Bells Batch 4000 Ale

Pours a dirty yellow orange with no real head to speak of. Aroma is of caramel, tea and oranges. Flavor is a bit weak of mango and citrus, and a bit buttery and sugary. Palate is a little sticky. Considering the age, this beer has held up pretty well. It would have been nice to try it fairly fresh for comparison.

Bottle with thanks to coyotehunter. Pours a hazy orange with little head but lots of bubble clinging to the glass. Smells a little of oranges and malt with no oxidation. Flavor has a bit of butter and papaya. This is fairly sweet and a little sticky. Seems to have lost a bit of its flavor but show little other signs of age.

Deep amber pour. The nose is great. Rich sweet fruity nose. There is a kiss of pineapple and other dried fruits. Plums and a bit of cherry as well. Sweet caramel malts with a touch of sherryish oxidation that adds a lot of complexity. A bit of honey and some lingering dried plums. Quite nice and I’m glad to have seen how well this has held up.

Bottle: Thanks Mike (Eyedrinkale): Murky amber pour with a light tan film of head. Slightly oxidized in the nose- some sherry notes, old fruits, thick caramel, some old hops (making it a touch minty as it warms). Slick on the palate. Smooth caramel flavors with lightly peppery faded hops giving a light spearmint note. It’s held up fairly well, but was probably awesome fresh.

Special thanks to Northernbrews for hooking up the 4000-8000 tasting. This was a good one. A little age is showing, but nothing too stark. A little light caramel with some dark fruits and a little tartness. Good stuff.

Much thanks to the Queens RB crew! Pours a full orangish brown with no head. Aroma of burnt caramel, brown sugar, bourbon, and malt. Flavors of oak, bourbon, caramel, raisin, and vanilla. Strong alcohol feel on the intake, but this quickly fades. The finish is sweet caramel. A little harsh but still rich and enjoyable.

12oz bottle from a trade from way too long ago....pours a slightly transparent amber brown with a thin and quickly dissipating white head.... bready caramel malts and dark fruits make up the nose.... flavors of dark fruit and bready malt somewhat tart, and finishes with a slightly boozy bitter finish. carbonation has certainly help up over the years. pretty lively and thin to medium mouthfeel.

Had this as part of a Batch 4000 - Batch 8000 tasting 9/22/07. I received the bottle from tangfoot. Thanks alot Fred. Appearance: Pours a darkish orange with a slight haze. The 1/2 inch off white head fads slowly to leave some nice lacing. This looks awesome and has alot more carbonation than I expected. Aroma: Wow! Starts with some sweet orange and pineapple notes. There is a slight alcohol burn. As this warms, theres some raisons and dark fruit that creep in. Very nice. Flavor: Not quite as intense as the aroma, but this is pretty nice too. There is a slight tartness that I really enjoyed. Some of the pineapple and dark fruits leave a nice path to a dry finish. This is almost like a mild wild ale. Palate: This is pretty spritzy and the flavors hang around for a little bit. Pretty nice mouthfeel. Damn does this go down smooth. Its amazing how flavorful and balanced this is after all these years. It just goes down too easily. I could easily toss back a few of these, but I’m glad I’m just enjoying the little bit I had. I’m not too sure how old this is (I wish I knew when it was bottled), but it has aged vey well. It definitely exceded my expectations. This was my second favorite of the Batches from 4000 - 8000. Can’t wait til I can have this when we have our 4000 - 9000 tasting in a few years. If you ever see this, have a chance to try it, or have a chance to trade for it, you won’t be disappointed. Another awesome beer from Bell’s. I just I would have tried this fresh, but I suspect it is even better now. Thanks again Fred.