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

portia99

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle received as part of a very generous box from Hoppymcgee. Thanks again, Greg! Poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A - Pours a cloudy and very dark brown color. Appears to be a quite thick and viscous liquid in the pour. A beige/mocha head forms for an instant before giving it up to a thick collar and a few fizzy islands of bubbles on the surface.

S - Sweet aromas, soft malt, caramel, fruity esters, yeasty. Not much for hops in the aroma. Gives all indications of being a really nice sipper, almost barleywine-like in aroma.

T - Quite sweet overall. Sugar, brown sugar, caramel all make their presence known in here. A bit boozy, almost in a sweet rum-like sorta way. Not hoppy in any way...no real hop flavors detected at all. Despite being very much on the sweet side, it is not overly done or cloying. The hops have just enough bitterness to keep that from happening.

M - Quite full bodied...thick and a bit syrupy in feel. Carbonation is on the low side...just enough to feel "alive". Sweet flavors coat every inch of the mouth on every sip. A sipper all the way, but definitely a good one.

D - Hmm, not sure exactly. I'm having this with dinner (asian grilled salmon), and it's working quite nicely in this case...alone, might be a bit sweet overall. It seems to be a prototype "in front of the fire" sipper. Quite good, but you are in it for the long haul with this...not gonna be able to get this down with any speed...but why would you anyway?

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 00:10:31 | More by portia99

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev 0%

05-23-2013 01:17:13 | More by mikeincharleston

ackeeper

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

05-22-2013 02:06:31 | More by ackeeper

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev 0%

05-20-2013 14:18:59 | More by InspectorBob

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