Bell's Oberon Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

BucannonXC5

California

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Hotel glass (~1/3 pint)
From: A Chevron in Tempe, Ariz.
Price: $8.99 for mixed 6-pack
Purchased: May 15, 2013
Consumed: May 15, 2013
Misc.: Packaged on April 10, 2013

Poured a golden straw murky color with one finger of gray head that dissipated fairly quickly. Sporadic spots of thick lacing along the sides. Average-to-bad retention on the top.

Smelled honey, lemon grass, cereal, wheat grass and corn. A bit grainy overall.

Tasted much smoother than the smell. Got honey, wheat, lemon grass, cereal and some pale ale characteristics with a cleaner finish.

Light body. Thin-to-oily texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Abrupt, watery, smooth finish.

A pretty good beer for the style. Nice for the summer. Happy to see Bell’s!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 06:21:32 | More by BucannonXC5

Roman5150

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

bottle into pint glass

appearance: cloudy yellow- orange unfiltered with 1 finger white head

smell: citrus, cloves, coriander, wheat, rye,

taste: very smooth wheat backbone with subtle citrus and rye notes, very refreshing and highly drinkable.

mouthfeel: highly carbonated, light body

overall: Perfect summer beer, I went to school in Kalamazoo and Oberon Day is one of the best days of the year. Don't even bother if it's more than 3 months old, i'd even stop at 2. It's amazing fresh and and tap as well, even served with the stereotypical orange peel. Highly drinkable, if you like wheat beers this is one of the better American versions, maybe because they use only ingredients from Europe.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 05:48:31 | More by Roman5150

bobbyr5

Michigan

4.54/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Orange/ yellow

S: Orange, Wheat

T: Taste the citrus from the orange. Surprisingly good compared to other wheats

M: Medium carbonation.

O: One of the staple Bell's beers, and deserves the credit. Cheap price for what you get.

Serving type: Bottle in pint glass, no orange peel

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 21:48:25 | More by bobbyr5

andrewjraab

Michigan

4.56/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a pale orange with good head at first, that quickly disappears. Decent lacing, not much head retention.

S - orange peels, grains, wheat, bread. A light nose, but smells wonderful.

T - The most amazing blend for a wheat ale. I don't usually prefer wheat ales, but this brew is the most unique and drinkable beer I have ever had in this category. Crisp and refreshing, citrus notes, faint bitterness to close to bite just a bit for some lip smacking goodness.

O - This beer defies the odds for me. I can't place my finger on it. I don't really enjoy any other beers in this category, nor would I choose to drink any in this category. This beer needs its own genre and that would be ass kicking, highly (and dangerously) drinkable summer ale. It is the quintessential american summer ale and is an absolute must try. Note - although it goes against the grain for the beer purist, you must try it with an orange peel. This beer paves the way for the right of spring in Michigan. Amen Bells. Amen Oberon.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 03:40:31 | More by andrewjraab

Auraan

Arizona

4.9/5  rDev +27.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured a beautiful cloudy golden with a finger and a half fluffy white head that left lots of lacing. Scents of yeast, bread dough, and a bit of a citrus and orange. Flavor is crisp and refreshing with flavors of orange peel, doughy wheat bread, floral hop notes and some earthy flavors on the finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied, with moderate carbonation, a bit thicker than a normal wheat beer but with less carbonation than usual. An amazing wheat ale, the best I've tasted. The best part is that you can get it easily year round in Arizona.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 08:54:47 | More by Auraan

downeyj4

Michigan

4.64/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

There's a reason why this is the leader of Bell's Brewery. It's a great beer. It's great to drink on a warm day. Your friends drink it too. It's on tap just about everywhere (In Michigan at least...). It comes with an orange, sometimes. There is a great amount of citrus and the Saaz hops really bring it all together. Overall, one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 03:52:53 | More by downeyj4

Kelsiemoeller

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Applearance-Very cloudy orange, some carbonation, ligher than last year's color

Smell-Wheat, orange, lemon, some spice (clove) notes. With a tad bit of citrus hops.

Taste-Oranges, wheat, lemon, some grass, good balance, slight bitterness. (served with orange slice, typically)

Mouthfeel-Light to medium bodied, some carbonation, but slightly watery. (good summery drink)

Overall-A wonderful summer beer, sweet and easy to drink drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 18:11:37 | More by Kelsiemoeller

Thaddeus

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Golden orange, with about a finger of a frothy white head.

Aroma & Taste: Not an overpowering nose, has orange notes with some grain. The beer is medium bodied with orange and citrus. There is also a slight bitter, earthy aftertaste. Great summer beer, especially when garnished with an orange.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 15:58:52 | More by Thaddeus

armiakhe

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The appearance of this OBeron Ale from Bell's Brewery was a pale orange almost gold with a white foam edge. The smell a slight citrus with grainy in it. The taste was a little bit of grain with an orange character taste with a hop to it as well. The overall quality of the beer was very good and I'd recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 13:22:15 | More by armiakhe

Anker13

District of Columbia

3.28/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Appearance - Cloudy with chunks of yeast floaties that eventually settled to the bottom, pale orange, thin white head

Aroma - not a lot there, slight citrus and bread, grainy

Mouthfeel - moderate CO2, medium bodied (fuller than I imagined), slight coating

Taste - sweet bread, slight fruitiness, grain, little orange character

Residual - slightly off aftertaste, coating

Overall - Was expecting more. Over the last month I've seen an excessive amount of 20+ case displays of oberon so I figured it was worth checking out. Wasn't a terrible beer, but also wasn't a particularly good one... I certainly do not understand the hype. There are a lot of better wheat beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 02:08:54 | More by Anker13

noahallington

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

One of my favorite beers! A scent of oranges greets you as you pour it out of the bottle. It is a brilliantly clear deep golden color. It has a distinctively wheaty, yeasty flavor, with a bit of hop on the end, rounded with a citrus flavor. The tartness of the citrus notes make it a crisp, refreshing beer, perfect for a summer day.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 22:57:23 | More by noahallington

Catherine8189

Michigan

4.59/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Great beer for a good mood with a bright dark golden hue and full, lively mouthfeel. Crisp, citrus flavor is very relaxing with a slight finish of yeast and hops. I love this beer. Wish it was available all year long, but then the opening day would not be aas fun. I equate Oberon to the McRib, in as its scarcity makes it even more desirable. Great Michigan Beer from a great brewery!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:36:29 | More by Catherine8189

finstadp

Michigan

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bell's Oberon Ale is a Michigan craft beer. This beer has an amber appearance with a nice foamy head. The smell is a little hoppy and has a strong hint of orange. The taste also has very strong orange notes. It has a light mouthfeel. Overall this is a very refreshing beer and I would strongly recommend it to non-beer drinkers trying to ease into beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 03:04:41 | More by finstadp

punky796

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass.

A - Golden-yellow, cloudy honey color. About two fingers of cream-white head that leaves healthy lacing. Can actually see particles in suspension.

S - Citrus, wheat, a bit more alcohol than you might expect from this type, and just a hint of coriander, but maybe I'm imagining that. Hops, too. It's all there.

T - Wheat, honey, orange, lemon, coriander (again, maybe), banana (a nice touch in wheats and their brethren), hops, and alcohol (but not too much). A blast of awesomeness that shouldn't be able to be this well-balanced, but it is.

M - A little more carbonation than you might expect, but it works for this beer. Leaves you with a fuzzy feeling and that neat oily, filmy feeling on your teeth & tongue.

O - Oberon has always been one of my favorites. I'm proud to say I killed a mini-keg of this stuff once on a summer tubing trip in college - so it's sessionable, but not THAT sessionable. It's like drinking a bottle of sunshine and I look forward to its release every season.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 11:03:23 | More by punky796

sbxx

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Bottled 3/20/13
Poured into pint glass

Appearance - Very cloudy honey color. 2 fingers of foam. Thick, splotchy lacing.

Smell - Musty wheat.

Taste - Wheat, malt, background citrus.

Mouthfeel - Medium body, light/med carbonation, wet finish

Overall - One of the most overrated beers I've had to date. Is it bad? No. But I have no idea why I keep hearing about it. Glad I just have the one to try and not a full six pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 00:12:09 | More by sbxx

smalenberg

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured to a pint.

A - Aggressive pour will foam out of the pint before the bottle is empty if you aren't careful. Big white foamy head leaves lace on the glass throughout the enjoyment of it. Poured the whole glass and got a big shot of yeast at the end. Probably could have treated it more like a home brew to limit the haze a bit, but as a wheat, it should have that character anyway. Golden yellow with tinge of amber to it and cloudy as any German hefeweizen.

S - Yeast and lemon and some floral/grassy hop character along with wheat malt character. Yeast and wheat gives a bready quality to the nose that is followed by the citrus.

T - Don't put a wedge of lemon in this American wheat because it tastes like it is already there in just the right proportion. Citrusy and refreshing.

M - Kind of grainy and fuller than you might expect. Somewhat of a medium body. Slightly drying.

O - This beer makes me think of summer and on a Michigan spring day that was preceded by a snow squall it helped me think warm thoughts. This is an easy drinker that you can enjoy in sunshine or even to let you imagine that sunshine when the sky is overcast. Great summer brew. I'd enjoy this spring through early fall with an Indian summer, but it really is a style that lends itself to nicer weather.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 20:02:11 | More by smalenberg

malloyca

District of Columbia

3.46/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy orange gold with a medium, foamy head. Faint aromas of yeast, mild citrus and some spice. Pleasant and grainy on the palate, there is a lot of carbonation in this which lends nice mouthfeel but obscures the flavors a bit. For this style, though, that's ok. Very refreshing. I would not hesitate to throw six of these in an iced bucket in the back yard on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 22:05:31 | More by malloyca

TastyAdventure

Kentucky

3.99/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - a yellow-orange dull glowing Cloudy color. big chunky head. Rushing carbonation upon pouring, slows down.

S - YEAST. i usually question my self on if i'm smelling or tasting yeast, but it's definitely here.

T - I can taste actual wheat. A touch of banana, of course. Hints of orange and lemon. None of that sticky sweet manufactured tasting bubblegum that I have tasted in my recent German Weissbiers. The hops are subtle but definitely there, providing balance (not much is required, because there is not a lot of malt sweetness either). despite this, this beer is full flavored with tasty wheat and bread and some yeast. Light but has substance. Refreshing yet interesting.

Mouthfeel - Refreshing but not over carbonated. and not thin like water either.

O - very good. One I'd buy a six pack of in the summer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:03:13 | More by TastyAdventure

screamking

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass.

For my first outdoor beer review I can think of no better way to start the summer than Bells Oberon. It pours a very hazy golden yellow, with a thick 2 1/2 finger white foamy head. Lacing already forming when I swirl it around. The nose on this is very typical for the style, nothing special. I've never been too much of a fan of the aroma on a wheat beer and this doesn't change things.

This beer tastes so crisp and refreshing. The sweetness comes on first with lots of orange and lemon citrus. Then gets washed out by a punch of bitterness. With lower ABV this is a great summer session beer. I wasn't too impressed at first, but then again for what it is it gets it right.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 22:55:38 | More by screamking

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a huge fan of this style, but definitely like Bell's Oberon.

Poured into a snifter. Not particularly thrilled with the appearance here: a fizzy white head dissipates pretty quickly, leaving traces of swirl and minimal lacing. Color is pale and hazy, but sort of bright piss yellow, or natural dried grass/light wheat.

Wheat/light bread aromas are present, as well as slightly sweet and a little bit spicy banana.

Taste is similar, but with more intense features; for example the sweet/spice characters are more prominent, and blend well with the natural wheat/fruit.

Feel is crisp, refreshing and carbonated.

Overall I enjoy this beer in a style I do not typically go after. It's perfect for a warming weather consumption as I find it refreshing and drinkable, with a somewhat low ABV. I like it, and I am glad I grabbed a few bottles. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:27:28 | More by rodlavers

Dave_in_GR

Michigan

4.09/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served from a bottle into a pint glass. Appearance is great, a light yellow-orange color with lots of carbonation and a finger-width of foamy white head. Smell is dominated by citrus flavors, but with some spices (coriander?) as well. Taste is very similar, with the sharpness of the coriander blending nicely with the citrus and wheat flavors. Mouthfeel is very light bodied and clean - quite a bit of carbonation as well. This is a great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 21:56:26 | More by Dave_in_GR

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.59/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Served in a glass, beer purchased a week or so after it came out. This is a great all-around beer. Nice citrusy taste on the front end, with good flavor on the back. A good go-to beer for people who want to have a beer but don't know what they want. Good head retention, nice color.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 13:16:05 | More by Beerstorian

MichaelNickerson

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, light orange with a dominate white head which disappears rather quickly.

Smell: Mild aroma with initial scent of wheat and yeast, followed by a strong orange fruit aroma.

Taste: Heavy wheat flavors followed by intense citrus oranges. Lacks much carbonation, but otherwise is quite smooth.

Mouthfeel: Average dryness. Reminds you of the summer months of sunshine and relaxation. Doesn't quite leave you wanting another sip, but makes you crave summer-like food.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 00:50:32 | More by MichaelNickerson

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, with bottled on date reading 03/07/2013, so this beer was bottled exactly three weeks ago today. My first bottle this year, and probably about as fresh as I'm gonna get it! I am highly indebted to this beer for being one of the beers that opened my eyes to the world of craft brewing. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Semi-aggressive pour yields a disappointing quarter inch of white fizz, which quickly dies out. Cloudy lemon-orange colored body with a small bit of sediment floating around.

S - Smells of yeast, wheat, bit of fruit sweetness. A fairly weak aroma, to be honest.

T - Very grainy; wheat, corn, yeast. Some light, crisp, citrus fruits. Lightly bodied, light carbonation, tastes pretty damn fresh.

M - Feel is crisp and fruity, yet leaves a dry feeling behind.

Overall, while my tastes may have changed since I had my first Bell's Oberon Ale, it remains a flavorful and highly drinkable beer, by all means. This beer is the classic epitome of a summer beer, in my opinion, and it will always hold a special little dirty drunken place in my heart. Nothing ridiculously complex, so don't go expecting a 5 star beer, yet this is a must-have, must-drink, all summer long type of beer.

Bell's Oberon Ale ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 04:05:00 | More by mfnmbvp

tronester

Oklahoma

3.49/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy yellow with lots of floaties. Smells like grain and a bit of vinegar. Taste begins with a dry earthy, citrusy flavor, followed by some grain, and finishing with some tartness. Mouthfeel is good. Overall a decent beer, though not my favorite from Bells.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 23:51:54 | More by tronester