Batch 8,000 Ale
Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Series Out of Production|
Score
7.13
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Batch 8,000 is part of our commemorative series celebrating our progress with special brews. Our Batch 8,000 is a special recipe to be brewed only once. It is a wheat ale spiced with Coriander, Orange Peel, and Paradise Seed. Best consumed fresh.
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8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
good wit pour, nice big frothy head. Aroma is typical wit aroma, but its more balanced, and sweet. Also im getting a good whiff of american hops. Flavour is very smooth, and balanced. Lots of spices, and some soft fruit flavour, possibly from the paradise seed? Overall i’m really enjoying this. The alcohol is extremely well hidden, this is a very smooth, and very flavourful belgian wit. I wish i could get more, and have this all the time in the summer.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Feb 2025
at 05:08
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
From Nov 2007
This one pours from 12oz bottle a cloudy orange with a small but firm head of foamthat all but disappears by the time I'm down to the last 1/3 of my glass.
The smell has notes of yeast, clove, and fruit...mostly lemon and some banana.
The taste has a medium light body full of clove, yeast, banana, apricot, some citrus, and wheat. It also has an earthiness to it and the alcohol is evident after the swallow. After a few more sips, and this is definitely a sipper, I can taste some corriander(sp?) and some other spice. I will say that none of the flavours really jump out at you..they are on the mild side but they are tasty. The finish is slightly bitter and a bit watery. Still, a pretty good souped up version of the style and I like it. Would I seek it out again?(I bought this online from Vintage Cellars) Probably not. If it were available locally..again, probably not. Not knocking it, mind you, it's just not interesting enough to warrant a repurchase.
Edit Nov 22, 2007:
Okay, after sampling a few more bottles, I find that I may have been too harsh in my original review. The flavours *are* there in abundance and they are quite flavourful. I've adjusted my rating accordingly and yes, I would seek this one out again though that may be a tough thing to do as it's a one of. Mmm...the spices really do work so well together...
This one pours from 12oz bottle a cloudy orange with a small but firm head of foamthat all but disappears by the time I'm down to the last 1/3 of my glass.
The smell has notes of yeast, clove, and fruit...mostly lemon and some banana.
The taste has a medium light body full of clove, yeast, banana, apricot, some citrus, and wheat. It also has an earthiness to it and the alcohol is evident after the swallow. After a few more sips, and this is definitely a sipper, I can taste some corriander(sp?) and some other spice. I will say that none of the flavours really jump out at you..they are on the mild side but they are tasty. The finish is slightly bitter and a bit watery. Still, a pretty good souped up version of the style and I like it. Would I seek it out again?(I bought this online from Vintage Cellars) Probably not. If it were available locally..again, probably not. Not knocking it, mind you, it's just not interesting enough to warrant a repurchase.
Edit Nov 22, 2007:
Okay, after sampling a few more bottles, I find that I may have been too harsh in my original review. The flavours *are* there in abundance and they are quite flavourful. I've adjusted my rating accordingly and yes, I would seek this one out again though that may be a tough thing to do as it's a one of. Mmm...the spices really do work so well together...
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Oct 2017
at 08:53
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle at the RateBeer DC tasting. Clear golden amber with beige head. Aromas of malt, chocolate, caramel. Tastes of malt, chocolate, caramel. Medium body with a dry finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2017
at 20:35
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Some florals and plenty of malt. Amber pour with ok head. Lots of residual booze. Oaky astringent finish. Bottle thanks to radagast.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Jul 2017
at 18:30
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
355ml bottle. Hazy yellow golden color with off white head. Yeasty, malty and hoppy aroma, spicy, coriander, citrusy fruity, banana too. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Oct 2015
at 08:47
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle drunk fresh back in 2007
Large frothy white head tops a very slightly-hazed deep golden-yellow body. Moderate retention.
Very dry wheat and spicy phenols in the nose are at odds with the acidic, strong fruit esters showing overripe peaches and apricots. A lot spice apparancey, but that’s pretty expected this young. Moderate strength of aroma, some sweetness certainly grows as it warms and the alcohol is quite rampant after a while.
The problems from the nose are of course manifested in the flavor. It’s very malty and sweet, yet extremely estery, phenolic and spicy. Quite a hot mess, as young Batch X000’s always are.
A second bottle, aged a year proves much more enjoyable, with some of the sweetness knocked down a notch. Very estery still, with less spice. The alcohol is still rather firm, however. Very authentic Belgian yeast is written all over this beer, there’s just way too much of it.
Large frothy white head tops a very slightly-hazed deep golden-yellow body. Moderate retention.
Very dry wheat and spicy phenols in the nose are at odds with the acidic, strong fruit esters showing overripe peaches and apricots. A lot spice apparancey, but that’s pretty expected this young. Moderate strength of aroma, some sweetness certainly grows as it warms and the alcohol is quite rampant after a while.
The problems from the nose are of course manifested in the flavor. It’s very malty and sweet, yet extremely estery, phenolic and spicy. Quite a hot mess, as young Batch X000’s always are.
A second bottle, aged a year proves much more enjoyable, with some of the sweetness knocked down a notch. Very estery still, with less spice. The alcohol is still rather firm, however. Very authentic Belgian yeast is written all over this beer, there’s just way too much of it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2014
at 13:01
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2nd April 2012
Hazy deep amber beer with a good off white head. Smooth palate, semi dry and with a soft edge. Creamy malt, tasting a touch oxidised. Nice tangy orange and other generic fruits - kind of sweet and sour. Smooth finish. Nicely joined up.
Hazy deep amber beer with a good off white head. Smooth palate, semi dry and with a soft edge. Creamy malt, tasting a touch oxidised. Nice tangy orange and other generic fruits - kind of sweet and sour. Smooth finish. Nicely joined up.
Tried
on 17 Feb 2013
at 04:33
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
12 oz. bottle, sent from northernbrews (thanks a lot, Jeff), pours a murky orangey brown with a quickly-dissipating fizzy beige head, with huge chunks of sediment. Nose immediately shows hints of oxidation, Belgian yeast, candied sugar and some spices. Flavour of Belgian yeast, some orangey fruitiness, a bit of candied sugar and lots of oxidation. This is clearly past its prime, but I doubt it would've been that enjoyable fresh. Low complexity, with average drinkability. Decent beer, with a slightly bumped up rating to counteract the less-than-stellar freshness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Oct 2012
at 21:09
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
35,5 cl bottle. Rated on 05.01.2011
Aroma is sweet with malt and some raisins – feels like an aged American Barley Wine. Flavour is also sweet with malt, raisins, some sugar and ripe fruits. Good and well aged, although a bit too sweet for me still.
Aroma is sweet with malt and some raisins – feels like an aged American Barley Wine. Flavour is also sweet with malt, raisins, some sugar and ripe fruits. Good and well aged, although a bit too sweet for me still.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 May 2012
at 10:47
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle @ home, courtesy of Ughsmash. Thanks! Cloudy, brownish-orange appearance with no head and little carbonation. Sweet caramel malty, dull fruity, lightly spicy aroma. Somewhat spicy, caramel, Belgian yeasty, light citrusy, lightly tart, dull spicy flavor with some oxidation. This baby’s peaked but I’m still glad I got to try it...
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Oct 2011
at 22:08