Bell's Batch 10,000

Tonight's beer: Bell's Batch 10,000

Bell's Batch 10,000

Toffee, chocolate, dark bread/toast. Ample caramel and fruity sweetness. Distant spiciness, with a touch of smoke. Earthy-grassy-peaty bitterness lingering in the background, almost but not quite balancing all those malts on top of the flavor, though it's not a cloying beer by any means. Dim possibilities of dark spirits: rum, whiskey, brandy.

Medium-bodied, lightly-carbonated. Some bready chewiness and stickiness. Though the carbonation is a little light, there's a distinct trickle that's probably booze. Pleasantly drying and satisfying on the long and lingering finish.

This beer is aging nicely--the flavors have come together well since the last time Sara and I had the first two, like eight months ago. Among other things, I have a distinct medical presence in my notes that's simple not there tonight; things are still mellow, but less weird. Alcohol is very subdued for a beer at 9.2% ABV. Very flavorful--complex, balanced, intense--and very drinkable.