Bells Batch 8000 Ale

12 oz bottle

I’ve had the Left Bank and Right Bank which were test batches for this. I figured after two bottles it would be reasonable to rate the final result. For a special Bell’s release I am a little shocked it won’t age well. I am also let down a little. Despite being a good beer this does not stand up as well as the Batch 6000 or Batch 7000. Still, it is an interesting take on a style most American brewers haven’t tackled in this form. Try it as soon as you can since it likely has a shelf life of less than a year.

Aroma / Appearance - The honey colored body poured with a thin white head and moderate carbonation. It was hard to tell what to expect for it looked close to the tone of the Left Bank ale I was using as a reference. Glazed honey competes with a strong orange and coriander profile. Underneath is the smell of wet asphalt and lemon meringue. A vinous consistancy holds it all together.

Flavor / Palate - The mouthfeel is full but not cloying. It reminds me of orange creamsicle blended with melons and alcohol. A slight bitterness provokes the senses and warms the throat. The first impression is the best - as it warms it devolves into something that resemebles cough syrup. I’m not sure what to make of the finish which is flat and a little cloying. On the while the experimental batches were better than the final release. Perhaps I will discover it is better on tap at the cafe in Kalamazoo.

I have been looking forward to this one as witbiers are one of my favorite styles. This tasted more like a tripel to me, but I can see the wit-like characteristics. Aroma of orange, spices and yeast. Pour was a thick cloudy orange with no head. The beer sat like a stagnant pond in the glass.Taste was sweet and fruity...coriander and citrus with a banana aftertaste and yeast going in and out. 9% not noticeable until minutes after the sip when the burn comes out. Very nice and different.

Bottle from ? It is interesting to try 8000 soon after trying Struise Tsjeeses. Both have same yellow-amber color. The Tsjeeses had a big head, while this one has little (mostly the difference in the pour). I smell the corriander in 8000, but not the orange peel until I taste it. It doesn’t have the body of T, and leans more toward the dry side. The slightest hint of background sourness, which I often confuses me when a beer runs toward the dry side. Pretty nice and drinkable. Probably just needs some aging. It might be spectacular then. Very good with cheese.

Pour: orange yellow hazy. Head: creamy, offwhite. Aroma: hoppy, wheat, alcohol, citrus. Flavor: wheat, alcohol, yeast, a little must. Palate: smooth. Finish: warm and wheaty.

Pours a hazy bright gold. The head is medium thick creamy light yellow. The aroma is sou, shows some banana, honey, definitely wheat, spicy. The flavor is sour, some banana, dry alcohol, wheaty, sweet. Lively on the palate. Definitely not a witbier, but Belgian Strong is too broad.

Light heading on the pour, yet oddly foamy in the mouth. Nose is cardomon, in such a strong fashion in overhwelms the taste. There is a bit of citrus, slight banana, but mainly spice: cardomon, corriander, cloves. Really needed some wheat in the backbone.

Dark orange and an initially large head that fades quickly. Lots of sediment in the bottle, that I agitated and poured in to the glass. Before the glass is even close to my nose I can smell the great aromas of coriander, banana, citrus, and sweet wheat. The aroma reminds me of a New Glarus wheat beer, and that is a good thing. Flavor is sweet and spicy. More citrus, banana, and lots of clove taste. Thick and heavy on the palate, and the high abv is well hidden.

Bottle @ Rustico in Alexandria VA. Pours orange with a cloudy bright white ring. Nose is bready with a faint hint of spices. The taste is sweet, fresh, and full bodied, and it fits with the style nicely. Lots of flavor, orange peel and corriander and most prominent. Usually beers that have so much spice don’t sit well with me, but this one is a happy exception.