Left Bank Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

on tap at Maduro before and shortly after the Great Taste of the Midwest - entered from old cell phone notes

listed at 8.9%

Appearance: served in a sweet Bells tulip, hazy orange-amber body, light beige head with very little lacing…nice belgian appearance

Smell: fresh wheat, coriander, citrus, orange peel, lemon zest

Taste: wonderfully fresh and crisp…wheat and grassy flavours, lemon and orange peel, slight booze, a touch syrupy, yeasty, coriander, sharp flavours all around

Mouthfeel: smooth and crisp

Drinkability: easy

It is my understanding that this is a prototype of the Batch 8,000.

If I had to categorize this, I would describe it as a lightly filtered Imperial Hefeweizen. I say lightly filtered because the first glass I had, likely from a disturbed keg was completely opaque. The following glasses, which I drank four or five days later were brilliantly clear and slightly bubbly.

I say Imperial because this beer packs a tremendous alcohol wallop and deeply intense banana and clove aromas and flavors – to a degree much greater then most hefes, and certainly greater then any BSDA or Wit beer.

Left Bank’s body shows a striking, coppered amber color. The head is stark white and thick but disappears to nothing after just a minute or so. A swirl of the glass will agitate the minute carbonation just enough to restore some lace but even that is exceedingly short lived. The high ABV, between 9 and 10%, may be the culprit.

As mentioned, the aroma is completely dominated by banana and clove, although baubble gum comes in a close third. Very minor notes of citrus show through. Waves of esters crash against the nose.

Left banks flavor matches its aroma pretty much spot on. It’s worth noting again that the banana and clove notes are particularly powerful in this beer, perhaps because they carry with them such a warm, strike that, hot booziness. Bubbleguminess is here too.

The body is medium but feels full at times, especially when warm, from the alcohol. It’s very much undercarbonated and the previous review’s comparison to wheat wine is quite reasonable. Despite its strength, I find this to be a delightful and highly drinkable beer and I prefer it, just slightly to its brother Right Bank because I find RB to be even more boozey.

Thanks to Maduro for the $3 tullips of Left Bank, Right Bank, and 8,000. The 3 together make for interesting comparisons.

On tap at Bell's a couple days before Dark Lord. A Belgian Strong Dark ale brewed with wheat is the description.

Clear amber/copper with no head. Looks like a culprit of the pour.

Very alcoholic and clove driven aromas. Hints of yeast, banana, bubblegum, peach and other stone fruits. Very wheaty and wheat wine similarities.

Full of belgian spice, yeast, and overall quality. Clove again dominates. And again peach, banana, and bubblegum are the standout characteristics. Alcohol is also huge and a mean bastard of a chest burner. Too much so and I don't complain often about this. Very reminiscent of a wheat wine or better yet a damn close representation of Two Bros Bare Tree beers. Carbonation is low to none. Mouthfeel is medium full. A decent beer if you like this style.