Bell's Batch 4000 Ale

A commemorative brew celebrating Kalamazoo Brewing Company’s 4000th batch. Considered to be a "double-mild" in style, Batch 4000 uses Sterling hops from a small farm in the Willamette Valley, and debuts an exclusive barley-malt, by Breiss Malting. It shows off some characteristics from the traditional English Mild, while doubling up the flavor profile and alcohol content. Brewed in February of 2000, this is beer is a one-time only brew.

Re-brewed for Bells 30th Anniversary in 2015

3.6

168 reviews

Comstock, United States

Community reviews

3.8 Fat på CBC-16. En trevlig strong ale som en mjuk och rund med fina inslag av mörk torkad frukt, choklad, karamell, marsipan. Gott.

3.5 On tap at 8 Degrees Plato Detroit pours a deep brown with some cloudy head. Nose has heavy nougat and brown sugar, raisin, mild booze, clove. Flavor is chewy with nougat and molasses, some Belgian candy sugar, a fair amount of dirt/tree bark, mild spice, some booze. Full bodied, sticky finish.

3.7 Tap@Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2016, Copenhagen - dark brown coloured pour with beige head. Medium sweet malty aroma and taste, toasty, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, dried fruit, light spices into the finish.

3.8 On tap at CBC 2016. Dark caramel with a beige head. Dried fruit, caramel, sherry.

3.8 Sample at CBC 2016. Roasted smell with dark malts and vanilla. Similar taste, sweet with caramel. A bit spritsy.

3.5 Tap @CBC16. Very dark red brow. Malty, wood aroma and flavour. Boozy bitterness, vanilla, caramal and wood.

3.4 On tap at CBC ’16. Dark brown with a ring tan head. Aroma of caramel, malt, overripe dark fruits and booze. Flavour is light heavy sweet and moderate bitter. Above medium bodied with soft carbonation.

3.5 Sample at CBC 2016. Dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of dark fruit, chocolate and caramel. Similar taste. The finish was long with notes of warming alcohol.

3.8 Blue session, Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2016. Almost black beer with a nice beige head. Chocolate and hazelnut aroma, caramel, fruity notes, toffee, some cocoa. Chocolate flavor, caramel, fruity, toffee, warming alcohol, some spices. Quite nice.

3.6 CBC2016. Trübes orange braunes Bier mit einer geringen beigen Schaumkrone. Geruch leicht röstmalzig, bourbon, Karamell. Geschmack süß malzig, Karamell, bourbon, leicht alkoholisch.

3.3 @Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2016, BLUE dark brown. Malty, bit woody cedary nose. Med bodied. Smooth, dark fruits, dried fruits old fruits in flavour. Some dough yeast in finish. Ok, quite flavourful. -- rated with beerbasher/winphone

3.2 Tap at CBC. Pours clear deep amber. Sweet, toffee, chocolate. Smooth and mild.

3.9 CBC 2016. Pours black with a low white head. Aromas of caramel, roasted malt, roasted nuts, chocolate. Taste is sweet with roasted notes and chocolate bitterness. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation.

3.5 Tap at CBC2016, Copenhagen. Colour is clear brown with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Chocolate, grain, dry fruits, bread and malts.

3.7 Keg at cbc16... Dark red brown... Soft sweet toffee chocolate fruit malts nose.. Sweet toffee malts.. Dark fruit malts.. Soft toffee

3.7 Aromas dominated by malt: bread and molasses. A little bit of raisin. Small off-white head, hazy body, dark brown beer. Moderate to heavy sweetness; bitterness is subdued. Full bodied, medium to heavy alcohol, long finish with the malt flavors. Overall a fairly good beer; I like the full body, medium sweetness and touch of raisin flavors.

3.5 On tap at GTMW 2015, pours hazy dark amber brown with a thin tan head and a slight amount of lacing, the aroma has a decent amount of plum and dark fruit with a hint of booze too, the flavor has a lot of caramel with dark fruit and a sweet finish, almost too sweet, different but ok.

3.7 Aroma is fruity, maybe plum, malt, slightly metallic. Appearance is dark brown, light tan head. Taste is candy sweet, dark fruit, malt, metallic finish. Mouthfeel is decent, medium body and light carbonation. Overall...meh. Not great but not bad.

3.3 12 oz bottle shared with Jason and Brian. The pour is a medium dark amber, a light brown, with a thin collar of surprising carbonation for a beer this old. The nose is pretty oxidized. there is a good maltiness and a light sweetness. Light cherry carries it through the back end. The flavor mimics this. There is a little dried leather and a strong malt. It's nicely sweet and has held up well. The mouth feel is a little thin. This was expected to be thin, having been bottled 15 years ago. The aftertaste is lingeringly sweet. This is held up well. Not bad.

3.5 Draft to taster at the Eccentric Cafe. Looks good; a fairly transparent dark amberish brown with thin very light beige head that steadily dissipates into lacing. Smells and tastes smokey and malty and toasty with notes of chocolate and caramel. The smoke is stronger on the nose than the tongue, but is present inn both. Mouthfeel is medium full-bodied. Solid, but a taster is plenty.

3.4 [5704-20130817] Bottle. Whiskey barrel malt aroma. Murky, brown amber body with a quick foamy white head. Boozy fruity malt flavour. Medium-full body. Good but bold. (7/3/7/3/14) 3.4 (@ Campground Brewdown 2013, Millmont, PA)

2.9 Bottle. Pours caramel brown with white head. Nose/taste of malt, caramel and vanilla. Some toffee. Medium body.

2.9 Bottle courtesy of clocks. Pours a deep hazy amber body. Aroma is stale beer and vanilla. Mouthfeel is thin and short with notes of sweet malt and vanilla.

3.1 Bottle. Pours hazy copper with almost no head. Sweet malts, fruity oxidation, toffee, toasted bread, and faint earthy notes. Past it’s prime, for sure, but still not that bad.

3.0 2013-08-17. Murky brown body is near headless. Aroma of caramel malt, raisins and dark fruit, light oxidation. Flavour is sweet, raisin, caramel malt, light oxidation. Average bodied palate, not really much of any carbonation. Not bad but shows its age quite a bit. Bottle at Campground Brewdown.

2.6 Sampled this at Campground Brewdown 2, courtesy of Andy. Pours a murky amber with a thin white head. Old malt, old stale cake, vanilla. Tastes of cocoa, old, more old, and then some old. Caramel, old plums, oxidized caramel. Old vanilla and oxidization. Caramel, bad plums and vanilla. Did I mention old? Because that’s the dominant flavor here. Old.

2.7 Bottle. Musky, old, dusty nothing. If this was something at some point, it’s certainly not anymore. Heavily oxidized, lightly metallic. A touch of caramel, maybe.

3.7 12oz bottle 5/8/10 (Courtesy of FlandersNed)-45° in Snifter-Pours a murky brownish amber with a dect off white head. Aroma of dried fruit, toffee, caramel, and sweetness. Taste of the same with a bit more sweetness. Would of love to have tried this fresh. It seems a bit bland until the end of the mouthful. This full bodied brew is still pretty tasty.

3.9 Not sure what this was like fresh but it seems like it held up pretty well. Slightly oxidized with a touch of cardboard but it almost sort of adds to the nice creamy caramel sweetness. Hazy amber brown color. Aroma is sweet with a touch of fruit too. Flavor is malty, sweet, touch of roasted malts and fruit. Very complex with lots going on. More like a barleywine. Nice.

4.1 Sampled at RBWG 2010, I believe courtesy yobdoog. Pours a cloudy blood orange. The aroma is super malty sweet with some graininess and the flavor is also very sweet like an old ale or a mild barleywine. Awesome stuff, but also old!