Bell's Batch 9000 - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

madtowndmb1

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I went into this beer expecting to be let down.

The scent reminded me of a lesser HOTD beer but really nice. I get a decent amount of black liquorice on this as well.

Taste is somewhat muted compared to the nose but with a heavy smoke I don't pick up in the nose. Decent though

M&O: A decent little beer, after having it when first released and not being impressed I thought I'd give it a year. Turned out nice. I bet this gets better with time and look forward to it.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 04:14:57 | More by madtowndmb1

Zbeetleman

California

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

05-15-2013 06:24:01 | More by Zbeetleman

jkane101

New Jersey

4/5  rDev 0%

05-14-2013 00:27:16 | More by jkane101

egrace84

Illinois

4/5  rDev 0%

05-12-2013 13:57:55 | More by egrace84

fredmugs

Indiana

4/5  rDev 0%

04-29-2013 10:53:31 | More by fredmugs

ObeMaltKinobee

California

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

04-23-2013 04:53:46 | More by ObeMaltKinobee

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev 0%

04-23-2013 04:50:33 | More by Kelp

BeerBucks

New York

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

04-21-2013 22:32:59 | More by BeerBucks

dapatte2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -25%

04-17-2013 01:37:48 | More by dapatte2

Pat316

Michigan

4/5  rDev 0%

04-16-2013 00:33:58 | More by Pat316

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Consumed 4/6/13

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this beer

Appearance: Mostly clear, dark brown with some dark amber and red tones - small, light cream head - fades to virtually nothing, which is understandable given the ABV

Smell: Potent, concentrated, ridiculous - dark, rich, and malty - burnt sugar, dark caramel, molasses, toffee, black licorice - dark fruits - a ton of alcohol (honestly smells beyond 12.50%), kind of smells like a port, or some kind of ridiculous dessert wine - dark chocolate notes as well

Taste: Unrestrained madness - rich, heavy dark fruits - like grape and plum skins - sweet, dark chocolate, fudge - roasty and burnt notes - molasses, toffee, maple syrup (sans maple, if that makes sense), black licorice - lots of alcohol in the flavor, very boozy, like port

Mouthfeel: Full, syrupy, heavy body - very smooth, minimal carbonation

Overall: Vegeta. What does the scouter say about his power level?

Nine thousand! This an absurd cocktail of dark fruits, chocolate, and sugar. I'm splitting the bottle, and it's going to take a long time for me to sip this.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 02:30:13 | More by angrybabboon

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Deep rich brown with some dark red tinge. Pours with a small off-white head that drops to a non-existent he had and a tiny tiny collar. Some tiny spots of lacing. Very still, almost no carbonation.

Smell: Super dense malts. Incredibly sweet, but not sugary. Caramel both malts and candy. Toffee, molasses, brown sugar, and some raw sugar. Crazy cooked malts. Syrupy. Some backing bready elements. Vanilla, raisins, even some oak. Sharp bite of alcohol. Booze soaked fruit. Fig and candied plum. A touch of maple.

Taste: Sharp alcohol. Crazy sweet with layers of cooked sugars. Runs the gamut from raw sugar to caramel to brown sugar to molasses. Some vague notions of citrus hopping. Vanilla and booze soaked raisins. Some slight oxidation adds a touch of sherry. Warming smooths everything out a touch. Rich. Slightly hints of oak

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a medium-full body. Almost no carbonation to speak of. A bit smooth.

Overall: Sometimes power levels over 9000 aren't the best.

A crazy complex beer. A bit too sweet with a massive amount of alcohol hear even with the extended aging. Good, but feels a bit heavy handed for Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 02:26:14 | More by Goblinmunkey7

funkel81

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

04-01-2013 17:39:02 | More by funkel81

stevec32

New York

3/5  rDev -25%

03-31-2013 17:12:47 | More by stevec32

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Opaque with reddish edges, a great looking strong beer. A ring of carbonation but nothing else.

S: Big sticky-sweet profile of toffee, dark fruit / raisins, licorice, booze. Despite how big and strong this is, it has a very refreshing quality.

T: Molasses, butter-tart, sweet raisins, cherries... this is delicious.

M: Its as big and syrupy as it should be, a 2 hour sipper.

This is a great beer, I can't imagine how the barrel aged version must be.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 03:49:50 | More by mattsander

vonnegut21

New York

3.86/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep black with a slight tan head.

S: Bitter chocolate, molasses, fig and winter fruits.

T: Molasses, brown sugar, toffee and fig. Lots of winter fruit flavor. Almost belgian quad-like.

M: Thick and creamy. Well carbonated and boozy.

O: A decent brew. More dark belgian than stout, but not a bad beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 03:10:44 | More by vonnegut21

Jamison85

Indiana

5/5  rDev +25%

03-27-2013 05:04:39 | More by Jamison85

Sparky44

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

03-23-2013 21:18:12 | More by Sparky44

seplo

Connecticut

4/5  rDev 0%

03-18-2013 17:56:40 | More by seplo

ssimpson89

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

03-17-2013 00:50:15 | More by ssimpson89

NoleDoc

Florida

4/5  rDev 0%

03-14-2013 05:35:31 | More by NoleDoc

ravot

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

03-14-2013 04:57:51 | More by ravot

Etan

Illinois

3.91/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz bottle shared by Marco. Thanks!

A: Pours a dark maple color with a small, soapy off-white head.

S: Smells of molasses and birch and raisins. Brown sugar and licorice are apparent as well.

T: Rich maple and toffee in the taste. A bit of leafy old hoppiness, some dry cocoa, a bit bready. Not much alcohol apparent.

M: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Sort of like a maple-y barleywine. A bit similar to Batch 10,000, but much better.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 18:09:45 | More by Etan

tectactoe

Michigan

3.86/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to Jeff for cracking this one with me. Pours a deep and dark, dark brown with a little bit of light shining through the top. A fine-bubbled, dark tan head foams up and settles quickly to nothing but a bubbly skin atop the beer.

The aroma is heaviest with melty brown sugar - it gives way to the sweetness of this beer right from the start. There's a mild oak presence that keeps hitting my nostrils, too, though I'm not sure this beer spent any time on wood. Some milky and creamy cocoa drifts in and out, and it stays more on the sweet side than the roasty-bitter side. It's got a nice and pleasing aroma for sure, but I'm fearing that it might be edging towards the unbalanced side of sweetness - something I'm not particularly fond of.

Batch 9000 hits my lips and my sentiments that this wanna gonna be a sweet beer are confirmed - it's damn sweet. Brown sugar, heavy and thick molasses, super-milky and sweet-ass cocoa. It seems this trifecta of flavors are really the only notable things, and they all kind of compound on the sweetness factor to produce a diabetes-inducing beer. Don't get me wrong - the flavors are nice and the beer is good. But it's just a bit too sweet to enjoy it thoroughly... I don't think I could finish more than six ounces. I actually am pulling through some of that wood flavor that I was getting on the nose, but it's still pretty buried underneath the sweetness. Medium-heavy bodied, thick and borderline syrupy, low-medium carbonation.

Good flavors, and not enough to be called a disappointment (Bell's rarely disappoints) but I just wish the sweetness was toned down a bit. I'd love to try the Bourbon Barrel 9000 - I think it would tone down the sweetness or at least add some other offsetting flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:36:02 | More by tectactoe

kjkinsey

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

03-03-2013 22:46:18 | More by kjkinsey