Bells Batch 8000 Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle shared by Sean! Poured cloudy orange gold with sediment visible. There was minimal head as well. Aroma was full of sweet grains with some caramel and citrus. The citrus (orange) was more present on the tongue combining with the caramel and sweet grains.

Thanks again to Adrian for a bottle of this! I am sure there are fewer and fewer of these around, since it will probably not be brewed again, and the label says to drink it up fresh and not cellar it. A lightly tangy, honey and floral aroma, with a little yeast too. Amber pour without much head. Very robust for a witbier. I tasted honey bread, yeast, a little citrus, ginger, and even something like broth. There was also a yeasty undertone. The spices were not too powerful - maybe they faded a bit. Interesting tingle on the palate and a fresh finish. Very nice.

Bought in May 2010 after finding on the shelves of a liquor store with a great selection but prices so ridiculous that stuff stays on the shelves for a while. Bought a single bottle to test out; the label says best consumed fresh but unfortunately I don’t have a baseline for comparison. All I can say is whether almost 3 years on the shelf has left us with a bad beer or a good beer.

Pours a hazy light brown with a yellow tone. Head is thin and short-lived, lacing is thin. Aroma of honey, spices, and rich fruits. Gorgeous bouquet. Slightly sweet on the tongue, noticeable wheat character, and the honey and orange presence really comes through on the finish, which lingers for a few swallows. Slight notes of raisin and I think even soy. I can’t make out the spices individually but their influence is a nice part of the experience.

I think at the very least it would behoove me to go back and buy a sixer so I can share this with some people and cellar a bottle or two to see if it handles another year.

355mL courtesy of dpjuart. Pours a muddy/dirty blonde with a sizeable yellowish head that has fair retention and not much lace. Aroma is buttery, a bit diacetyl, caramel, creme brulee. Taste is rich, buttery: some warming alcohol, spices, but mostly bland graininess. Some good warming alcohol. Imperial Wit is a tough style to nail down.

(12oz bottle via trade with BA gratefulbeerhead) clear golden pour with little to no head. Nose of celery, candi sugar, and citrus hops. Taste of candi sugar, celery and spicy yeast.

bottle, thanks to thirdeye11, golden pour with short foam, aroma of fruity malts and some potpourri, flavors of caramel, mango, citrus

A- Translucent golden yellow body that pours with rather thick, creamy white head. Head slowly fades to a nice thick creamy collar and plenty of lacing is left behind in the glass. Beautiful yeast clouds circle their way around in this one. S- Its a classic witbier smell. A nice balance of coriander, citrus (mostly orange), and lots of yeast. Hints of soft hops too. T- Lots of citrus upfront with a big, full, yeasty backbone. Coriander along with some hop flavor really comes out for the finish pushing the citrus and yeast temporarily in the background. Alcohol is pretty heavy on the swallow. Citrus, coriander, and yeast linger with equal potency leaving a sweet yet semi-spicy bready flavor. These characters are wrapped in a blanket of alcohol warmth. P- Low-Medium carbonation and full yeasty body. Smooth and creamy. O- This is a nice limited edition beer. I am very glad I was able to try it. I would buy it again if it were readily available. Anyway-the 9.0% ABV surely does not hide and makes its presence known, knocking the drinkability of this one down a little bit. Not sure whether this is more of an imperial wit or BSPA...either way I love both and this is a pretty solid example of either. Well done. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-26-2007 01:50:46

Bottle thanks to thirdeye11. Pours with a fading head over a hazy golden body. Aroma of honey, celery, citrus and cumin, floral. Taste is sweet, tea, bitter and spice. Light bubbles.

bottle thanks to JCapriotti! Pours murky orange with a medium off white head. Aroma is strong citrus, orange marmalade, some honey. Flavor is smooth honey and spice. Lots of rich orange peel character with some light coriander notes and a floral finish.

355 ml bottle. Dark orange body with a big off-white head. Aroma is sweet malt and fruit with a hint of alcohol. Flavor is sweet malt, some caramel and almost a fruity kind of bitterness. Quite nice.