Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

12oz bottle. Golden lightly hazy pour with a white head. Citrus aroma (orange) with sweet malt and yeasty notes. Semi-sweet flavor with yeasty characteristics. Banana, apricot, wheat, and malty grain are all present in pleasing quantities. Round full mouth feel. A good brew but not my favorite style.

bottle - thanks to TBC. pours a deep orange with a one finger white head... aromas of Belgian yeast and some spices. Very soft palate... not all that dynamic on the tongue. The coriander and other spices are noticed in the mouth, but are not very aggressive. Seems like a toned down Belgian Strong Ale... the 9% abv is not noticed at all.... a solid Belgian style, but nothing spectacular.

Courtesy of Tmoney99. The first smell of this is sharply orange/honey. Pour a nice deep amber color. Sips very well. There’s a lot here. Some aged tastes with spice and fruit. Much less bubbly than many strong ales. Very solid.

Bottled:
Unclear orange colour. Low but firm head. Yeasty aroma with notes of orange marmalade and anise-seed. More orange marmalade shows in the flavour, there’s some notes of honey as well. Alcohol is well hidden.

Bottle – Pours a beautiful orange red color. Very hazy with a quickly receding white 1/8 inch head. Aroma – Smells of heavy spices, Belgium yeasts, and with some quite sour notes. First taste is fruity with grapefruit and honey dominating almost from start to finish. This very fruity beer is also very creamy. My curiosity is the best indication that this is something I like, almost to the point of looking forward to every next gulp. Very complex for a light bodied beer and a beer that is 9% ABV. Not a beer I would session with but I am putting this one away rather quickly.

The bottle uncaps with an explosive chuff, revealing a murky amber, riotously carbonated beer. A barmy beige head begets scant lace. Three-quarters of the aroma is hard butterscotch candies; the remainder: Crackerjacks, candied fruits, buttermilk, nail polish, and a hint of toast. An even less appetizing flavor follows… sour, spicy, milky, salty… with faint tastes of creosote and horesblanket. (BTW, I am a huge fan of well-crafted Belgian ales, of which batch 8000 is not.) A milky texture adds frictions to the extremely thin palate. The abrupt yeasty finish heralds a cloying, catty aftertaste that also features tequila and lima beans. A chaotic beer composed of conflicting elements… very articifial and amateurish… and totally disgusting.

Nose has grass and banana with a little malt and possibly peppermint. Beer is opaque orange/copper with long lasting, egg white head and considerable lacing. Initial taste is strong hop and citrus, but as beer warmed more balance with sweeter malts.

Acquired via trade from mgumby10...THANKS MIKE!!! Hazy lemon with a tint of tropical sunset, this beer adds a good amount of spice to the traditional banana and clove flavor. Coriander is evident, various levels of citrus are abundant (tangerine, orange, lemon, grapefruit), and I truly have no idea what "Paradise Seed" tastes like but I’m sure it’s good!!! The 9% is invisible. Not my favorite from this brewery but you can’t go wrong with Bell’s!!!