Bells Eccentric Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle (12oz dated 2004). Via trade with Pailhead. A 11% Spice/Herb/Vegetable? Cool! Poured a very deep murky rust-copper with a decent foamy beige head, kinda odd colour, but I like the look of it. Day-um, that’s a nice aroma - rich toasty malt, alcohol, resiny hops and sweet spices (cinnamon? others?) - really appealing. Taste is ... wow, nice and spicy, I WISH I knew what those are - cinnamon or ginseng, cardomum/num (whatever), lots of fall/winter warming/mulling type spices anyway, plenty of boozy malt and enough resiny hops to give this a bitter finish. Mouthfeel is very astringent , mostly from the alcohol I think, fairly thick and creamy - hell, I’ll say it - this is a spiced barleywine, some woodiness has emerged with aging and it’s smooth as silk ... high octane silk. Thanks a ton for sharing this one, K! My ears are still warm ....

I believe it was BBB63 that sent me this bottle a couple years back… when he was BigBadBear63… wasn’t that it?

Vintage 2002
No carbonation hiss when the bottle was opened. I went for the down the middle pour.. to release some Co2… nothing… flat and dead… then GIGANTIC chunks of sediment came splashing into the glass… I’ll let it all settle before I begin sipping.
Pours a muddled chestnut colored body… dingy and foggy looking. This is definitely a Barleywine or Old Ale of sorts… maybe a Weizen-Bock… Ok... I really don’t know… I just know that I Definitely Don’t know what this is!
Immense fruity flavors, a plethora of brown sugar, figs, dates, plums, a bushel of red apples… Coriander, cardamom, clove, black peppercorn, bay leaf, Pine Sap, it’s exceptionally herbal, but more so directed over toward the molasses syrup side of the spectrum… although there is NO carbonation… I really value the sticky sweet palate… very spicy and somehow dry in the finish… the hops have fallen out and left the spicyness... but not the bitterness... the oxidation plays nicely into the flavoring… I must say… However strange… I Like It!

Batch 6714. This herb/spiced ale pours a dark brown color from a 12oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruity, sweet, maple sugar and celery. A medium bodied ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Lots of other flavors here as well; celery, figs, mint, touch of wood. There is a lot of different flavors going on in this beer. Touch of alcohol bite at 11%. Nice weird, and well. eccentric, beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet, touch of maple syrup.

From a 12oz bottle, vintage 2004, batch 6714.

3/25/06 Tasting Notes. 8/4/9/4/18 = 4.3

Dark brown, cherry wood, mahogany color with a ruby red glow and a delicate white lace crown. Honey, syrupy aroma with some balck cherry, caramel, and yeasty undercooked raspberry tart. The sweet and spicy fruitiness of this beer is truly amazing and definitely worthy of its namesake. The flavors are even more complex and eccentric than the nose. Distinct notes of celery leaf and cumin seed noted above the fruity base. Final smack of spicy fig and spiced rum. Awesome brew.

11/26/06 Tasting Notes. 9/4/9/5/18 = 4.5

Pours a murky nougat brown color with a fine layer of foamy cream head. Rich dark fruity malt dimensions that send waves of rummy fig and raisins to the nostrils. Some gingerbread spice and maple syrup tones are also hiding in there. A pinch of cinnimon and some caramelly bourbon with a hint of vanilla. Complex aroma that I can still remember vividly while entering this rate the following day. Full bodied, almost sticky mouthfeel, but with a shimmering carbonation that softens up the palate a bit. The flavors are as rich and complex as the aroma. Lots of caramel and vanilla begin on the palate with some dark fruity fig spice. This is dried up by some light toasted oak notes that darken up the palate along with some prunes and a very mild clove spice. Plenty of ginger as well. I love the spicy tingle it leaves on the palate. A pleasant hop bitterness rounds out the flavors, closing with a final smack of spruce resins. Very nice, and is how I would envision a woody spiced barleywine.

2004. Dark brown in color with ruby highlights and a thin, brown head that laces the glass nicely. Aroma has more going on than could possibly be listed. But spice, brown sugar, creme, and caramel dominate. I am a big fan of Fritz Maytag and the spiced Our Special Ale, but this blows every vintage of that away. The fat sweetness of the malt foundation is perfect for all of the spicing, alcohol, and hops within. Superb.

2000 vintage. This beer is a very eccentric, limited release beer, that is only brewed once a year, and can only be found on draught, and in a limited bottling run, at the Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo. A guest brewer is brought in every year to help Larry, and the recipe changes every year. The base beer is always a strong, old ale/barleywine, but over the years it has been spiced with a melange of fruits and spices, and always comes in at a warming 11% + abv. The 2000 Vintage of Eccentric Ale, which was co-brewed by Terry Farendorf of the Steelhead Brewing Company of Eugene, OR. Bell’s Eccentric Ale 2000 pours to a murky caramel brown color with slight tan head that fades, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful with layers of complex malty, spicy, and hoppy aromas. Sweet malt, citric hops, spicy aromas, and peppery alcohol flood the nose. The palate is lush and full on the tongue with complex layers of flavors. Sweet and caramel malt flavors marry with hints of butterscotch, ripe fruit, orange, black pepper, and flavors of spice such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, glide over the tongue. Eccentric Ale finishes with more complex malty, fruity, and spicy flavors up front, then ends with a warming, peppery alcohol burn. There is so much going on in this beer, it truly is eccentric, and is one to sip and savor. As stated this beer is brewed in one batch, and is available only in December for a short time at the brewery. 12oz bottles of this beer can be purchased for $5, and the bottle run of this beer is very limited. Every year this beer is released on Eccentric Day which is held in December.

2004 bottle. Chewy chocolate toffee, Raisonetts, Maple fudge aromas. As it warmed, I detected some herbal grassy notes. Burgandy with tan head. Murkey and opaque. Flavors of Brach’s maple aor butter run chewy candy, woody hop flavor and tons of bitterness. Palate is full and warming. Lingering alcohol burn. A very enjoyable beer for a once a year deal.

Bottle from Styles. Pours a deep brown color with a scant light beige head. Barely a ring exists of the head seconds after pouring and little lacing is left behind. Aroma is fascinating. A blend of chocolate and pit fruit. Perhaps bits of dark rum come to mind. Medium bodied with a modest carbonation level. Chocolate flavors and raisin in flavor. Moderate amounts of booze and a significant IBU presence still. Earthy hop flavor, striking bitterness. Nicely done.