Wheat Eight Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Wheat Eight AleWheat Eight Ale
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Dark Wheat Beer
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 11.68%
Reviews:
97
Ratings:
101
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 26, 2014
Added:
Nov 22, 2005
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by budsboy:
Photo of budsboy
Reviewed by budsboy from Ohio

3.67/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours deep brown and cloudy with a blotchy white head that doesn't last so long.

Smell is roasted malt and coffee, slight hint of a chocolate sweetness.

Begins gently on the front end. All the flavor comes in the middle and end. Toasted malt and coffee dominates mixed with a bitter spiciness. Leaves with a lasting grainy bitter finish.

Quite bubbly, medium bodied and a touch chalky.

Strange beer. Its wheat-ness is subtle, roastiness is full. All in all, I like it and I'm glad to have tried it. I'm not likely to seek it out, but I'd certainly have it again.
Jan 02, 2006
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by spycow from Illinois

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by kodt from Illinois

May 13, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by matjack85 from Illinois

Feb 11, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by TCgoalie from Michigan

Dec 29, 2011
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle shared courtesy of DenverLogan.

Poured a medium and cloudy brown color with a smaller sized off white head. I couldn't initially place the aroma, but Whaleman nailed it when he said it was burnt rubber. That was hard to get around as it was really distracting. It eventually gave way to some smoke and wheat. Tastes of coffee, caramel, and chocolate. Tastes much better than the aroma.

Notes from 2/3/06
Nov 14, 2008
Photo of BeaBeerWife
Reviewed by BeaBeerWife from Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Batch 7133. (AGED)

Maybe I will be the last to review this beer!? I hope!

Because it has been aged for almost 3 years.

Was expecting it not to age well since it is not loaded with alcohol, but surprisingly a great aged beer.

Carbonated really well, retaining an awesome head, does justice while drinking it. Great thick color, smell a bit repressed from aging? But I do think I smell a smoked malt in there.

No off flavors, but one really smooth consistent flav of 'deep caramelized-wheat'. Slight Belgian style yeast flavs (tiny sourness), but not in-your-face.

Impressive, as other Bell's beers I've aged have not turned out so kindly.

Owed to Bell's Wheat Series, never to see the light of day again... <sendoff>

Seth
Jul 21, 2008
Photo of Wildman
Reviewed by Wildman from Ohio

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes:

This beer poured a very dark brown color, almost black. It is a very murky beer that you cannot see through. It formed a foamy light tan head that left trace lace as it subsided. It had an aroma of smoky malt and wheat tones The flavor was of malt, heavy coffee flavor with some caramel. The body was medium light and the finish was slightly bitter.
Apr 13, 2008
Photo of macster
Reviewed by macster from Florida

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a slightly hazy dark mahogany brown Dunkelweiss color. Initially produces a nice 1/2" thick dense tan head which gradually fades to some sparsely spotty foam. No lacing observed.

Nose was restrained but with pleasant notes of slightly burnt biscuits, Wheat Chex cereal, semi-sweet chocolate along with a faint hint of clove and smokiness.

Mouthfeel was moderately full and creamy with a lively carbonation level as expected for the style.

Taste profile was fairly complex showing off flavors of burnt wheat toast, spices, dark chocolate, roasted malts, with a subdued raisin-like sweetness balancing out the porter-like roastiness. Finish is nicely balanced between the roasted wheat grains and fruity sweetness.

All in all very drinkable and satisfying. Easy to go back for more than one.
Jun 10, 2007
Photo of mrmanning
Reviewed by mrmanning from Canada (ON)

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bells wheat 8 pours hazy copper. Head is thick and foamy, leaving minute lacing. Strong yeast essence, with cloves, tropical fruit, bananna, some nutty, sugary notes. Tastes fruit forward, with banana and mangoes, yeasty phenoles, candy and cloves. Spritzy at first and creamy on the end. Nice. Thanks C-izzle!
Jan 07, 2007
Photo of PeatReek
Reviewed by PeatReek from California

4.26/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
Pours a deep, cloudy brown with a medium tan head that, unexpectedly, doesn't last long. Aroma is full of raisins & cloves, and has a thick bready character that reminds me of Oktoberfest. The first sip is markedly different from the smell; a crisp roastiness combines with a round, fruity-raisiny sweetness to remind me more of a Doppelbock than anything else. The end of the sip features a pleasant hop tingle. In the aftertaste, after a strong wave of espresso, is just a trace of the sharp, clovey phenolics I would've expected to dominate this brew. The body is somewhat awkwardly light for the heavy roast and dried fruit notes, but I'm of two minds about this because it also improves the drinkability.

This beer is a little all over the place; calling it a wheat beer, while perhaps technically accurate, is a bit deceiving. German porter? Weizenbock? At any rate, I'd come back for the espresso finish alone. Mmmm.

(Batch 7133, bottled November '05)
Dec 29, 2006
Photo of SPLITGRIN
Reviewed by SPLITGRIN from Kentucky

3.01/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A surprisingly dark brew for a wheat ale. Hosts a nice deep tan head. Shows nice carbonation in the body . Smokey sweet wheat hits, the nose after a pass, like molases and sausage. Enters the mouth thinner than the color and nose would have lead you to expect. A little smoke and watered down malt on the palate. A slight rechness develops tword the end and then sours a bit on the mouthfeel and finish. Comes off kind of like a weak porter. Easy to drink but not desireable.
Dec 02, 2006
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks Grub for the Bell's Wheat Series Horizontal Tasting! Much appreciated.
Pours a dark, daunt colour. Fine level of head. A little caramel, cola malt in the nose as well as a nice yeast blend. Some light roast, a hint of smokyness that lends a certain porter dimension to it. Only with a deal of grainyness to it. All in all a very nice texture. Carbonation high enough to keep it lively but low enough to keep it smooth. A nice yeasty, candy-like aftertaste. This is sort of like a dunkel I guess. My favourite of the project, and a fine job.
Nov 10, 2006
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.56/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a dark brown porter color with a very modest head that quickly drops to a ringlet and fails to lace the glass - odd for a wheat beer

Smell: Roasted wheat with strong mash tun smell; unsweetened chocolate pervades

Taste: Starts with a chocolate flavor that is joined, mid palate, by the roasted wheat elements; after the swallow, the taste flattens out and fades rather quickly

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation

Drinkability: Fairly tasty and complex; would be much better if the carbonation levels were higher
Nov 06, 2006
Photo of thelagerheads
Reviewed by thelagerheads from Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
$7.99 for a mixed 6
12 oz bottle
Good Time Party Store
Northville, MI

Batch 7133
Nov. 7, 2005

A dark-eyed hefe-jo-hefe. So much malt and wheat in here that I'm having visions of the Cream O' Wheat guy grinning, grinning, grinning with his hat aplomb and his face sardonically assured of his and the breakfast meal's excellence. Much darker and more caramelly and smokey than I'd expected. I like eet, eet's goot. It nearly approaches a heavily cremed coffee sort of taste before falling back into the hefe half-way house for abused wheat and pine. The star in the spoked wheel of Bell's numbered wheats.
Nov 05, 2006
Photo of grub
Reviewed by grub from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
horizontal tasting of the four in the wheat series.

pours a deep red brown with nice ruby highlights. head is very fine and tan coloured. starts around a half inch and slowly fades to a ring. minimal lace.

aroma is good. a little roasty. definitely has a little funk to it, almost smells like a BSDA + porter mix. almost earthy aroma.

taste is neat. definitely a roasty porter sort of thing. my first thought was 'baltic porter', but it's more than that. slightly spicy hops. bit of bittersweet chocolate. caramel.

mouthfeel is good. great body and nice carbonation level. really well integrated and smooth.

drinkability is great on this one. definitely something i could drink on a regular basis. maybe that's just because it makes me think of porters, which i do so love.
Nov 05, 2006
Photo of jimbotrost
Reviewed by jimbotrost from Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pour is dark, decieving for the name of the beer with wheat in it. Medium full head of a light brown hue caps off the deal. Slightly vinious intro to the nose and then dominance by roasted malt. Flavor is malt centered nice with a hint of wininess. Body is light, very light for color. Finish is of medium length and roastiness. A very pleasant surprise. Beer was 8 months old when sampled.
Oct 31, 2006
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours brown with some ruby tints, and a small off-white head. It smells like chocolate, roasted malt, some dark fruit, a bit of wheat and some banana too. I get all kinds of tastes with this. It tastes like chocolate, bananas, peppery spicyness, along with a bitter hoppy aftertaste. It starts off a bit sweet and finishes bitter. The mouthfeel is medium and relatively smooth. The drinkability is pretty good as well. It's not what I expected from a wheat beer, but I thought this one was pretty good. I think it's better than the Wheat 4 and 6. Hopefully Bell's will try another Wheat series in the near future.
Oct 14, 2006
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A dark mohagony red with scarlet hues when held to light. A small off white head emerges but doesn't hang around long and leaves little lacing.

Layered malty aromas. There is a roasty, chocolate, caramel nose with some dark fruits. Maybe some fig. Not much in way of wheat. Nice and smokey.

I like this beer. Very roasty. Roasted chocolate malt, with caramel and toffee to back it up. Oily smooth, viscous mouth with light carbonation go well. Nicely balanced but not overly complex. Hints of smoke, fig, milk chocolate, and even some coffee hints.

Hopefully Bell's will keep up with these experimental series of beers. God knows I will be their guinea pig.
Oct 03, 2006
Photo of gmfessen
Reviewed by gmfessen from Michigan

3.66/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, beer is a deep clear amber brown color with minimal head. Definitly the darkest beer in the series. The smell is of sweet roasted malts and hints of yeast. The taste is strongly of the roasted chocolate malts, balanced nicely with a smooth finish. The mouthfeel is particularly light, with a good amount of carbination. Overall, this is a pretty drinkable beer, and I would recomend it, although not my favorite in the Bell's wheat series.
Sep 17, 2006
Wheat Eight Ale from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 101 ratings