northernbrews (12), Allen Park, Michigan, USA
Jun 6, 2008
Had this as part of the Batch 4000 - 8000 tasting we had 9/22/07.
I received this bottle from Mentor via trade. Thanks Paul for this rare ass bottle.
Appearance: Pours a dark brown with a slight orange tint. The thin head fades to leave some lacing on the glass.
Aroma: This smells real nice. The aroma is still pretty intense considering the age. There is mostly piney hops with a little bit of orange and citrus too. It’s pretty inviting.
Flavor: Starts with some nice malt flavors followed by the pine and orange hops. As this warms, there is a hint of some sweet fruit (maybe cherries?). The hops come by in the finish.
Palate: The hops and malts hang around for quite a bit. You can still taste the hops after a while. This goes down super smooth. The hops and malt balance very well. I can’t believe this is 10.5%. A sixer of this (hey I can dream) would be no problem.
Overall: The best barleywine I’ve ever had. I would have loved to try this fresh. I imagine the hop flavors were more intense. I wish Larry would make this a seasonal, but I won’t hold my breath. I can’t wait to see how this holds up in a few years when our 4000 - 9000 tasting takes place. I would recommend trading for this, it’s that good.
Thanks again Paul.
 shigadeyo (1476), Southwest Ohio Area, USA
Nov 19, 2008 <b>7/28/2007</b>: Bell’s 6000 is a fantastic beer. It has a wonderful aroma of sugary, caramelized malt and just tons of great maltiness in the flavor. This is my kind of barleywine - very sweet and malty with little to no hops! It has a nice sticky mouthfeel as well. Yum! Unfortunately this was sampled towards the end of a long night and it definitely needs and deserves to be revisisted! Hopefully I will get the privilege of doing just that one day...<br /><br />
<i>Sample from 12 fl. oz. bottle shared at the "Columbus Tasting: Ate, now with gramatical errors" event. Thanks! Rating #367 for this beer...</i><br />
jjpm74 (3395), Connecticut, USA
Nov 1, 2008 Pours copper with a thin white head. Smells of sweet malt, dark fruit, some spice. Tastes resiny and tarte with some nice fruity elements. Excellent!
WeeHeavySD (1999), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Oct 28, 2008 12oz via trade with sephiroth and krame, shared with JoeMcphee at my place after hitting ballast point. I’ve been wanting to pop this for a while so why not share it with a new yorker in for a visit. Pours orange brown with a tan head. Nose is immense, with lots of dried fruit, and sweet toffee, malty notes. Big rich fantastic nose. Taste is sweet and malty and warming and overall damn awesome, really robust and insanely tasty. Great mouth feel. Excellent.
Lubiere (3394), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Sep 6, 2008 A dark hazed brown amber ale with a very creamy tan head. A fig and fruity malt aroma, vinous and caramel malt aroma, light chocolate, very smooth, In mouth a very pleasing barley wine, with dirty caramel malt, crisp hops, earthy woody notes, and warming alcohol. Rich and distinguished. Tasted April 2007.
tennisjoel (749), Shakopee, Minnesota, USA
Aug 26, 2008 <b>Great Taste of the Midwest 2008 </b><br />
OK. This had to be the highlight of the Great Taste event. My buddies and I are walking by the Bells tent, and notice a guy with a Bells t-shirt on uncorking a 3 liter bottle. My friend says, "Who is that", and someone quickly answers, "It’s Larry Bell". Well duh. He then proceeds to open the bottle and pours each willing participant a sample of the long awaited Batch 6000. Tasters then eagerly placed their cups (like pigs coming for the teat) below while Larry poured each a sample. When tasting, I noticed that the hops were still alive here. A wonderful concoction that I’d love to have any day.
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