Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

big thanks to dukefan for picking these up and holding onto to ’em for a while. pours hazy orange with small white head. nose is wheaty, orangy, and spicy. flavor is nicely balanced with sweet wheaty taste and hints of orange and light coriander. really tasty and very well done. not sure if there’s really any flaws in it. along the lines of the wheat series for sure. mouth feel is light. no alcohol noticed at all. part a me wishes the 1k batch would always be cellarable. solid but disappointing for this to be a batch 1k as it should just be a regular or seasonal offering.

It’s interesting that every rating here is not above 4, I would have thunk. Hypnotizing swirling pour. Gunk on the bottom of the bottle. Cloudy unfiltered american wheat beer pour. Cloudy orange brown opaque appearance. Smell is strong and sweet, like it’s going to kick an ass. Creamy thin froth for a head. taste reminds me of Redhook late season. Strong and alky like. Rather smooth but that don’t keep it from being in your face! Spicey and quite intimidating at times. Not really impressed by the unrefined coarseness of this beer. 800 should be more memorable. The high alky content is certainly very apparent and two of these will make you dizzy. During the session, the high alky personality shows thru. Finish is like an american trippel, rather unrefined. If you like alky offensive american beers like their trippels, barleywines and imp stouts. give this coarse beer a try. Way overdone and difficult to drink, you gotta sip this one.

Courtesy dsnowden. Hazy yellow/orange and a small white head. Fragrant aroma is a zesy and fruity combination of wheat and yeast with some malty sweetness and a bit of cotton candy. Flavor is the same only more mild. Alcohol completely masked. Body is medium, carbonation is balanced, real easy to drink. Very good, but expected more from a Bells special release.

A very interesting concoction from Bell’s. Spicy and wheaty like a Belgian white, but with a warm honey taste. The alcohol is very well covered. Many meadish characteristics. Thick and cloudy, a great special ale.

Bottle from BBB Sixty Three. Grainy, husky aroma, slight lavender, coriander, rye. Cloudy pour, good head that dies off. Very slightly tart, grainy flavor. Very husky, much like many of Bells Wheat series offerings. I can’t help but think that those recipes were a building block of this beer. Really not that much complexity, and it’s tough to put down. Simply is not that exciting, and as a 1k batch series, extremely disappointing. Bells 1k batches have previously been incredible, and this one simply can’t stand up to those in the slightest. Time to start waiting for 9k, I guess.

On tap at the Landmark Inn. Orange/tan color with a tight, white head. Spicy aroma with bananas and citrus. Flavor is sweet with cloves and citrus with a slight kick of spice and sweet malt. Full bodied and smooth with a nice finish of spice and alcohol.

Pours a very pretty orangey gold color. Nice white head. Slightly hazy. A tad lemony in the aroma with a bit of sweet banana and a touch of spice. Lively carbonation. A bit of honey at the finish. Nice stuff.

Golden hazey color with good white foam and some lacing. Spices dominate the aroma with an undertone of banana. Flavor is nice with a smooth mouth feel. Good stuff!