Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

On tap and in a bottle at Bell’s today. Wow, very nice. I’m a wheat beer nerd, so take my opinion with that in mind. Smell is southern German weizen yeasts, some spices and that always intriguing Belgian tinge. Pours cloudy tangerine wheat, effervescent. Flavor is clean with some phenolic notes, citrus and spice from the coriander, paradise seed and orange peel plus what I perceive as a bit of the banana clove weizen yeast flavors. A very nice summer wheat (Imperial Wit?), but certainly not a wimp at 9% alc.

Pours a stubbornly cloudy tight orange color. Dense head of white. Thin sheet of lace sticks. Syrupy orange oil aroma with a spicy clove underlay. Creamy orange flavors with a healthy dose of yeastiness. Alcohol warms you. Heavy witbier that densely falls back in on itself like a black hole. Quite drinkable, and a treat to behold.

Bottle. Poured a hazy, orangish-golden color with a ton of sediment and a light white head. Slight lacing. Aroma of coriander and clove, with a bit of banana. Mouthfeel is nice. Flavor is pretty complex. Starts out with a nice blend of coriander and orange peel, with a banana aftertaste. Not a beer I normally would like, but this is nice.

My bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of ucusty. Pours a hazy orange with an average size diminishing white head. Very nice aroma of biscuity malt, Belgian yeast, wheat, spices and plenty of fruit. Delicious flavour of citrus fruit, spices and yeast. Alcohol’s completely hidden. Great body. Like an amped-up Saison, I friggin’ loved it!

Pours a cloudy golden orange with a medium bubbly/creamy off white head that left some lacing. Aroma of coriander, orange, other spices, Belgian yeast, bread, banana and floral notes. Flavors were a mix of the same Belgian yeast and spices, orange, corriander, some banana, bubblegum and a touch of caramel as well.

Lovely reddish blonde with bubbly champagne-like effervescence.
Peppery at first which was very saison-esque, but then the more familiar orange peel and that tell-tale wit aroma that you can only qualify as ’yeasty’. I couldn’t really smell the coriander (although the orange peel is pretty similar so it may have been that) but the paradise seed (the aformentioned pepper) was quite present. It also had a bit of a sugary smell that was a totally nice touch.
Very true to the Belgian style in the taste profile, I wouldn’t be surprised if they used actual candi or beet sugar to boost the ABV. For a high octane brew, the actual booze factor was quite subdued, it just had enough to bring the flavors together like the bass in a rock band. Very well balanced, with nothing out of place. Excellent.

Bottle. Aroma or wheat and coriander and perhaps touch of yeast and it’s quite a nice blend. Poures a light copperish. Flavor was interesting, little bit of pepper and some orange very strange almost hard pick out. Palate was nice, medium fullness an interesting lingering pepper and sweetness. Overall, I liked it and I’m gonna take my time with the rest of it.

Bottle from Capones shared with the Mad_indian. Pours a cloudy orange copper with a decent size off-white head. Aroma of belgian spices, fruit, citrus, and sweetness. the flavor is sweet, banana, spices, orange peel, citrus, and a beautifully smooth 9% brew.