Batch 5,000 Ale
Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Smoked / Rauchbier Series Out of Production|
Score
7.07
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Bell's Batch 5,000 Ale is a smoked strong ale, brewed to celebrate Kalamazoo Brewing Company's 5000th batch. It is brewed with 26% German, beechwood-smoked malt. It is very lightly hopped which showcases the rich caramel tones of the malt body that balances the assertive smoke flavor throughout. Batch 5000 would be a wonderful pairing for robust cheeses, sausages and smoked salmon. While drinkable now, Batch 5000 has an ageing potential of several years. The interplay of flavors will mature and develop subtly with time. Avoid any extreme temperatures, and keep at a cellar temperature below 65 °F. Available on draft at the brewery only.
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6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of CaptainCougar. Cloudy reddish brown with a small off-white head. Distinct aroma of Bamberg smoke and caramel. Solid body, low in carbonation, sweet notes of caramel and chocolate with a hoppy finish. The smokiness really shines through. 300809
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Aug 2009
at 14:28
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. This beer has stood up incredibly well for being almost seven years old. Cloudy orange-brown body with next to no head, but what is there is tan. The aroma is filled with leather, smoke, bacon and tart cherry. Hints of molasses, bread, barnyard and alcohol. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes slightly sour/tart with some alcoholic warming. Thin to medium body, watery texture and little carbonation. Reading posts from 2002, many found this beer to be overly sweet and I did not see any mention funkiness. The overt sweetness is now muted and there is definitely a funky smell and taste that is accentuated by the smoke. Different and enjoyable. Thanks SpudClampDawg.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Dec 2008
at 22:32
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Obviously, I am pretty excited about this. Not every day you get to try a 6 year old bottle of something special. I have been putting this off for a while, kind of like I did not want to ruin the occasion or have a big let down. A slight hiss as the cap is removed lets me know it has not gone completely bad and is a little reassuring. Bottle releases a cloudy brown liquid with very little head and sweet brown sugar and caramel aromas. A little bit of oxidation is noticeable and I hope it will not ruin things. I’m guessing this is a shadow of its former self after 6 years, but it still has a pretty good brown sugar and caramel malt presence with quite a bit of dark fruit to make it interesting. A little bit of tartness and a little bit of a salty smokiness are present, but seem to have faded. This is fairly reminiscent of an English barley wine in terms of flavor and texture, and considering how long this has aged it is a darn fine beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Dec 2008
at 19:38
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared by hellomynameis. I appreciate him sharing this beer, it is something I have been looking for for a long time. Sugar and caramel malt aroma with just a hint of smoke. There is more smoke in the flavor, but it seems to have dissipated over the last six years. Considerable sugar, but the alcohol is well hidden. Cloudy brown appearance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jan 2008
at 18:49
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
A few bottles of Batch 5000 still occasionally appear on shelves, and I was lucky to find a few that were most likely returned to the shelf to herald the arrival of Batch 6000. This was one smoky beer. Aroma? Smoke. Appearance? Smoke. OK, not really- poured murky red-brown with a thin off-white ring of foam clinging to the glass, and plenty of yeast sediment in the body. Flavor was dominated by the smoke aspect, and I also detected nuttiness, wood, a touch of dark, sweet fruits, and caramel. Alcohol was suprisingly subdued, as I didn't realize how strong this beer was until reading its description here. Complexity exists in the body, but I found the smoke overwhelming. Would best be served in small quantities.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Nov 2003
at 15:02
9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Sampled 9/2003. Pours a ruddy brown/black with some violet and burgundy tinges on the glass. Very little head, typical of bells stronger beers. Highly unfiltered, bottle conditioned, unpasteurised! Smells of sweet ripe red fruit and some caramel, faintly smoky on the nose. Begins with a very full, rich raspberry honey flavor, backed up with lots of fresh caramel malt. Taste has plenty of barley malt as well, and then, the smoke flavor. WOW. this is amazing. Subtle at first and climaxing stronger but still balanced. Tastes like raspberry smoked beef barbecue. It is salty and meaty, yet retains a pleasant flavor and has the texture of moist beef jerky. It then fades into some nice, but light hops and finishes clean and smooth. Alcohol Very well masked, carbonation is minimal. Beer has a wonderfully full complex body. A pleasure to drink this.
Sampled again 6/2005 at RBSG. Still holding up spectacularly well. Smooth, silky, chocolatey and plenty of salty, rich smoke. Awesome beer that has really proved itself to me.
Sampled again 6/2005 at RBSG. Still holding up spectacularly well. Smooth, silky, chocolatey and plenty of salty, rich smoke. Awesome beer that has really proved itself to me.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Sep 2003
at 10:34
8.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottled. Cloudy nut brown. Stong Bamberg style beechwood smoke aroma. Big chewy stable maltiness. Long, bitter bacon smolkey finish. In no way subtle, but I'm a great fan of heavily smoked beers, and this is just spot on what I like. Thanks hopsrus for sending this and many other unique beers!
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jun 2003
at 01:42
5.5/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 6
Muddy colour, no foam; dry smokiness, that to me seems like an unusual type of wood, like pecan or something. Slight maltiness that gets chewy, decent smoke flavours, firm alcohol presence. Different, but I'm not sure where it fits in (a second-tier Adam or Immort?).
Tried
from Can
on 07 Apr 2002
at 18:55