Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

Pours a gunnky yellow orange that’s full of suspended solids. Odd nose of wet cardboard or pulp. Light head...a bit fizzy. Hits hard up front with apricot-pear/citrus and hot alcohol. Puckering. Yep that’s coriander all right. I don’t think this one was all that fresh, but it is a delight, if not a bit over the top. The suspended goo is offputting.

Extremely yeasty aroma. Thank you to david j. Jaffe for getting this one to me... Owe you one buddy. Great belgian. Aroma of burnt vanilla and tropical fruits. Finish is different.. cant put my finger on it. Unfiltered light orange color. light head.

Bottle. Pours a clear orange with a one finger white head that lasts leaving good lacing. Aroma of coriander, citrus, grains of paradise, wheat, and yeast. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium mouthfeel with a mild amount of bitterness and light tart finish. Alcohol is very well hidden. A little to heavy on the spices but very good.

12oz bottle. Pour is an opaque melon orange color with only the faintest swirls of white film on top. Aroma is pretty heavy on the spices with the coriander taking front stage. I’m not sure what the paradise seed smells like but the other thing I smell isn’t the orange peel so that must be it. The flavor is also overwhelmed by the spices. I guess I like belgian wits because of their subtle creamy flavor. This beer is intended to be a double wit and it appears as though the spices are what was doubles. I love Bells but this one just isn’t my taste. 5/2/6/3/11

RERATE: 12oz bottle almost one year old. The aroma is still citric, and orange, but also honey and spices. The flavor brings out even more spices and grain character. Still disappointing and unpolished. The beer is raw and needs some tweaking and finishing. Although it doesn’t see old at all, this will continue to age. 6/3/7/3/16

RERATE: 12oz bottle about a year and a half old. Aroma is mildly spicy and creamy. More mild than I remember. The body is very creamy seems to have mellowed sufficiently to be pleasant. 7/3/7/4/15

Pours a nice golden-orange color with white head and pleasant lacing after head dissipates. Subtle taste of orange and coriander with a nice finish. I bought a 6 pack of this and had 3 almost immediately and 3 about two months after initial purchase. I felt the first three I had were overly hopped and masked the flavoring. Apparently two months of aging was what was needed, as the second set of three were amazing and the full flavor came through.

Bottle. Pours a hazy orange hue with yeast particles in suspension. The aroma is heavily spiced, yet tasteful in its execution. Strong coriander and orange are noted as well as subtler hints at clove and rye. There is an underlying tartness. The mouthfeel is fairly dense on this one. Any flavor I would associate with a Belgian wit is here: coriander, orange, cloves, banana. This is not heavily sweet, but rather nicely tart. The finish is lingering. The alcohol is very well hidden. This is unlike many Belgian strong ales I’ve had. This really is a double Belgian Wit. What a strange concept to take a normally delicate style and blow everything up, though it worked out pretty well.

Bottle. Poured a hazy, orangish-golden color with a ton of sediment and a light white head. Slight lacing. Aroma of coriander and clove, with a bit of banana. Mouthfeel is nice. Flavor is pretty complex. Starts out with a nice blend of coriander and orange peel, with a banana aftertaste. Not a beer I normally would like, but this is nice.

Split 12 ounce bottle in tasting glass. Pale cloudy yellow with white head. Aroma of alcohol, yeast, alcohol, spice. Honeyish sweetness with alcohol and slight spice and alcohol. Medium-full body and medium carbonation. Like Oberon with a shot of rubbing alcohol in it.