Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

12oz bottle from Willow Bend Liquors (Tampa, FL). Pours a nice dark copper color with a thin white head. Aroma is burnt sour orange, sweet caramel, toffee notes and yeasty bready notes. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes orange, bread, yeast and caramel. Medium body with a slightly hoppy finish. Nice ale.

Slightly hazy, golden-orange, very oily. Huge white head, fades over time. Aroma all over the place. Bubblegum, banana, clove, coriander, citrus, faint alcohol in background. Some fruitiness up front in the flavor. Fades to toasted/grainy, along with some cloyingly sweet character, vanilla? Finishes with huge spice and alcohol, coriander dominates. Very syruppy mouthfeel. Really liked the 1st bottle I tried, over the last week or so, it’s wearing quite thin with me. More carbonation would go a long way with this.

Bottle. Thanks to bullet2urbrain for the trade. Pours a cloudy yellow/orange body with nice head. Aroma is spices, corriander, orange peel. Flavor is loaded with spices, sometimes it was too full at first. As it warmed this became a very nice sipping beer. The yeast character really came out as it warmed.

12oz bottle(courtesy of gunhaver)-A cloudy yellow with a small white head that dissipated into a small ring. Aroma of oraqnge peel, coriander, wheat, and slight alcohol. Taste of the same with some belgian yeast thrown in and IMO this holds the alcohol taste very well. A nice tasting brew.

Cloudy amber with a mammoth off-white airy head that slowly dissipates. Aroma of orange peel, coriander, Belgian yeast, toasted malt, fruit and sugar. Taste of coriander, orange peel, fruit, alcohol, caramel and toasted malt. An imperial Witbier from Bells, who have easily become my favorite brewer. Shame they only brewed this one once since it’s solid and I hope to find more in my travels.

Pours hazy golden with a mostly receding off-white head. Aroma of orange juice, rum, fusels, and sweet citrus. Taste is sweet, alcoholic, and citric. Mouthfeel is full bodied, slightly heavy from the alcohol with soft but lush carbonation. I love Bells, but this beer was a bit messy, I do think it could benefit from extended aging. Perhaps after a year it would clear up and become a bit more refined.

bottles thanks to ucusty....actually pours frikken orange...lots of movement. aroma is wheat, orange, and something spicy. this is assumed to be paradise seed. flavor is much the same with lots of yeast, a bit of coriander and a kick in the sweet tooth. alcohol is everywhere but remains welcome throughout. unique amped up wit...

Bottle. Cool... this is rating number 100 for Batch 8000. I feel quite a sense of accomplishment. Appearance is darker than expected... a hazy amber body with about three fingers of head that lace as they slowly recede. Coriander dominates the aroma, but there is a touch of citrus and yeast as well. As it warms a bit the citrus becomes more defined and becomes a more definite orange aroma. First sip, wow! Nothing like I expected. I’m starting to think the Imperial/Double Belgian Wit is a little misleading. Here’s my thoughts: this is much sweeter and fruitier than a wit. Also, the malt presence has a bit of a caramel and honey character to it, and the citrus flavoring is more orange than lemon. I like the classification of Belgian Strong better, since it is closer to what I perceived as the Batch 8000 experience. Second, I’m surprised to find out that this sits at 9% ABV. I’m not picking it up in the flavor, nor am I detecting any of the warmth in the mouth or throat that I would expect with 9%. My third perception is that this beer strangely lacks some of the complexities that I was expecting. I’m guessing that Paradise seed is that little fruity funk that I’m not familiar with, but apart from that, there isn’t a whole lot that really stands out as a "feature attraction." It is a well done beer, nonetheless, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order up a second. As I reach the bottom of the glass, the 9% ABV doesn’t seem like as much of a stretch, even though I’m not picking it up in the flavor. With all the sweetness and texture it is almost like a mead-beer. Also, I should say that this beer improves a lot as it warms. DON’T SERVE COLD.