Wheat 8 Ale
Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Weizen - Dunkelweizen Series Out of Production|
Score
7.03
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Bell’s Wheat Project (2005) is an experimental foray into the development of complex flavors in beer.
The Project comprises five new ales, four in series and one specialty strong product.
The first four, Wheat 2, Wheat 4, Wheat 6 and Wheat eight are all made using 55% Wheat (either wholly or mostly malted) and 45% Barley malt.
The barley malt makeup is exactly the same in each of the four and consists of three different malts.
The total amount of grain in each of the four is also exactly the same, so each of them should have a virtually identical original gravity. The type and amount of hops in each of the four is exactly the same. And the processing through the brewhouse and fermentation is also exactly the same. The changing factors between the ales are the composition of the 55% of wheat used and the type and number of yeast strains used. In Wheat 2 the 55% of wheat is made up of two different kinds of wheat malt, and this ale is made with two different yeasts. Wheat 4 is made with four different wheats and four yeasts. Wheat six and eight made with six and eight wheats and yeasts respectively.
The final product, Bell’s Wheat Love Ale, is made with the eight yeasts of Wheat eight and is a strong, but relatively light colored, “wheatwine.”
2. Basic Content List for the Wheat Series:
Wheat Two
Wheats: White, Dark
Yeast: Bell’s house ale strain, WLP410 Belgian Wit II
Wheat Four
Wheats: White, Victory, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied
Yeast: WLP550 Belgian, WLP570 Golden, Wheat Two blend
Wheat Six
Wheats: White, Dark, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied, Red, Caramel
Yeast: WLP500 Trappist, WLP530 Abbey, Wheat Four blend
Wheat Eight
Wheats: White, Dark, Victory, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied, Red, Caramel, Chocolate
Yeast: WLP4000 Belgian Wit I, WLP565 Saison, Wheat Six blend
The Project comprises five new ales, four in series and one specialty strong product.
The first four, Wheat 2, Wheat 4, Wheat 6 and Wheat eight are all made using 55% Wheat (either wholly or mostly malted) and 45% Barley malt.
The barley malt makeup is exactly the same in each of the four and consists of three different malts.
The total amount of grain in each of the four is also exactly the same, so each of them should have a virtually identical original gravity. The type and amount of hops in each of the four is exactly the same. And the processing through the brewhouse and fermentation is also exactly the same. The changing factors between the ales are the composition of the 55% of wheat used and the type and number of yeast strains used. In Wheat 2 the 55% of wheat is made up of two different kinds of wheat malt, and this ale is made with two different yeasts. Wheat 4 is made with four different wheats and four yeasts. Wheat six and eight made with six and eight wheats and yeasts respectively.
The final product, Bell’s Wheat Love Ale, is made with the eight yeasts of Wheat eight and is a strong, but relatively light colored, “wheatwine.”
2. Basic Content List for the Wheat Series:
Wheat Two
Wheats: White, Dark
Yeast: Bell’s house ale strain, WLP410 Belgian Wit II
Wheat Four
Wheats: White, Victory, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied
Yeast: WLP550 Belgian, WLP570 Golden, Wheat Two blend
Wheat Six
Wheats: White, Dark, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied, Red, Caramel
Yeast: WLP500 Trappist, WLP530 Abbey, Wheat Four blend
Wheat Eight
Wheats: White, Dark, Victory, Toasted sprouts, Torrefied, Red, Caramel, Chocolate
Yeast: WLP4000 Belgian Wit I, WLP565 Saison, Wheat Six blend
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5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
An unclear brown beer with a thin brown head. The aroma is wheaty with a slight burnt note, and so is the flavor too.
Tried
on 29 Jul 2006
at 07:41
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Quite dry and woody for a any style of weizen - a very earthy, almost smokey character (but not as much as the six) - lots of subtle cocoa and a touch of nuts and dried dark fruits - pretty interesting.
Tried
on 29 Apr 2006
at 19:06
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
bottle - This beer pours up a moderate head with a bit of lacing and has an appealing dark brown color. Roast malt dominates the flavor, but is well balanced by the hops and some citrus notes. The body is just a little too thin and the finish is pretty clean and nicely balanced.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Feb 2006
at 02:40
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Thanks to CaptainCougar for sending this one to me. Deep dark brown body that approaches Baltic Porter density. This throws up a thick, tan, three-dimensional head. Yeasty aroma spiced with clove and a hint of brown sugar. Medium bodied and smooth. The flavor starts with a caramel sweetness that goes through to the finish. Maybe a touch of liquid smoke in this.
Tried
on 08 Feb 2006
at 16:18
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Batch 7133. So, my question is, did they reprogagate the yeast from Wheat Six and add the two new yeasts for this? Anyway, this went down pretty well at my club’s "horizontal" Bell’s Wheat tasting. In a weizen glass, it pours a dark reddish brown body under a thick brown head, which started a bit of a Guinness cascade. But I can’t figure out why I’m smelling it as yeast and… shampoo? I just can’t shake it. Taste isn’t like that, though Lots of toasted, I say toasted wheat. Caramel and chocolate come up behind. Not overly sweet. But still with the soft texture of an American wheat beer. I should have hoped from the yeast combination to find more of a spicy Belgian character, but this remans in the American territory.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jan 2006
at 21:23
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Wow! This is really dark with a massive foamy head. A bit of lacing as things die down. Aroma is earthy and grassy-wood, yeast, maybe some caramel (?) and wheat... I’m not completely sold on how this one smells. Flavor is pleasant, especially considering my hesitation on aroma. There is an initial lemony flavor that then revisits in the aftertaste that I didn’t see coming. In between the lemon flavors, there are some wonderful dark grain flavors with some sweetness and woody things going on under the surface. Also a burnt malt flavoring that is barely detectable hits me every other sip. Mouthfeel is much thinner than I expected given the complexity and coloration. All in all very pleasant, in spite of my early concerns with this one’s smell.
Tried
on 12 Jan 2006
at 22:38
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Hazy dark brown color with a medium thin light brown head that is reduced to filmy pockmarks pretty quickly. Thin lacing as well. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee and caramel. Medium-bodied with a fairly complex malt and wheat profile. Smokey and sweet with burnt coffee and caramel underneath. There is a tiny citrus hops bite in the aftertaste too. The finish is earthy malt and a bit of yeast. Probably my favorite out of this experiment.
Tried
on 12 Jan 2006
at 14:38
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Dark brown pour with short, beige head. Aroma was heavy with scent of burnt notes, reminiscent of burnt popcorn. with hints of coffee, earthiness and grains. The flavor was earthy and burnt with some sweet fruit and spice notes underneath — a little clove, a bit of banana and some vanilla. The mouthfeel was prickly and the finish was clean. Wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, but it grew on me with each sip.
Tried
on 28 Dec 2005
at 10:56
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. Dark malt and banana aromas. Opaque dark brown color with small head. Dark chocolate malt and banana flavor. Body good for the style. The best and most complex of the wheat series - this is a great beer. Consider it the best Dunkelweizen I tried from the US and in the top 5 worldwide. Exceptional - I hope they keep brewing this one from now on.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2005
at 20:06
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
The best of the four in the series. This is even more like New Glarus Black wheat than the 6. Aroma has light smoke and malt. Very dark brown and a thin khaki-colored head. Red tint, and very little sediment. Flavor has more roasted malt as well as light burnt coffee and some chocolate. No banana or citrus that is ordinarily in a dunkelweizen.
Tried
on 20 Dec 2005
at 17:24