apricot nectar in my snifter. Softly sweet over-ripe peaches and cider, coriander --- but also strong savory flavors and aromas: a grilled portabello mushroom burger with jarlsberg melted on top (or rather, like burping one, if you really want to know). The flavors just don’t come together, the beer is thick and almost syrupy -- too sweet, something like pumpkin spices -- it’s just not working for me.

Medium golden color with decent head. Aroma of spicy yeast with a little banana and some sweet flowers. Taste is dominated by honey sweetness with rich, complex, bready malts. A hint of fresh citrus and some alcohol. Really just a bit too sweet for me though. Thick with a slightly bitter finish.

12oz bottle served in Duvel Tulip. Bottle conditioned, quite a bit of yeast. Poured reddish gold with a big bubbled white head. Clove, Belgian yeast spice and a little alcohol in the aroma. Lots of spice in the flavor. Rich mouthfeel. Fruity flavors, plenty of malt with some candy sugar. Warming. Solid beer, but didn’t really make a big impression on me.

Bottle. Aroma is a mild sourness and orange. Cloudy orange with good lacing. Huge flavor, tons of citrus and a dry bitterness. Smooth, clean palate.

Bottle thanks to shp555. Pours a cloudy orange with a thin white head. The aroma is spices and citrus. The taste is really quite close to a marmalade sandwich; some citrus and coriander along with wheat. Really a nice beer, simple and yet so darn good. Is this really 9%? It has very little alcohol presence. Nice.

Orange/brown color with descent head. You can smell the orange or apricot. You clearly taste the variety of spices. Has a kick to it. You can feel this one go down. Great job Bells.

12 oz. bottle pours a beautifully deep, cloudy orange with great head. Aroma is amazing with tons of orange and many spices, but could be stronger. Flavor is less orange than expected with more prune, apricot and sweet candied plums. Definitely some residual sugar with a good balance of alcohol. Mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied with just a tad too much carbonation. Overall, extremely well-crafted beer with a lot of character, will be wishing this one was on their standard lineup.

Pours a cloudy yellow, thin head, and interesting lacing. Citrus and fruit aroma. I get apricots and alcohol. Sweet candied fruit flavor. Oranges, raw sugar, with a bitter light hop finish. Palate is thin but works well with this style of beer.