Best Batch Yet? Bell's Batch 9000

I like a lot of things in this world.   My family.  Beer.  A well prepared steak.  The sunrise.  The Beatles Abbey Road album.  That 30 minutes of peace that I get when I drive to work in the morning.  One of these things is Bell's Brewery.  I still have yet to find a Bell's beer that I didn't like--and most of them I love.  Though, like anything worth having or liking, Batch 9000 doesn't just hand itself over willingly to you.  It makes you work for it.

Before I get into the review, let me say that if you have a chance to try this beer, do.  If you love beer, you won't regret it.

Batch 9000 pours a dark brown root beer color.  I had to keep telling myself that it was an American Strong Ale, not an Imperial Stout, as Bell's had previously brewed for one of  their "Batch" releases.  It had a thin light brown head that didn't last long (almost no lacing) and a heavy alcohol smell.  Literally the first words out of my mouth after the first drink were "Holy shit."  Now I know those are not technical beer review terms.  But true ones nonetheless.  Let me try to elaborate on that first reaction.  The taste is heavy...complex....challenging.  This is a serious beer.  A lot of alcohol.  A lot of molasses.  And a deep, dark, rich soy sauce character.  The description says that it is brewed with Brewer's licorice, but I didn't get a whole lot of that.  The molasses contributes to a mouthfeel similar to some Ports I have had.  Like a cough syrup (consistency--not tastewise) it coats your mouth and has a slow burn all the way down.  

Now, those are my tasting notes.  They are easy because they're quantifiable--it either tastes like soy sauce to me or it doesn't.  Ask me if I LIKED the beer or not and well...that's not as easy to answer.  Batch 9000 is a serious beer and difficult to pin down because of the drinkability factor.  I think that I could literally drink a case of Two Hearted with no problem (aside from the obvious resulting drunkenness).  However, I could not fathom polishing off a six pack of Batch 9000 (nor do I think that is Bell's intention).  So does that mean I like it or dislike it?  I'm not calling the store to see if they have any left.  Nor am I driving to the 2 or 3 bars I know who have it on draught (for all the hype, I certainly thought I would be).  But that doesn't mean I dislike it, right?  There are plenty of beers I like that I wouldn't do that for.  So I don't know.  Batch 9000 has it's place as a serious beer.  A beer that you don't casually drink.    A beer that you discuss and ponder and consider.  A beer that just might challenge the way you think of the world around you.  Maybe.  Just don't ask me whether or not I like it.

-The Hopostle
"True friends stab you in the front."
--Oscar Wilde