Bells Batch 8000 Ale

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

Pour: orange yellow hazy. Head: creamy, offwhite. Aroma: hoppy, wheat, alcohol, citrus. Flavor: wheat, alcohol, yeast, a little must. Palate: smooth. Finish: warm and wheaty.

Pours a hazy bright gold. The head is medium thick creamy light yellow. The aroma is sou, shows some banana, honey, definitely wheat, spicy. The flavor is sour, some banana, dry alcohol, wheaty, sweet. Lively on the palate. Definitely not a witbier, but Belgian Strong is too broad.

Light heading on the pour, yet oddly foamy in the mouth. Nose is cardomon, in such a strong fashion in overhwelms the taste. There is a bit of citrus, slight banana, but mainly spice: cardomon, corriander, cloves. Really needed some wheat in the backbone.

Dark orange and an initially large head that fades quickly. Lots of sediment in the bottle, that I agitated and poured in to the glass. Before the glass is even close to my nose I can smell the great aromas of coriander, banana, citrus, and sweet wheat. The aroma reminds me of a New Glarus wheat beer, and that is a good thing. Flavor is sweet and spicy. More citrus, banana, and lots of clove taste. Thick and heavy on the palate, and the high abv is well hidden.

Bottle @ Rustico in Alexandria VA. Pours orange with a cloudy bright white ring. Nose is bready with a faint hint of spices. The taste is sweet, fresh, and full bodied, and it fits with the style nicely. Lots of flavor, orange peel and corriander and most prominent. Usually beers that have so much spice don’t sit well with me, but this one is a happy exception.

12oz. Bottle: Light to medium sweet aroma. Smells of spices, clove, pepper, banana, and sugary fruits. Poured orange with hints of brown and gold, with a small, off-white head that diminished. Cloudy. Opaque. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter flavor. Tastes of spices, cream, wheat, coriander, and some fruit. Medium body. Creamy, dry texture. Soft carbonation. Dry, spiced, finish. Overall, interesting, but not that tasty.

This is damn tasty. The flavors of a Wit and the body and finish of a heavier ale. I don’t know how to categorize it, but I really enjoyed this one. It is strong so maybe you have one and move on to something else.

Bottle - A cloudy orangish color with a very thin white head. huge amount of yeast in th e glass. Great aroma of spicy fruit and spice that you can smell 6 inches from the glass. A very spicy, bitter taste with a ton of fruit flavor. A bit too harsh. A real sipping beer.