 wmubronco1992 (107), Coldwater, Michigan, USA
Dec 27, 2007
Bottle - batch #8211. Dark copper color. Long lasting big white frothy head with good lacing. Thick carmal flavor with an enduring mouthfeel. You gotta like when a beer sticks with you for a while so you can savor it. Lots of earthiness. First time I’ve rated a barley wine, but this is very nice. A little pricey for everyday drinking, and at 10.2% definitely not for beginners. Excellent beer, worthy of it Bells heritage.
matt7215 (562), Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Sep 4, 2008 12 oz bottle. no batch number. pours deep reddish brown. a small tan head but almost no carbonation. very deep rich aromas. dark fruits, caramel/toffee, some leather, maybe some wood. the flavours are equally deep and complex. the mouthfeel is soft and comforting but the flavour lasts forever. there is a noticeable english quality to this beer and i think that has won me over. best barley ive had to date.
PilsnerPeter (1408), Flushing, New York, USA
Sep 2, 2008 Bottle: (Thanks kosko20!) Pours a hazy/rusty amber with a tight tan head. The aroma is rich with notes of vanilla, some buttery character, odd oxidized suggestions of vegetal/metallic notes, alcohol and dark fruits (dates) Has a substantial palate with mild carbonation. The flavor seems odd. I think this bottle is somewhat oxidized or was exposed to heat. Has apparent big malt character giving off some vanilla, leather, dust, metal, caramel, very subtle old raspberry puree (not tart, but sweet/candied raspberry) with some long and dry peppery hop notes that give off an almost mint-like hint. I want to try another bottle to see if it’s condition effected it’s potential quality.
zathrus13 (1063), Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA
Sep 1, 2008 Bottle, no batch on the label. Pours cloudy brown/amber, with a very small head. Aroma is fruit, malt, and caramel. Flavor is fruit, caramel, hops, malt, and alcohol. A nice one to sip.
KnN (271), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Aug 25, 2008 Bottle, Batch 8269. Pours a really nice deep amber color with almost no head. Aroma is malt, dark fruit, alcohol, a little bready.
Flavor is very nice and complex, but has a wicked little bitter kick. Not like hop bitterness at all. Lot’s of caramel, plum, anise? Could spend forever trying to find all the flavors. I didn’t realize this one was a beer you could cellar. I’ll have to hunt down another bottle and put it away for awhile. Very nice beer.
Naka (415), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 23, 2008 On tap at Bocktown. Pours a dark brown with hints of red. A thick creamy off-white head that leaves more of a curtain of sticky foam than lacing. Sweet malty aroma with raspberry, a little hops, and even somewhat of a perfume. The flavor starts kind of chocolatey, but has some brown sugar, black raspberries, and a sort of creamy bitter. The hop character is a very noticeable pine in the finish. The body of this beer is extremely thick and rich. A slight alcohol flavor, but not really that bad, considering the high ABV. Another great offering from Bell’s.
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