Bells Batch 5000 Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Smoked
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Well... I have a six pack in the fridge, and I’ve only had one of them so far... wish i had gotten the expedition stout instead, but no... see, this is probably a good beer, it has quite a distinct flavor, aroma (yes, it really does smell like meat... which is odd) and full-blown smoked maltiness, with little hops. Good beer, but just not suited for my tastes... too forward in its intentions... not subtle enough, and the balance just isn’t there. Why brew a smoked beer for your 5,000 batch? I just can’t understand... expedition stout is next.

Really flat pour. Really rough pouring left a thin, ephemeral head. Big rich malty aroma wafts up as you pour though and is quite nice in its richness. The taste is mostly caramel, with some chocolate. There’s a mild fruitiness, some really, really faint coffee, present but not too strong smokiness. Mouthfeel was thick. Nice big flavor but perhaps a little too thick, rich and sweet to be easily drinkable. Has plenty of complexity, but it’s just the overly sweet nature that makes it a bit unpleasant.

Light mahogany with a definite reddish tint. Reminds me of cherry Juicy Juice (anyone?) Smoked malt is prominent in the nose, but not in the manner of the Schlenkerlas. I sense more of a grape juice aroma than a vinous one, coupled with oak and earth/dirt. My first impressions are syrupy texture, smoke, and alcohol. You’ve got to take some time to adjust to this...it’s on a different plane than most beers. Reminds me a little bit of a dopplebock, plus smoke, plus tannic astringency, plus salt, plus acedic acid, plus eucalyptus. An intriguing and challenging beer. I appreciate the quality, but this one never won me over. At ~8 months old, it may be too young.

Awaiting a re-rate. Too drunk and tired to appreciate. My sister Anna’s friend Katie said this beer tastes like bacon. Mmmmm... bacon.

I didn’t know it was a smoked beer.. but quickly found out! A typical Bell speciality... lots of flavor, smoke maybe some spice. Bought at the brewery, not available in NJ.... too bad.

An interesting brew. The nose is very smokey. The palate is sappy and filled with grill flavors. This beer would be good with some hearty grilled foods.

Rerate 11/21/2004: This seems to have lost a bit since the last time I tried it. Gained some butterscotch oxidized complexity, but lost some of the smokiness. Still very rich and smooth and an awesome Rauchbier!

Rerate 4/7/2004: Aging this for two years has done great things! Much more balanced and complex. Great smooth, dense caramel sweetness with plenty of smoke. Very robust and enjoyable. This has aged wonderfully thus far.

9/2/2002: A very interesting combination. Almost like a Paulaner Salvator Dopplebock with a hint of smoke. Not nearly as smoky as the Aecht Schlenkerla’s, but a strong interplay between the sweet malt and smoke brings out a variety of aromas. Perhaps a bit too sweet and syrupy, but I bought a six pack so will be aging some and most likely re-rating. I think the syrupy sweetness will mellow over time. This beer has a oily, but smooth mouthfeel, and the alcohol is fairly well hidden.

Oh my - I thought I ran into another bad bottle of Bell’s since I had a ’damaged’ bottled-conditioned Porter. This is one strange brew and I cannot really appreciate it. Smells/tastes like meat and smoke. Meat is probably the last flavor I’m looking for in a beer - just can’t hang with this.