Bell's Batch 6000 - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

kzoobrew

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at Bell's during Eccentric Day

Served in a snifter. Cloudy molten caramel color. The body is murky nearly unfiltered ciderish in appearance. Very minimal oatmeal colored head as the beer gets to the table. Moderate amount of lacing left clinging to the glass.

Huge aroma, very malt forward and this point. Deep caramel, burnt sugars and toffee aromas pour from the glass. Bits of bready malt lay just behind. Brown sugar and raisin can be noted. There is a bit of a lingering candied pineapple aroma from the hops.

The flavors mimic the smells rather well. Heavy malt sweetness, dark sugars and dark fruit. The slight hop flavor present comes off with a bit of sweet pineapple. The bitterness is noticeable but very much subdued. Very little heat and booziness noted.

Full bodied, thick Barleywine. Carbonation is on the lower end. Very chewy texture, the finish is on the longer side, very enjoyable.

I was very glad to see this on tap during Eccentric Day. This beer has held up very well. Flavors have melded together beautifully. While the malt has become dominant it does not become overwhelming. Very drinkable, very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 20:22:53 | More by kzoobrew

jera1350

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky brown with an unusually large amount of sediment in the bottom of the glass. Guessing it's yeast, but there is about a tablespoon or two of it. Short head, fair lacing.

Wet grain, fairly hoppy, fruit, fig, raisin, plum.

Wow, still packs a punch after all this time. Warm booze, sticky sweetness, still a big hop punch. Ends with fruit and some toasty sweetness. Burnt sugar perhaps.

Low carbonation as expected, full body, mildly slick, clean finish.

Really surprised at how forward the flavors are in this after so long. Really a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 00:55:26 | More by jera1350

SaisonRichBiere

Michigan

3/5  rDev -30.7%

03-02-2013 00:47:10 | More by SaisonRichBiere

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

01-28-2013 20:50:21 | More by DmanGTR

BlissJunkie

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

01-14-2013 17:34:09 | More by BlissJunkie

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

01-13-2013 19:42:29 | More by MordorMongo

jegross2

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewing Batch 6,000 from Bell's Brewery out of Michigan.
Score: 70

2003 vintage bottle served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 08/18/12.

Appearance: Dark chocolate color with brown to coffee fade. No head. Minimal oily lacing and really poor retention. 3/5

Smell: Caramel, raisin, and fruity malt. Not very complex. There is a faint hint of oxidation. 4/5

Taste: Huge doses of sweet malt, brown sugar, caramel malt and plum. There is a hint of cocoa too. The finish is loaded with bitter, "warm" oxidized cardboard flavor that kills the upfront flavor of the beer. No hop flavor whatsoever. 2.5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, no carbonation. Malty sweet and "warm" on the tongue from the oxidation. 3.5/5

Overall: This beer is clearly past it's prime. From it's residual profile, I never would have guessed this used to be a hoppy American barleywine. I was glad to finally get a chance to tick this beer, but I wish I would have been able to do it a year or two ago.

Recommendation: Skip this beer, it's past its prime.

Pairings: Cherries.

Cost: $17.99 for a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 01:30:04 | More by jegross2

BWHD

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.6%

08-27-2012 14:07:37 | More by BWHD

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -13.4%

08-21-2012 23:59:38 | More by t0rin0

3Hops

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

08-04-2012 03:32:24 | More by 3Hops

klipper

Michigan

4/5  rDev -7.6%

05-14-2012 01:19:17 | More by klipper

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -7.6%

03-18-2012 04:19:58 | More by mikereaser

gratefulbeerhead

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

01-11-2012 23:11:39 | More by gratefulbeerhead

ygtbsm94

Virginia

4/5  rDev -7.6%

12-27-2011 03:53:47 | More by ygtbsm94

decadance

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.5%

12-10-2011 03:34:41 | More by decadance

BigMcLargeHuge

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow! markwise does it again with a beer that has been on my wants list since I joined ratebeer more than 5 years ago. Very cool. 12oz bottle, with gross looking muddy black inner bottle cap, pours amber – ruby – red with tan head. The aroma is musty aged pine hops, spicy hops, sludgy malts and a mild level of caramel off in the background. The taste is muted yet bold and thick. It tosses up pine hops that swing around the palate for a while before timid notes of spicy hops and musty sticky malts attempt to be heard. Still firmly pine hop forward flavor for this well aged beer. What is this, 7 or 8 years old by now? Great treat for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 05:51:05 | More by BigMcLargeHuge

thewimperoo

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.6%

11-22-2011 16:12:35 | More by thewimperoo

mmcnaughton

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-19-2011 14:21:20 | More by mmcnaughton

sideshowe

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-17-2011 13:57:33 | More by sideshowe

nmann08

Maryland

5/5  rDev +15.5%

11-15-2011 17:20:43 | More by nmann08

TMoney2591

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.6%

11-14-2011 22:25:19 | More by TMoney2591

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown. Reddish Hues. Light white head. Looks gorgeous. Smells malty and oxidize. Pretty nice taste. Roasty rich, very nice. Goodmouthfeel. Definitely a bit bitter... Overall, boozy, bitter, oxidized, but a solid enjoyable beer. Definitely would try this again

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 02:01:46 | More by Urbancaver

ColdPoncho

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks a bunch cam.

A- deep mahogany brown. Some red hints. No real head

S - raisin and oxidation. Big malts.

T - dry coffee and barley wine flavors. Bit of raisin and oxidation. Quite tasty and complex for an oldy.

M - big and thick. Very smooth. Nice

O - yeah this is good. Surprisingly so for an old guu

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 01:44:17 | More by ColdPoncho

JLeege

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 6,000 – Bottled Nov 2003 – Drank right now.

Appearance- Pours out a muddy brown color with a small off white head. A good amount of particles floating around.

Smell- Impressive, smells like a deep rich Barleywine. Caramel, toffee, raisons, figs, cherry; tons of dark fruit. Some brown sugar and toasted bread, and a little wave of smoke even. Hops have all but faded in this particular bottle.

Taste- Follows the nose very well. Picking up all the same flavors (no need to type them again), plus there is some chocolate towards the finish and even a little piney sided hops. Very sweet, but not cloying at all.

Mouthfeel- Thick and viscous. A big time sipper, but it drinks very well. Only a tiny hint of alcohol noticed on the finish.

Overall- This is the only time I have had this beer, so I have no means of comparison, but it has obviously aged extremely well. Beers like this are giving me very high hopes for my steadily growing cellar. If you have a chance to try this beer, do it!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 02:52:31 | More by JLeege

seeswo

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I cannot believe this 7 year old beer is still a bit hoppy. This is an American barleywine through and through. Maybe a bit of booziness remains, but this drinks mostly smooth. Quite drinkable and a solid medium mouthfeel. Smells of faded hops and a bit of plums or figs or other dark fruit. Still has a reasonable amount of carbonation (for the style) with a vigorous pour. Taste of faded, but still present hops and the smooth familiar flavors typical to barleywine. Would love to have been able to try this a few years ago to compare, but this beer held up great.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 01:56:43 | More by seeswo