Bell's Eccentric Ale
Monster of a beer, shrouded in mystery, brewed once a year. This beer is hopped quadruple-strength, and exoticly spiced.
3.7
373 reviews
Comstock, United States
Community reviews
Bottle thanks to uncle Larry. Nose is full of spices, dark fruits, candy. Pour is deep brown with a light brown head. Taste is bitter, hoppy, spicy, followed by a significant alcohol warming. Might benefit from some mellowing. Nice.
2009 bottle, Pours brown with orange highlights. The smell is chocolate, roasted dark fruit. The taste is roasted, dark malt, a bit watery, ending dry and malty. The body is light/medium with average carbonation.
12 oz bottle Willrunforbeer got in a trade. This is a 2012 vintage. The aroma is very nice, spiced yams, molasses/maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.
The body is medium with a sticky syrup texture, heavily spice and a near match of the aroma. Slightly off note in the finish. I think this should have been consumed much sooner. Not one to age, maybe the "off" flavor is oxidation setting in. But for me it wasn’t bad just overly spiced.
2012 12oz bottle from trade with umich03jm. Thanks, Jason! Aroma of caramel, squash, cinnamon, date. Flavor follows, burnt caramel, squash, cinnamon, allspice. A bit of an earthy off flavor towards the finish.
Bottle (12 oz). ’09 vintage. Extra from Shaun, thanks! Drank solo @ Hotel Room Tasting because it wasn’t a tick for Mr. Huxley and he didn’t want to drink an 11% Spice/Herb/Vegatable at 10 a.m. #sissy
Appearance: Muddy brown with a small bubbly off-white head and little lacing.
Aroma: Spices, maple syrup, chocolate, berries, boozy notes, honey and herbs. Not as unbalanced as it sounds though.
Taste: Sweet and spicy with chocolate, herbal presence, honey, berries, maple syrup and alcohol.
Palate: Medium to full body. Moderate carbonation. A bit oily and sirupy mouthfeel. Warming finish. Long lasting spicy aftertaste.
Overall: As expected, this isn’t a masterpiece of balance but it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I *almost* liked it, which is already very good for a beer from the Spice/Herb/Vegetable category. Not exactly easily drinkable.
complex beer with a spicy finish, not really sure what is in this one other than some pepper and ciniamon flavor. pours red in color almost like a bournon. has a spicy boozy bite. had at kasers.
Bottle: 2003. Twelve years old. Deep copper, murky & swampy with tons of sediment, no head, just a small gray trace. Aroma of caramel, heavy oxidation with both cardboard & sherry notes, toast, sharp earthiness, prune. Taste isn’t as oxidized but it still comes through a bit. Sweet, sweet toffee, stale caramel, prune, earth, light anise, some figs. A hint of red grape, booze, caramel, & oxidation in the finish. Not awful but definitely past its prime.
Bottle: 2009. Six years old. Deep, deep brown with a burnt-ass sienna hue. Beige collar. Aroma of earth, kitchen spices, mild papery oxidation, pepper, stale caramel, light toffee, a touch of anise, faint fig. Flavor is heavy on burnt toast & peppercorn flavor with grassy, herbal, spicy undertones. Old caramel & toffee malt, light oxidation, & some floral earthiness that lingers in the finish. Much better than the 2003, but this doesn’t tickle my fancy, really.
2003 bottle pour at 2015 michigan winter beer fest. Amber with quite a bit of chunky floaters. Sweet with some mild spicing. Hops are really faded at this point. A bit muddled, but impressive given the age of this one.
Wbf, 2004, can’t believe this is still good, aroma is malts chocolate, and various spices, taste us think and full of similar flavors, nice
This is the 2005 version. Have 2006-2009 to do next, but only seems to be one option here. Has a mint, chocoate. and fruity aroma. Taste pretty much nails all of those aromas, complex and tasty. Looking forward to the next ones!
3/16/2015 - rating the 2008 vintage. Black pour at home. No head. Smells like black licorice, syrup, cocoa. Spiced, vanilla, cocoa, plum, and exotic. Just a huge beer in general
2013 bottle thanks to northernbrews. Dark reddish-brown pour with a 1 finger head that fades to a nice thick ring. Interesting aroma that’s diverse and constantly changing. At different points I get sweet potato, cinnamon, cocoa, anise, juniper berries, bark, vanilla, raisins, caramel, nutmeg, and maple. Tastes brings out a lot of the same flavors. It’s not my favorite kinda beer but I love the fact that each sip seems to bring out something different. So many flavors with nothing dominating. Very light sweetness with a pretty dry finish. Very cool, unique beer. Haven’t had anything like it before.
Re-rate 2003 and 2009 bottles on 3/14/15. 2003 was heavily oxidized but still decent. Lots of sherry notes and spices. The 2009 was much better but still not as good as the fresher 2013 one I had. 2009 had a nice maple syrup aroma and flavor come through. Leaving the rate the same since I don’t think this beer is meant to be aged very long.
Draft pour at the source. Pours a dark amber color with a beige head of foam. Good head retention and lacing. The aroma has spices coming through like cinnamon and a bit of pepper. The taste is mostly spice with some bitterness rounding it out. Big body and moderate carbonation.
2009 vintage. 355ml bottle. Darker beer, spice notes, gentle oxidation surprisingly. This was fridge aged for awhile. Kinda tasty. Would have loved to try it fresh.
12 oz bottle- 2010 Pours a midnight black with very little head (4 years after bottling). Pretty boozy, but can smell bourbon notes. Taste offers the real deal of maple syrup and lots of chocolate and hops. Very good and well aged.
Had the 2012 version with pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut squash, spices, honey and maple syrup. Aroma was a splurge of smells, but the taste had too much going on for me....really sweet, but had a unsatisfying finish due to the malt.
12 oz bottle is 2008 vintage. Pours a translucent dark brown with thinnish beige edge head. Aroma is complex and spicy: juniper berries upfront, along with malt and hop notes. Flavor is floral and complex: pine resin, earth, juniper berries, sweet alcohol, malt, and other vague complexities. Light to medium bodied, moderately low carbonation. From notes 1/23/10 (Geist Dark Lord tasting).
2008 vintage. Pours dark brown to black with a thinner beige ring of head that leaves some soapy lace. Nose is syrupy sweet and spicy, savory like teriyaki sauce, with notes of dark fruit, anise, sea salt, light hickory smoke, and floral notes. Very sweet, somewhat bitter, lightly tart. Oily, viscous, syrupy, big bodied, low carb (almost flat), with a long minty earthy and floral finish. Positively strange, and a struggle to get through, but nonetheless enjoyable to experience.
Notes from 12/18/2013:
A - 4 - my default rating for beer’s appearance if it was drank out of the bottle.
Aroma - 7 - pumpkin, brown sugar, sweet potatoes, like a thanksgiving meal in a bottle.
T - 6 - very boozy, pumpkin, brown sugar, not all that great.
M - 3 - alcohol is very present in this one, a little too much. The beer itself is pretty flat. Aftertaste is pumpkin, booze, and sweet potatoes.
O - 14 - It’s not all that great. I’d definitely encourage anyone thinking of trying it to go for another Bell’s beer.
2012 vintage. Pours muddy brown with no head. Aroma is sweet potatoes with maple syrup. Taste is the same. Heavy, sense earthy flavor from the squash and potato. Thick and syrupy. Really sweet and slight cinnamon, pumpkin pie taste. Not awful, not my favorite.
Bottle: 2008 vintage
Deep, dark brown with a wisp of tan head.
Fudge, dark baked bread aroma.
Vinous, dark fruit, chocolate flavor.
Slight alcohol bitter.
Very rich, molasses-like taste.
Incredibly well done.
Bottle (2008). Chocolate rock candy malt, juniper, birch and light honey aroma. Dark brown with small head. Sweet chocolate malt and mildly bitter juniper dominate initially but finishes with a nice honey and light birch beer flavor. Light licorice aftertaste. Aged very well - as complex as the best imperial stouts and more enjoyable.
Bottle from Todd. Thanks!
A: Pours dour black even though the pour looked lighter. Good cappuccino head with excellent retention.
N: Big nose: Coriander, molasses, cocoa, coffee, licorice, persimmon, orange, and clove.
T: Bitter and brackish. Not much sweetness. Like a fresh Black IPA.
M: On the thicker side. Sticky. Drinks like it wants to be an Expedition Stout.
O: Honestly, this is like an overwrought version of Expy. It’s got character, but Bell’s has shown me that the kitchen sink approach is bad. Though this is better than Batches 9000 and 10K.
2005 vintage. Pours a murky brown, minimal head, quickly diminishes, minimal lacing. Aroma...wow. Well, lots going on here. Sweet molasses, roasted malts, vanilla, ginger, corriander and onion. Taste is as weird....er, eccentric, as the smell. Very spicy beer. Ginger balanced with a thick molasses...some raisin/fig/maple syrup flavors swirl...then some real earthy undertones. Tastes like vegetable soup! Minimal carbonation makes this one feel like a liquor at times...syrupy, sticky. Long lingering finish. Very interesting beer, but not something I would want to drink with any regularity.
Bottle, courtesy of b3shine-- thanks! Hearty dark brown pour with a low dense creamy tan cap. Aroma is full of burnt sugar sweetness with hints of spices. Rich with sweet malts, with flavours of birch syrup, molasses, raisins, dried figs. Sweet but not cloying, complexity becomes more apparent as time passes. Intriguing and richly malty-- loved it.
Bottle from friend from Michigan. Nice Xmas type all spice and coriander. Great malt aroma. Great carbonation for style not too over top. Great example. Love the brew.
On tap at the Eccentric Café. 2011 vintage. The pour is a dark, dark brown, probably black with a thin head and nonexistent lacing. The aroma is very spicy with some malts and a defined caramel character. The flavor is very reminiscent of the aroma. It's a little sweeter on the finish, work a bitter aftertaste. The mouth feel is thick, rich, and the aftertaste lingers around; this is an incredible beer.
2013 version on draft at the eccentric cafe. Deep amber color with no head. Nose similar to a holiday ale, spicy with coriander and nutmeg. Flavor is a little off, almost rusty. Semi dry on the palate,. Always enjoy trying this every year, but once will be enough on this years.
Hmm, only one entry for Bells Eccentric? I bought a bunch of bottles and they are simply all very unique. I don’t get why this has one entry but other beers which are almost identical from year to year get separate entries. Oh well, I’ll just rate them as I drink them here. 2011 version with persimmons. Deep amber with an off-white crown. Aroma is odd with maple, toffee, odd fruit which I’m assuming is a persimmon and a spiced backer. Taste is interesting and solid with chocolate, maple, persimmon, toasted malt and a spicy finish.
12oz bottle sampled at a tasting pours a dark murky brown with zero head. A lot of spice and a bit of vanilla and sweet malt.
2011 bottle. Dark brown, near black with a purplish hue. Aroma is strong and highly enjoyable, dark fruit and rich chocolate. Unique taste of plum, fig, chocolate. Fantastic. This is a great sipper.