Batch 6,000
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Batch 6,000Batch 6,000
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.32 | pDev: 8.8%
Reviews:
158
Ratings:
183
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 12, 2018
Added:
Oct 23, 2003
Wants:
  67
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CortexBomb:
Photo of CortexBomb
Reviewed by CortexBomb from Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
A unique commemorative brew from Bell's...

A deep, dirty brown colour and plentiful carbonation give way to a distinctively sweet smell of hops with hints of caramel which almost remind me of a bock.

The flavour is begins extremely sweet with a blitzkrieg of hops which lends an almost off limey style aspect to it. Dried dark fruits are in evidence, almost a sugared raisin or plum character, very nice. As the beer warms up more and more flavours start to peek out, with bitterness, malt, and yet more sweetness creeping in. This reminds me in some ways of Bell's Third Coast Old Ale, but with an increased hop presence which really adds something to the experience. I might add that when this beer was new, the hops were so over the top that I think they took something away from the beer, but after a year of aging they settled back down into a better balance with the rest of the flavour and took this beer up to a full 5.0

Mouthfeel reminds me of Expedition, you can literally feel it coating the insides of your mouth, just the way I like my beer :-)

Overall a beer worthy of hunting down, with a unique combination of flavours. A shame this was a limited offering as the brew gained points in almost every category after being left in the cellar for a year, the brew when it was fresh was overly harsh due to the hops, but letting it sit for a spell really balanced it out more, and made the flavour that much more full and enjoyable. I wish I had bought a case to save and savour every year.
Jan 15, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.33/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
Shared 355 ml bottle at local tasting. Very dark brown colour, low tan head. Intense aroma of molasses and oak. Very sweet flavour, loads of molasses, alcohol and oak, some bitterness. Impressive, but not really my cup of tea.
Jun 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.4 by vik_luc from Michigan

Jul 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by _morandi_ from California

Feb 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by Sanderson from Washington

Nov 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Rifugium from North Dakota

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by jlmathis from Michigan

Apr 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by MastaShonuf from California

Jan 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 05, 2013
Photo of jera1350
Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -10.2%
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.
Mar 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by SaisonRichBiere from Michigan

Mar 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by DmanGTR from New York

Jan 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by BlissJunkie from Michigan

Jan 14, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by MordorMongo from Indiana

Jan 13, 2013
Photo of jegross2
Reviewed by jegross2 from Illinois

3.09/5  rDev -28.5%
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.
Sep 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by BWHD from Illinois

Aug 27, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 22, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by 3Hops from Minnesota

Aug 04, 2012
Batch 6,000 from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 183 ratings