3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 13/20
Side by side comparison with bottles of Two, Four, Six, Eight and Love. New Years Day 2006, I believe.
*TWO pours light orange with minimal, but noticeable haze in the bottle. Sweet nose does have a bit of spice showing through as it warms. Body is light. Dry and spicy at the finish of the bottle. Not as creamy as Oberon, lighter body. Light spices remind of a lighter witbier. Quite average, though.
*FOUR is much drier and straigh grainier wheat flavor than the two. Re-writing this review, it is what GI 312 is like today. Straw and grass with tiny hints of sweet bread and cookie barely coming through...teasing.
*SIX is a bit darker and more malt flavors are present in the nose and especially in the flavor. Sweet and mapley with the grassy dryness at the end quickly fading.
*EIGHT is dark and cloudy, nutty aroma. Flavor is really weak, as is the body. Some tiny roasted flavors, but this one seems the weakest of the bunch, despite it’s color.
*LOVE - I thought the order would go lighter to darkest, finishing with LOVE, but this is just as light as TWO. Nose is compoletely different, with alcohol upfront and some banana bread. Body is nice and rich, malty, some spices drying at the finish. The aftertaste, dry from apparent alcohol is also spicy and wonderful. The clear winner of the series for me!
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle thanks to MrBunn. Nose is of some chocolate, honey, and wheat. Taste is very similar, with the wheat standing out a bit more. Pours a dark brown with good lacing head. Considering its age its held up very well.
2.3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
Murky dark brown color with a light colored head that leaves only small amounts of lacing. Coffee and roast in the smell, but there were also some hints of dark fruit and spice. Taste has some fresh green bean taste, coffee, and some dark fruits. High carbonation and light body. Again, this was certainly interesting, but not that enjoyable.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Interesting beer. If you had put it in front of me blindfolded I would have guessed I was drinking a typical hefe. Murky, dark brown pour. Aroma is yeasty, funky, citrus, and maybe some green grapes? Flavor is not as bold as the color would indidcate, but it is a good wheat beer anyway. Worth trying, but I wouldnt seek it out.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
I was a very big fan of this beer, it was a very delicious smelling beer, and perhaps one of the darkest wheat beers I’ve ever had. The head wasn’t terribly big, but the color was a very pretty dark brown. There was a lot of yeast flavor and aroma.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
From bottle when released with the Wheat series. While the Wheat Love was fantastic, Wheat 8 fell well short of my expectations.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Batch 7133: I actually forgot I had this hiding in the back of my fridge and figured I’d pull it out before heading out to watch the tourney games. Pours a dark ruby brown with a small tan head. Some slight oxidation has set in but not enough to detract from it too much...I can pretty much pick up on dark wheat and some subtle dark fruits and cinnamon. Still very well carbonated and has a nice body. Some mild chocolate notes are present with the wheat and dark malts...the fruity esters are present a tad bit as well. This is the only one out of the series that ended up being rateable...the others were drain pours and horribly oxidized. Even with this much age on it this still buries the local microbrewery’s Dunkelweizen that’s on tap right now.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
12 oz. bottle (7133) via trade with hopdog - Pours a brown color with a large one and 3/4 finger thick light tan head. Faint lacing. Has a grain (corn flakes) and very light chocolate aroma. Flavor is light chocolate, faint esters, and some oxidation setting in. Medium body. I bet this beer was really good fresh. This beer completes the Bells Wheat Project for me. Thanks Steve.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Batch 7133
3/08/2008: Surprisingly, Bell’s Wheat Eight (8) Ale doesn’t manifest itself as a glass full of foam when it is poured! Instead, it pours more or less normal and results in a cloudy dark brown/chocolate color with an average-sized disipating dark beige/tan head. There is an ample level of visible carbonation. The aroma has chocolate and some toasted and creamy wheat malt as well as some notes earthy fruit. The flavor is nutty and slightly toward the sweet side with undertones of chocolate (cocoa), toasted wheat malt, and some dry, earthy hops and bitterness. This beer has a medium body and is smooth on the palate. I really like the balance and richness of the flavors in this beer compared to Wheat Two (2), Wheat Four (4), and Wheat Six (6). Unlike the previous two beers, this one seems more like a regular production beer rather than an experimental one. So far this is the most complex and best of the Bell’s Wheat Series...
12 fl. oz. bottle from iowaherkeye. Thank you! Rating #194 for this beer...
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My other Bell’s Wheat Project Ratings:
• <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-wheat-two- Wheat Two (2) Ale
• <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-wheat-four Wheat Four (4) Ale
• <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-wheat-six- Wheat Six (6) Ale
• <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-wheat-eigh Wheat Eight (8) Ale
• <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-wheat-love Wheat Love Ale
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle. Thanks to Sprinkle for sending me the bottle. Poured a deep brown body with nice head. aroma is bubblegum, dark fruits, black cherries. Flavor is a smooth balance of dark fruits, black grapes, sweet malt and chocolate. Enjoyable.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle from Sprinkle -- thanks!
Pours very dark brown with a nice light-tan head. The aroma is dusty wheat and grain husks, mild clove and banana, yeast, cobweb. Fairly gentle nutty flavor, mildly sweet, hints of chocolate, again that dusty sun-warmed earthiness, surprisingly little of the banana and clove.
Altogether this one is very drinkable, despite the aggressive carbonation. It’s not the sort of beer that necessarily makes you sit bolt upright in your chair in flavor amazement, but it’s really enjoyable and it lasted a very brief time in my glass before disappearing all too soon.
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