Okay, so I clearly have no restraint — here’s the third beer from my run down to Philly. In the massive bank of refrigerated brews at The Foodery, Bell’s Batch 8000 called to me for a number of reasons including the amount of booze in this small bottle — a 9% ABV Witbeir? This brew is also spiced with Coriander, Orange Peel, and Paradise Seed, and it is very nicely carbonated, but the ABV is almost double that of most Witbiers. I was attracted to the bottle and I’m glad I chose it out of the many Bell’s offerings the shop had. It is rather rewarding.
Pouring mostly clear at first and then dumping a big load of yeast about 80% of the way down, this beer was a beautiful golden color that got clouded up and looked truly “Wit.” A bunch of stuff is going on when you first smell this – Orange for sure, and definitely some musky spice, but I’m not going to cop like I could smell the Paradise Seed or Coriander specifically. The spice was definitely unmistakable and this brew feels great in your mouth with some nice viscosity, almost approaching “chewy.” It’s definitely hot and the 9% makes you feel nice after you get through most of the bottle. I tried to take my time with this one but it was really satisfying to drink — refreshing, and great for one of the first summer nights we’ve had, even if it is premature. I’m really happy to have picked a Bell’s bottle where the hops and yeast dominate over the malts — it seems that they can really pull anything off, if my initial impressions end up being true. In my mind this stands up in the weird world of American Witbiers like Allagash White and Jolly Pumpkin’s Calabaza Blanca, both of which I really enjoy, and I can’t wait to get into the remaining Bell’s bottles I collected.
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