Bells Eccentric Ale

2000 vintage. This beer is a very eccentric, limited release beer, that is only brewed once a year, and can only be found on draught, and in a limited bottling run, at the Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo. A guest brewer is brought in every year to help Larry, and the recipe changes every year. The base beer is always a strong, old ale/barleywine, but over the years it has been spiced with a melange of fruits and spices, and always comes in at a warming 11% + abv. The 2000 Vintage of Eccentric Ale, which was co-brewed by Terry Farendorf of the Steelhead Brewing Company of Eugene, OR. Bell’s Eccentric Ale 2000 pours to a murky caramel brown color with slight tan head that fades, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful with layers of complex malty, spicy, and hoppy aromas. Sweet malt, citric hops, spicy aromas, and peppery alcohol flood the nose. The palate is lush and full on the tongue with complex layers of flavors. Sweet and caramel malt flavors marry with hints of butterscotch, ripe fruit, orange, black pepper, and flavors of spice such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, glide over the tongue. Eccentric Ale finishes with more complex malty, fruity, and spicy flavors up front, then ends with a warming, peppery alcohol burn. There is so much going on in this beer, it truly is eccentric, and is one to sip and savor. As stated this beer is brewed in one batch, and is available only in December for a short time at the brewery. 12oz bottles of this beer can be purchased for $5, and the bottle run of this beer is very limited. Every year this beer is released on Eccentric Day which is held in December.

Opaque plummy appearance, dark and in-depth, slimmish foaming above...I can forgive small faults in this instance. Aroma is amazing, and unearthly, wafts out from cracking the crown...a complex mess of flavors to smell, here, but easily epitomized as barleywinish...brandy, cognac, berries, cherries, dates, spices, ...a little sour, but not much...hard to describe..twisted prunes on a bender..how’s that? Taste: oh, yes...ummm...whoa...doppel, no quadrupelbock, syrup, molasses, fruit, Johnson Brothers,...morass of a melange of a slick, sticky cherries and prunes, on a leather strop..grabs the tongue and rides it long and hard, kicks the sides, sets the spurs in...but gently...although I know the booze is high, here, it comes on as a cloud, and softly settles into the senses... ...gets comfortable in the mouth, but doesn’t pummel it...full flavored, but not destructive...this is astonishing, amazingly good...candyish, in the sweet, liquory effect...holy moly... I can only complain that this ought to be readily available, at the perfect age, and in plentiful supply...of course, and pardon me while I allow the pigs to fly out of my netherside portal. a lururious, luscious absolutely lovely ale...elegant...gorgeous...put this in a liter bottle with a fancy top and extragant bells and whistles, charge $50 a bottle, serve it to yuppies with too much money and tell them it’s cognac. I swear you’ll be successful. But be sure to invite me and give me a taste...this 12 ounce bottle left us too quickly...alas...poor Eccentric Ale, this world is not meant for one as beautiful as you... my glass is empty...poor, poor me...ah, well, life goes on, there are other beers, but not any such as this! Thank you, Larry!

2004. Dark brown in color with ruby highlights and a thin, brown head that laces the glass nicely. Aroma has more going on than could possibly be listed. But spice, brown sugar, creme, and caramel dominate. I am a big fan of Fritz Maytag and the spiced Our Special Ale, but this blows every vintage of that away. The fat sweetness of the malt foundation is perfect for all of the spicing, alcohol, and hops within. Superb.

They've got citrus, hops, spice, caramel, etc. Amazing!!! You've got to try this one. If heaven were to bless alcohol other than wine it would bless this beer. Who needs food when you got this beer. So much flavor it lives up to Bell's excellence.

Thick, syrupy sweetness. Lots of spices, pumpkin, caramel, vanilla. Lots of rich flavors going on. The ABV is not really noticed, just a nice warming going down. Excellent winter brew.