Bells Batch 4000 Ale

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

A special thanks to Walleye Jim for giving me this one of a kind bottle of beer. This beer poured a dark amber with a brown hue and no reddish tint at all, there was a slight haze, as I dumped some of the chunky yeast in from the bottom. The head was thin and whitish, but quickly disappeared. The aroma was all nutty malt, like roasted pistachios, with a wine like oak aroma floating around in the background. As it warmed the aroma changed toasted grains and slight caramel. The flavor is indeed mild, again malt first with a little balancing hop bitterness. The flavor is of caramel and Munich malt, and a slight yeast finish. The beer is extremely smooth, not even seeming like a 7.5% beer. I am very impressed at how well this beer has aged considering it is only 7.5%. Still I would have liked to try it a few years back when it was a little less "mature."

In trade with Styles.Thanks Chris. Murky like spring flood river water.Some fruitiness and sweet malts.It is a litle old for the style but I still am very happy to taste this.Acidic smell almost but still has a mild flavor of caramel apples.A little like apple vinegar at this point.

5 yr old bottle. This particular bottle has not held up very well. Bottle-conditioned, it pours a cloudy amber, topped by a filmy off-white head, lasting. Aroma is passed its prime to say the least. It proposes sausages and tart apples notes in a crusty and sauerkraut like background. Sharply vinegary flavour profile, earthy, cookie-ish and mildly alcoholic. Light bodied has certainly lost some of its glory. Thanks for the opportunity Clark.

Big thanks to JTW for the bottle. Pours a golden copper with a very thin white head. Aroma was sweet and tart with peaches and alcohol. Flavor was tart, sweet, and fruity. Some pineapple, caramel, and a lightly smokey malt underneath. Sweet and sour finish with some noticable alcohol, which surprised me since this isn’t a giant beer. There was also a short bitterness within the sweet finish.

Pours a hazy copper bronze with a thin off-white, lightly lacing head. Has a rich dark malty caramel aroma with some butterscotch and a touch of lemony citrus. Starts lightly sweet with a hint of honey turning more tart, dry and citric with a warming finish. Has a surprising amount of carbonation for its age. Nice subtle complexity, but this is probably past its prime with the added sourness. Thanks to goldtwins for sharing!

2000 bottle sampled thanks to Walleye, 3/19/05 at Kuhnhenn. Thick looking, amber colored beer, tons of protein and yeast have fallen out of suspension at this point. Still some head to it, though it is rather fleeting. Smells of sharp, alchol infused honey and citrus, a bit of light biscuits and maple. The strength of the aroma is surprising after this long. Bret Kuhnhenn says it smells like boiled cabbage, and while there may be a touch of veggies, I think it’s probably just old hops and oxidation creating that effect. Strong, syrupy body is only held at bay after 5 years of aging. Alcohol notes, a touch of sherry and just pure barley grain flavor, reminds me a little of the lightly syrupy 2003 Old Horizontal. Finish gets a little bit stale/astringent and dries out quite a bit. More sampling of this one is in order for sure. The body on this must have been spectacularly full when this was fresh.
Rerate Tried a bottle which proved to be cidery, loose and slight veggie-like. Not much good stuff in this one. Hopefully the rest of my bottles are ok. . .

Thank you to the kind people who met us at Kuhnhenn for sharing a bottle of this wonderful hard to find beer. Amber on the pour with a white medium sized lasting head. Beautifully unfiltered with a heavy sediment presence. Aromas of sweet caramel and citrusy fruits. Flavors of caramel malt with nicely balance hops.

Medium amber color with a slighty off white head. Carbonated and bubbly. Smells of citrus, dough and hopps. Great, flavorful brew.