Bells Batch 5000 Ale

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

12oz bottle from either Dukefan or Amorphiss -where are ya, kid?-..... pours a mostly opaque burnt caramel brown with a thin wispy light beige head that i wish would have lasted longer.... aroma of smoke and ash mostly and softer caramel malts .... flavors starts off on a salty note which i really havent tasted before and then the under-rooted caramel notes iintermingle fades, and then the smoke makes its way back in. lightly carbonated and perhaps could have used a little more body.

Courtesy SoLan. Hazy ruddy brown color, virtually no head. Very light smoke aroma, sweet caramel malts, mild signs of oxidation, but overall a nice aroma. Rich sweet caramel malts, mild smoke apparent, mild twang on the finish.

Courtesy MI2CA. Brown. Small tan head. Nose of an old english barleywine with some smoke. Smells great. Same flavor. Great malt complexity with a healthy dose of smoke. Medium to medium/full body, balanced carbonation. Awesome brew, would have loved to try it fresh.

I wasn’t a fan of this beer when I tried it. It was my first smoked beer and it just reminded me of BBQ sauce.

[6 year old bottle, thank you Dukefan! ] I was quite disappointed that they didn’t stamp the batch number on the bottle! Anyways, pours a very murky dark orange/amber with a minimal head. Strong sweet smokey aroma with cherries and hickory bbq. Flavor follows suit, sweet and smokey, big malty rich caramelized applewood & hickory smoked bacon and lots of bitter cherry. Medium mouthful that is lightly syrupy yet still smooth and very palatable. Can we have this again please?

Had this as part of the tasting we had 9/22/07 of Batch 4000 - 8000. Received this gem from tangfoot. Thanks again Fred. Appearance: This pour a reddish brown with very little head. There is very little lacing on this, but it looks pretty good based on its age.. Aroma: Starts with some smokey and sweet malts. Kind of reminds me of breakfast sausage with maple syrup. In the background is some dark fruits. As this warms, there is a little sourness, which I enjoy. Flavor: There is mostly smokey notes in the beginning. When this warms, some of the sweet dark fruit flavors come to play. I wonder what this tasted like fresh. Palate: The smokey and sweet malt flavors hang around for a while. This is kind of thin, which I expected due to its age. This goes down pretty smooth, especially after it warms for a bit. I could drink a few of these, but I’m glad I’m getting to try any of this at all. Overall: This is very unique and interesting beer. Can’t think of any others I’ve had like it. I’m curious the age of this one too. This was my least favorite of the Batches 4000 - 8000, but its still pretty damn good and unique. If you see this or can try this, go for it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Thanks again Fred for this rare bottle.

bottle,at Carolina Crew get together, from trade with...walleye I believe, though I may have had two of these at some point. Good aroma, smokey, meaty, cheesy. Clean dark orange color, no head or lace. Bitter smokey flavor, Smoke, peat moss, smoke, bacon. smoke, chocolate, smoke. Lite body, oily mouthfeel, bitter finish. Aroma was bacontastic. flavor was kind of overwhelmingly smokey, but hey it is a smoked beer.

Bottle shared by oldgrowth at the CC gathering. Thanks Tom! Pours a dark amber with noticeable carbonation and a little off-white lace. Nose is smokey, bacon, some vanilla, cocoa. Flavor is a bit more complex--vanilla, light caramel, and cocoa lie underneath the smokey overtones. Pretty psyched to try this and it was one of my favorites of the night. Alcohol barely there anymore. Wish I had more of this stuff. Paired very nicely with the fresh smoked farmhouse cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery.