Bell's Batch 10000 - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

UCLABrewN84

California

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Pellinore1 for sending me this one!

Pours an opaque and murky dark brown with a 1 inch puffy khaki head that settles to a small cap. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, brown sugar, and some subdued citrus zest. Taste is of toasted malt, brown sugar, molasses, and citrus zest. There is a burnt/roast flavor that comes out as the beer warms. A mild citrus zest bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and slightly sticky mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good that reminds me very much of a barleywine. I am glad I got to try one of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 02:19:57 | More by UCLABrewN84

yemenmocha

Arizona

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark ruby/amber when held to light, otherwise very dark brown. Thin, creamy head with pale tan color. Nose has some dark fruits and malt. Palate has a whopper of malt flavor, dark jammy fruits, and then hops ride onto center stage (with bitterness too, of course). Finishes leafy/hoppy and dark fruits.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 01:36:28 | More by yemenmocha

JayAre46

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - pours a deep root beer color with sharp ruby highlights around the edges and 1 finger of off white head sits on top, minimal retention.

A - roasted caramel, light hops, lightly toasted malt as well. touches of cocoa.

T - toasted malt, roasty characteristics, nutty, burnt caramelized sugars, hops are almost gone, more of the cocoa, different spin on things. raisins, more dark fruits, this beer is the opposite of delicate very boozy and warming, the hops have faded so not sure if it would have played a strong affect anyway although still a good bitterness in the end. hot

M - decent medium body, moderate carbonation that keeps it from being creamy. harsh on the palate and a alcohol numbing affect on the toungue.

O - its alright, i like the cocoa part, less the toasted characters want more of the roasted and burnt caramel. not bad but kind of hot and a mess. not sure if fresh neccessarily means better.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 02:43:32 | More by JayAre46

MrOH

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Very dark reddish brown, but still shy of black. Half finger of tan head with very little retention.

First whiffs are sweet, raisiny, and bready. Figs, prunes, sniffs of chocolate, roast, and hops come up with a couple of swirls. Some alcohol and traces of everything from citrus to rye and smoke are in there too.

Confusing. Definitely get some smoke, sweetness, and hops. A wide range of hop flavors; spice, herbal, citrus. The smoke sticks around. The dry spiciness I associate with rye is there, as is the breadiness that goes with wheat. There are only hints of the darker malts. A lot of the stickier dark fruits that you get in barleywines are there as well. As it warms, things smooth out a tad, but the breadiness takes over from the sweet dried fruits. Just disjointed as a whole.

Pretty heavy, medium carbonation, as expected at its strength.

Well, after 8 or 9 months, it still hasn't come together. I think this might be one that I just have to forget about for 5 years or so. Hate to give it a lowish (for the site) score, because I'm sure it will come together with time.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 04:27:17 | More by MrOH

Bendurgin

Maine

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I got this one from Grant a while back. Thanks. Poursed into a tulip. Pours a cola brown with a light khaki head with giant bubbles. Sparce lacing here.

Hazelnut in the aroma with hints of fruit and cocoa. A touch of sweet mollasses in the background. Seems a bit unbalanced, a little fruitier than I would have though. The pallet gives of some nuttiness with hints of dry cocoa powder and dark fruits such as dates and figs.

The body is medium with soft carbonation. Overall not a bad beer. Not really sure what Bell's was going for here but this is tasty either way.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 02:49:59 | More by Bendurgin

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Batch 10000 (duh). Bottled 16 November 2010. Bought this a few months ago, finally getting around to drinking it.

Pours very dark, rich chocolate brown at the edges, but black if there's not light behind it. One finger of light tan head, faded fast and left a decent amount of lacing. Dark and deep, deep and dark.

Smell is all about sweet dark fruits - figs and plums, and things like that. There's a whole lot of malt "stuff" going on underneath that, but the fruits are dominant. They're so strong that I wondered if this was spiked with fruit, or if it's all coming from the the malts. Either way, I like them.

Taste is sweet, rich, malty, and fruity. But it has a weird layer of flavor on top. Kinda like cardboard oxidation, but there's something else going on. Bitter but not in a good hoppy way. Strange and unpleasant.

Medium-heavy body, low carbonation.

Not super impressive. Possible signs of oxidation, but it's less than a year old, and from a store whose beer storage I trust. There's some really nice dark fruit malt character, but I wish that came through more clearly in the flavor, instead of whatever had me smacking my mouth, trying to clear it out.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 03:35:00 | More by zeledonia

mattgreger

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up this brew at Capone's Bottle Shop in East Norriton

The pour on this brew was a nice dark black/brown color with a nice 1/2 cap head. It was supper creamy and had some very nice retention to it. It had some nice lacing throughout the brew leaving small webs down the glass.

Aroma on this brew is out of this world. I wasn't expecting so much from such a brew. The front of the brew is sweet, I am detecting a bit of pineapple. Then I am hit with a bit of smokey, caramelness. It also has a nice touch of some dark fruits as well. You can also sense a bit of hoppiness to the brew, but its not the forefront of this brew.

The flavor of this brew is much the smell. It has a nice smokey/roasted malt flavor at the front of this brew. Its quite pleasent. It then leads to what I can only explain to a pineablle like flavor. There is also hints of coffee/toffee and some chocolate as well. There is also a nice hint of citrus and some dark fruits at the end. This is one power house of flavor that gives up each flavor at different times. It is well balanced, allowing the change of each to work very well together.

This is a great medium-bodied brew. It is super smooth and very clean. Its got a nice dry finish just a touch of syrupy stickiness.

This is a great brew. Wasn't sure how it was going to be when I picked it up, but this is a beer I would certianly pick up again. Its a little pricey, but worth every cent.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 15:06:31 | More by mattgreger

AgentZero

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Dark brown beer with a bit of off-white head and a bit of lacing.

S - A lot of peat/smoke and roast. There's some anise and a little bit of citrus on top of the usual molasses stuff.

T - Kind of sweet with a bit of roast. Some burnt sugar and a bit of a smokey and peaty character. Some bittering hops, maybe this fades a little over time and gets better. It's average.

M - Smooth, lower carbonation, fairly full bodied.

O - Not a good beer, not a horrible beer, it's average, but something I may pass on given most other options.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 00:29:28 | More by AgentZero

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is dark brown hued, with crimson highlights. Atop the beer rests 1/4" of tan head that leaves a fair amount of lacing in its wake. The beer smells of sweet malt, caramels, dark fruits, and alcohol. The flavor is pretty sweet, with additional notes of toffee candies. I imagine this brew would likely develop well if cellared for two or three years. Alcohol presence is noticeable throughout, though not overwhelming. The finish warms the throat, and leaves lingering tastes of dark fruits soaked in booze. A decent beer, I would be curious to try it again in a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 00:41:57 | More by Huhzubendah

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle.

This beer pours a clear dark ruby red hue, with one finger foamy of beige head, which leaves a nice broken sprectral lace paint job around the glass as it settles. It smells of faint caramel malt, pine sol, yeast, and earthy hops. The taste is edgy, somewhat medicinal caramel malt, a moderately smoky, salty, peaty character, and bitter leafy hops. The carbonation is average, if a bit zippy, the body medium weight, and mildly assaulted. It finishes bitter, smoky, and a bit uplifted and airy.

It took a while to figure this one out - smoked beer, really. Ok, then, not too shabby but still rather challenging.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 04:53:36 | More by biboergosum

Blanco

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beer pours an almost black, but still very much brown color with large white head. Excellent lacing and stickiness on the glass walls. Smell is somewhat muddled. Smell has hints of latent hoppiness, but is primarily of caramel malts. Taste is again muddled. Only the slightest hint of bitterness, dark fruit notes, with hints of something "soapy." thick mouthfeel. I really don't know what to make of this one. i was skeptical when I realized it was every hop known to man with every malt known to man in one brew and my suspicions came to fruition.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 02:32:11 | More by Blanco

JackieTH

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Translucent mahogany with a medium tan head, laces nicely.

Smell is grapefruit pith, pine resins, roasted caramel malt, coffee. It's quite complex. Taste is roasted caramelly malt and coffee dominate, but when sipping dominating a whole host of other flavors - oranges, chocolate, peat, pine, tree bark, anise and earthy herbs..

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy.

Drinkability: As always this one is unique. One serving at a time, enjoyed in moderation.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2011 21:24:26 | More by JackieTH

zachary80

Indiana

2.8/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

9/17/2011

L
Dark brown, some light gets through. Creamy beige head. Lots of lacing

S
Prominent aroma is a hard to describe variety of hoppiness. There seems to be an almost plastic or soapy smell going on that is unpleasant.

T
Everything kind of melds together, but isn't really complimentary. Some sweetness up front but not very strong. Bitterness sticks around a bit but is mellow. Not as roasty as expected for the color.

M
Somewhat light for 9.2%, finish isn't quite crisp but not sure of a better word right now.

O
Overall Batch 10000 is a little better than average. I think it has started to go downhill - peaked maybe around 6 months. Need to try another bottle before being sure though.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 03:15:03 | More by zachary80

PaulStoneAnchor

California

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark ruby brown with a great head and nice lacing.

S: sweet caramel, candied ginger, toffee, and some burnt sugar

T: It is very hard to describe, but I get some earthy hop bitterness with a lot of burnt sugar, toffee, and some slight caramel.

M: It has a smooth creaminess and little carbonation

O: Overall, this beer is very interesting and complex. I get a lot of burnt sugar out of it, but also there are other lighter background notes that have a hard time coming through because of the burnt sugar. I have to say it was definitely great getting to try for a first time, but I dont know if I would drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 08:16:34 | More by PaulStoneAnchor

beerdrifter

Germany

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark brown, almost black pour with a hint of ruby. One and a half finger head with decent retention and great lacing. Dark fruits dominate the nose with hints of spicy hops, molasses, burnt chocolate, alcohol, and a touch of burnt electronics. The dark fruit is also a big part of the taste, but unfortunately so is the burnt electronics. It's kind of a cross between a German Rauch beer and a Barleywine that just doesn't work for me. It's almost peaty tasting. It has all the ingredients for a decent beer, but it's just so unbalanced. The smokey, peaty, burnt taste does fade as it warms, but it's still there. The mouthfeel is thick and chewy with a very bitter finish. Definitely a sipper. Bells has been one of my favorite breweries and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed with this offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 17:16:18 | More by beerdrifter

RomaniIteDomum

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with a nice little chocolate head that remains throughout.

Smells of anise, toffee, coffee, raisins, chocolate, and everything else you would find in a dark beer are present. Given what was put into this beer, it would be surprising if there was a smell assocated with dark beers not present in this one.

bourbon up front with vanilla, anise, raisins, oak, and a grassy hop presence dominate. The finish is caramel, mocha, and chocolate with a bit more grass.

Nice velvety feel, not syrupy, but not perfect.

Overall, this was a fine brew. I'm looking forward to what the rest of my bottles will taste like with some more age on them.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 02:08:28 | More by RomaniIteDomum

popery

California

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark brown with ruby highlights. Looks filtered. Small but lasting beige head.

S: The hops seem faded at this point but pleasantly so. There's a lot of fruity mixed-up, strong ale-ish malt flavor knocking around, but it's mostly doing good things. Pretty big brown sugar, molasses aroma with a touch of roast and chocolate. Some burnt rubber but it's not too distracting.

T: Relatively mild sweetness for the style and my expectations. It's big and malty but there's not much booze and a mildly hoppy finish with a big of roasty chocolate. It's surprisingly mild, really, and drinks pretty easily for 9.2% abv and a hilariously long ingredient list.

M: Smooth, fairly low carbonation. Full on the palate. A bit of booze and a mild bite in the finish. Thick without getting syrupy.

O: For a wacky kitchen sink beer, the beer is far less off-kilter than expected. It has a lot of malt flavor that tends toward chocolatey tones. It's pretty strong but not at all overpowering. It's just a nice strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 04:27:23 | More by popery

afdempse

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle. Batch number 10,000 ;-)

Very dark brown w/reddish hues. Light tan head.

Aroma of dark fruits, chocolate, some alcohol.

Roasted malt up front, with strong alcohol, complex layers of grain flavors. Intense bitterness in the finish. Maybe some smoked malt? Solvent notes.

A very robust, stong stout, that is fairly dry for its strength. The level of astringency detracts slightly from drinkability, but is appropriate for a beer of this style.

I'd love to see how a few more years in the cellar does for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:22:28 | More by afdempse

baseballrock

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - This awsome beer is dark brown and almost black. The head is a tan color and disappears rather quickly.

S - The smell is very livily. It smells big and delightful. The aroma reflects the malts and makes me eager to take a sip.

T - This beer is unique and unlike many other big beers that I have had. I had not done any research of this beer prior to tasting, but i was expecting way more hops. Thats okay, becasue the toasty malts taste of sweet caramel.

M - Complex and sweet with a slightly bitter finish. Whats not to like?

I cracked this beer on the first cool night of the year, and I really injoyed drinking a big beer with a 9.2% abv. I don't drink many big beers during summer in Texas, that is probably why I enjoyed this beer so much. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 02:43:14 | More by baseballrock

drabmuh

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by the other Matt last night. Thanks! I have been meaning to find some of this stuff to try it.

Beer is dark black, seems hazy, off white head of small bubbles, some lacing, apparent low carbonation. Interesting.

Beer has a mildly sweet with a hint of smoke in the nose.

Beer is medium in body, a little sweet, like weak molasses and the finish is a little smoky. Not overly so just a little bit. It isn't very impressive but I did drink it, I'd cautiously have it again as well.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 19:53:16 | More by drabmuh

jamescain

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a sniffer.

Appearance: Reddish-brown, a dark mahogany if you will, with an off white head about a finger thick that dissipates into a ring around the side of the glass.

Aroma: Of the beers we had this night of tasting it was by far the hoppiest. Notes of pine and citrus that blend with chocolate, toffee and caramel. Interesting to say the least.

Taste: If I had to describe the taste I would say American Barleywine. Roasted grains and toffee up front with a hoppy bitterness and citrus flavors.

Mouthfeel: Not a hint of alcohol, smooth low medium-low carbonation and medium body.

Overall: Very enjoyable and an interesting concept, sadly the last of the batch beers. Glad I got to try it, but would definitely like a couple more.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 16:28:58 | More by jamescain

EnemyWithin

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bell’s 10,000 in Duvel tulip on Aug 26, 2011

Appearance: 3.5

Black, brown-tinted opaque body. Initially dense brown-yellow head 1’ that dissipates to thin covering. Good lacing.

Smell: 4

Very complex with strong toffee malt, roasty body with faint notes of smoke and leather. Also get notes of molasses, cocoa and coffee. Mix in with all this is a faint citrus aroma of the hops that seems to be most notable initially.

Taste: 4.5

Initially, soft roasted malt with some cocoa notes and mild toffee. Soon after the strong presence of hops becomes apparent with a reasonably moderate prominent bitterness, slightly citrus in flavor. Finish with a lingering bitterness, but balance by a touch of sweetness of the malt. Seems along the lines of light American barelywine or DIPA with a touch of age. Quite enjoy.

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Excellent. Very creamy with soft carbonation. Perfect coating of palate. Unlike many beers, it is a positive aspect area that adds to overall enjoyment of the beer. Mild astringency of hops.

Overall: 4.5

I really like this beer a lot, much more than I thought. It has a nice, somewhat complex malt base that works well as a foil to the moderate-to-strong bitterness of the hops. The hops aspect is a little one-dimensional, could possible use more aroma. I suspect that age has play some role in the developing the overall flavor at this point. I do like the barleywine and DIPA style a lot too. Not a totally unique beer, but definitely I’d seek out a buy again.
Reading other reviews now, it seems that there is a bit of polarization of people's feeling to this. I really enjoyed it!
Recommend.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 01:55:15 | More by EnemyWithin

arizcards

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a single from the Arcadia AJ's in early February for $3.59.

Beer poured a cola brown with a tan head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is carmelized malts and some dark fruits.

Taste is big carmelized malts, semi sweet chocolate, balanced out by a decent amount of hops.

Mouthfeel is good, lively on the palate yet smooth at the same time.

Overall this is a tasty brew, kind of different -would agree this is a heavy duty version of an american brown. Glad i tried!

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 23:46:18 | More by arizcards

dgilks

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An extra in a trade with Kevsal. Thanks mate.

Very dark brown colour verging on black with a thick, fluffy and long lasted head. Some lacing. Very nice.

Chocolatey and roasty with some thick caramel notes. Slightly nutty. Mild citrussy hops add some depth and extra character to the beer. Very nice.

A slightly herbal, roasty strong ale. Moderately-strong bitterness with some tea-like character. Mild sweetness and chocolate. Almost a little thin.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. A touch astringent.

Don't get me wrong, this is a nice beer but the astringency and slightly herbal flavour detract from this otherwise very promising beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 12:48:37 | More by dgilks

projectflam86

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz Bottle served in a Bell's Tulip glass. Purchased at the brewery during my 'beercation'.

My 500th review and Bell's 10,000th batch. One beer, two milestones :)

A- Pours a deep mahogany reddish brown color with a huge frothy light brown head. A bit of light can be seen shining through the edges. Nice sticky lace clings to the glass with very nice retention.

S- Very strong caramelized sugar and slightly floral hop aroma. Toasted grains and a touch of chocolate malt coming through.

T- Rich malty flavor with some toasted grains and caramel dominating most of the other more subtle characteristics. Quite sweet initially with a good dose of citrus/floral hops in the finish to balance nicely. Toffee, caramel, chocolate malt, crystal, tobacco, walnuts, smoke, and dark candy sugar all make themselves noticed as it warms.

M- Smooth and sweet with nice carbonation. Full bodied with some alcohol heat in the finish.

O- Overall a really tasty brew. It seemed appropriate too drink this one for my 500th review and I'm glad that I did. I have a 6pk and I'm curious to see what some age will do. Cheers to Bell's for their 10,000th batch!

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 00:28:27 | More by projectflam86