Eccentric Ale 2008
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Eccentric Ale 2008Eccentric Ale 2008
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
10.1%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 13.91%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
67
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 12, 2023
Added:
Dec 05, 2009
Wants:
  11
Gots:
  10
Released 2009
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by OneDropSoup:
Photo of OneDropSoup
Reviewed by OneDropSoup from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Acquired at the brewery, thanks to my friend, Anne.

Poured into a stemmed tulip: Wicked dark, opaque as far as I can tell, with no signs of head save for the thinnest mocha collar.

Smells of heavy caramel, figs, just a little roast. Rich smell, but not a whole lot of complexity. Some booze creeps up, with a little bit of orange candy.

Whoa! in the taste. Crazy complexity: caramel, roast, flowers, wild berries, passion fruit, ginger. Hard to pin everything down, & it goes through so many motions. Good, but a bit overwhelming, kind of hard to wrestle with. Whew, baby! Aftertaste is sweetly maple & citric, with some dark fruit skins.

Thick, viscous, a little slick. Big mouthfeel.

Holy--! The smell did not prepare me for that big taste. A cool beer, & so much going on here that I don't really know where to begin. Kind of wondering if maybe another year lying down might have been good for this, but it's pretty good as is. Just so much to bite off at once. One is plenty.
Jan 18, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.23/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black ale with a small foamy head with limited retention or lacing. Aroma of chocolate, molasses and light species. Taste is a mix of light species with some molasses and light spices. Body is about average with low carbonation with light warming alcohol notes. Enjoyable strong ale which actually aged quite well.
Oct 12, 2023
Photo of JohnFred4
Reviewed by JohnFred4 from New York

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Look: Threateningly dark brown. I'm intrigued.

Smell: pit fruits: dates, raisins, black bread, brown sugar, chocolate covered cherries

Taste: Fruit syrup, cherries, blueberries, cola, umami/soy sauce.

Feel: oily as hell, but I love it.

Overall: very unique; what Bell's used to be. Super strong, not for everyone, but what "eccentric" used to mean. It doesn't really fit well together, but is greater than the sum of its parts. Definitely one of the most interesting offerings int he 2021 Bells Advent Calendar.
Dec 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.46 by Ohiovania from Ohio

Sep 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.63 by iRun2Beer from Minnesota

Sep 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by MNBeerGeek from Minnesota

Apr 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by DerekMorgan from Massachusetts

Jan 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by wethorseblanket from California

Nov 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by little_star from Illinois

Jun 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by drewone from California

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Rado from California

Jun 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by GRG1313 from California

Jun 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by replacementpart from Illinois

Apr 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Janis_Hoplin from Colorado

Feb 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DantheMan75 from Wisconsin

Dec 15, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by seeswo from Ohio

Nov 24, 2013
Photo of doucmehu
Reviewed by doucmehu from Oregon

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Extra from a trade.

A: Deep mahogany, nearly black. About an inch of mocha head fizzes away pretty quick. Not much lacing, and fairly heavy looking.

S: Big molasses, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, dark fruit, honey. Just a ton of sugary sweetness, with the maple being the most prominent.

T: Whoa. WAY too many sweet flavors going on. Milk chocolate, honey, caramel, maple syrup dominate, with some roast and pine/puniper in there as the sweetness gives way. There is a hint of tartness at the tail end, on the back of the tongue.

M: Fairly heavy, slick, low carbonation, little alcohol presence for 10% (5 years will do that).

O: Hard to drink due to the cloying sweetness. If you are looking for a sugar bomb like a Crème Brulee or or Choklat, this might be a fun choice.
Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by mcrago from Indiana

Jul 06, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Rogorama from Indiana

Jul 03, 2013
Eccentric Ale 2008 from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 67 ratings