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

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A Yankee pint at Buffalo Wild Wings in suburban Detroit.

This beer appears a cloudy pale golden hue, with one finger of creamy foamy white head, which leaves a low wall of lace around the glass in the process. It smells of soft spicy, sweet wheat, mild citrus, and faint yeast. The taste is sweet, almost sugary wheat malt, mild coriander, citrus, and an echo of yeast. The carbonation is quite low, the body medium weight, and rather smooth. It finishes with a drying citrus, sharp wheat edge.

A very refreshing wheat beer, well-balanced and enjoyable, especially after the soul-sucking delay of the lost-luggage experience with Delta.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 05:58:03 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Paired with a BBQ, friends, and a backyard.

Pours a hazy light orange with a white head. The aroma has a creamy orange and malted wheat. The flavor is a nice mix of spicy and citrus hops flavors from the Saaz with the sweet wheat for balance. That creates a pleasant balance of citrus fruit, mellow malts, and spicy/bitter hops - all in a great summer beer. What a deal.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 01:28:47 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

A 12 oz bottle purchased at Capone's. Seem's perfect for a mid-August day.

A: The ale is indeed pale, looking like a hefe weizen with a slightly lessened turbidity. Light shone through the glass reveals a deep yellow color, burnt cornbread-like. The head has laced a few patches in the glass.

S: Light and airy, the beer has a low level of sweet tartness that makes the mouth water in anticipation. The tartness has some citrus (fruit, not hop) notes floating around too.

T: A spectrum of flavors strike the palate on first sip. Orange peel and lemon sweetness highlight the first. They are followed by a solid wheat and malt body, thick but restrained enough to allow the fruits to shine through. As I sip this, it conjures up memories of the St. Bernardus witbier, refreshing with a slight tartness and some pepper.

M: The mouthfeel is light but full of flavors, citrusy with a peppery bite. Solid beer, I'd love to try it out of one of those 5L kegs.

D: Easy to drink, this is a great summer ale. The light flavor will not overwhelm the palate and its tartness makes you go back for more.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2007 17:04:24 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

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

Appearance: Hazy golden with a tint of orange here white vibrant frothy head, lacing is scattered but full in spots. Aroma: Contains some citrus notes bready yeast notes and sharp malt sweetness along with a light flowery hop aroma. Taste: Refreshing as all hell, not every crazy about American wheats but this one is so damn crisp and balanced right amount of breadiness, sharp malted wheat tones, what makes it is the citric bit of coriander kick in the finish very nice ale nicely constructed one of the best Summer brews I have tasted out there. Mouthfeel: Medium to light perfect carbonation some residual oily sensations on the palate nice brew. Drinkability: Wow, pick up a case and enjoy simply best lawnmower beer out there with flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2003 19:41:04 | More by WVbeergeek

smcolw

Massachusetts

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

Fairly standard stuff here. Good blend on the aroma--mild hop, adequate malt. The color honey golden with a light cloudiness. Good head of two fingers on the initial pour. Some lasting time and decent lace.

Fairly crisp on the palate. Enough hop for balance, but I'd describe this as a mostly malty American Ale. I cannot taste the wheat. The body is as expected with an appropriate amount of carbonation.

This is an easy-to-drink beer. It is not a Weiss in flavor. I found it to be closer to a dry American Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2007 21:15:24 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks to bboven for this brew.

Pours a cloudy pale yellow color, nice carbonation, nice little foamy white head, some nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is malty, yeasty, slightly spicy, slight caramel. The taste is malty, yeasty on the most part, some slight spicyness. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice Pale Wheat Ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2007 01:07:17 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.1/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Typical summer ale, light bodied, light-medium carbonation and a cloudy pale yellow. Pours a one-fingered, white head that settles quickly but leaves some lace. Looking for the wheat and not finding it, this is a pale without the bitter hoppy aftertaste. 12oz bottle $1.75, from Liquor Barn, Lexington, KY.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2004 23:24:31 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

( Served in an American pint glass)

A-This beer pours a hazy golden yellow with a gentle carbonation and a nice creamy white head that turns into a thin film on the top.

S- This beer has a clean faint smell of yeast and soft wheat there is a faint hint of old hops that are very gentle.

T- This beer has a very light wheat and pale malt taste with some faint notes of citrus characters. Not really lemon or orange just citrus. A slight acidic dryness finishes the beer with a very light hop note.

M- This had a medium mouthfeel with some fizz that makes it a bit more full.

D- There is not much complexity or uniqueness to this beer. It is very smooth but it doesn't have any strong wheat beer qualities nor are the hops really a major character. Nice and gentle for a summer quafting.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2005 01:17:32 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ouncer, w/o freshness or brewing date info....pours cloudy orangy amber, under a moderate eggshell white head/tiny bubble film, with minor lacing...fruity, floral, powdered sugar nose...refreshing, quality summer brew....notes of more fruit, wheat malts and a smooth quite drying leafy hop finish. Nice offering from Bells, if I could get it locally, this would be one of my summer staples

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2007 15:22:27 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.3/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From 4/10/10 notes. Had on tap at the Big Hunt in DC.

a - Pours a murky pale yellow with no head or carbonation. Does not look very good.

s - Smell is almost non existant. A little bit of wheat and faint hints of citrus fruits.

t - Taste is wheat and bready malts, as well as some citrus again. Actually pretty good.

m - Medium body and high carbonation.

d - I think this was an ok wheat ale. The taste was pretty nice but there was nothing to the smell and it looked terrible. I would give it another try though just based off the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2010 22:51:55 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another taste of good Bell's stuff thanks to beandip.

A: A perfect pour in my SA Perfect Pint glass yields an airy 1.5 finger head that fades slowly with a slight lacing over the mostly clear, slight hazed wheat yellow color.

N: Mostly toasty malt aromas, some wheat as well in there. Some nice grassy and spicy hops also stick out, with a little citrus as well. A nice juicy hop aroma overpowers most of the other aromas.

T: Starts with quite a bit of a nice spicy and juicy hop flavor. Lots of fruity hop flavors, citrus, little tangerine, apricot, tropical fruits, etc. It adds a slight bitterness but not too bitter, more drinkable. Some wheat flavors and toasty malts. Lighter malts are there, with more orange peel, citrus, zest, etc.

M: Medium to lighter body with lower but OK carbonation. Would have liked a little more carbonation.

F: Somewhat bitter on the finish, with a combination of the hops and orange peel flavors. It also helps that it is pretty dry, it dries quite a bit, almost too much. More citrus and orange peel hops, with a little tangerine and zest, as well as a touch of minerality.

A pretty good ale, summer ale that is, tasty, doesn't go overboard on anything, but doesn't stand out either, drinkable as well, but not a lot of character. I could def pound a few of these in the summer, but it comes on a little too dry, especially for the type of beer it's trying to be.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 02:42:25 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle obtained via trade with CRJMellor. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" bright white head above very cloudy light amber brew. Head doesn't last too long, but then most wheats don't, and laces average or a bit below, also not unexpected for the style. Aroma is kind of an earthy, wheaty aroma, and not a strong as I would expect. Taste is subtly citrusy, combined with a nice wheat malt body. Mouthfeel is good, and the drinability is very good. A nice summertime brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2004 22:41:08 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Capone's...
Appears a hazy, straw toned yellow with a fluffy, 3 finger cap that slowly fades out into a clumpy head. Lots of lacing beads around the glass.
Smell is of light citrus featuring lemon zest, fresh grain, and a touch of American yeast.
Taste is of the same aromas but toned down a notch in a somewhat bland flavor. Not bad but nothing jumping out either that makes me want to continue with this one.
Mouthfeel is smooth, light up front, citrusy, and easy drinking. I probably should've had this before the Expedition, which is a hard act to follow.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2007 20:14:15 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle is sampled due to the efforts of tsmthrs and Secret Santa BIF 2006.

This beer pours a cloudy yellow orange colored beer without much head formation.

Smell is sweet and fruity to the nose. Sweet wheat malt and bread aromas make up the bulk of the scent here. The fruity aroma here is mostly the understated scent of apricot and muskmelon with a touch of honey.

Taste is sweet and bready at the start of the glass. Slightly spicy in flavor this tastes much like a Belgian witbier. The taste of coriander is in this one and a honeysuckle and orange flavor. Very low bitterness level.

Mouthfeel is good.

Quite a drinkable summer beer here. I could have asked for more head formation but that is no biggie. The sweetness here probably will turn off some people but other than that I can recommend this.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2006 22:55:44 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, thanks to IBUnit63.

Pours a clear, lightly hazed golden yellow, thin white head forms, quickly settles to a thin ring around the glass, few spots of lace stick, looks pretty good. Smell is neat, malty, some wheat, kind of vegetal, citrusy, some light floral, lightly fruity, some biscuit malt, light honey/caramel sweetness. Taste is biscuity, malty and sweet, some honey, wheat, light floral, lightly yeasty, light bit of veggie, bit of citrus, otherwise unexciting. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation, refreshing and drinkable if not doing a whole lot for me. Thanks Larry!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 21:27:54 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

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

This cloudy golden brew throws out a nice frothy white head with some retention. Nice vanilla and clove on the nose. Taste is very refreshing. Tangy aspect apparent. Light to medium body with nice carbonation. Wheat is there, but not overbearing. There's not that huge phenolic character typical of a lot of hefe-weizens. This is a good brew though. Great by the pool.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2002 19:47:03 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drank a lot of this in Milwaukee. It was kind of the Midwest wheat beer, although Blue Moon had been making inroads.

Not really my style, although Bell's is one of my fave breweries. Well made, good wheat flavor. An orange probably goes better with it than a lemon, if you're into that kind of thing. I think there's plenty of citrus flavor already in it, and an appreciable degree of wheat, soft body, easy enough to drink. One of the best representations of a wheat beer, and certainly the best east of Sierra Nevada that I can think of.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2009 17:15:17 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: ?

A: Slightly hazy, golden color. Nice white head, some lacing.

S: Citrusy hops.

T: Light, citrusy, with a not-to-strong hop bite.

M: Light-medium body with some carbonation.

D: Drinkable, crisp, good for summertime. In other words, a wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 18:52:43 | More by Rifugium

DoubleJ

California

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

I'm having this with dinner tonight. 12 ounce bottle bought in Philadelphia, on to the beer:

Electric orange in color, topped by a thin, but well retaining head. There is a lot of shreeded wheat arom hitting the nose. A pinch of orange and honey makes things interesting. In its taste, there's more than the standard wheat. Mellow bitterness, orangesicles with cream in the middle. Slightly sweet. Shredded wheat ends the journey.

Quite pleasant. Thumbs up on this offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 01:45:15 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

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

On-tap at the Brick Store in Atlanta.

Pours a cloudy yellow-orange color with a one-finger, slightly off-white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of sugar-coated pears with hints of mandarin oranges. As it warms a bit of spiciness wafts out.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Pears, mandarin oranges, and hints of apple all start things off - toeing the line of being too sweet. Near the end of the sip very light spicy notes enter into the equation before a mildly dry finish.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall this is a very good wheat beer, my only qualm being that it's very close to being overly sweet. Still, worth a shot on a hot day.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2009 21:02:51 | More by glid02

Gusler

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On the pour, a magnificently chill hazed golden yellow color, the head is mountainous in size, creamy in consistency, and as it erodes, the lace left behind is a fine cover upon the glass. The aroma of yeast, orange peels, sweet malt, quite a treat for this old nose. Sweet with lots of malt, the top middling in feel to the palate, finish has a moderate acidity, the hops spicy in their persistent bite, dry as a desert bone aftertaste, quite a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2003 12:00:43 | More by Gusler

plaid75

New York

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

Poured a hazy light copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell feature a sociy wheat malt and an estery yeast.

The taste was upfront spicy with a gradual blending of citrus and caramel. Hints of coriander and perhaps cloves detected as well.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style. Closer to a wit.

Overall a tasty wheat ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 16:36:21 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had purchased a 5L CAN on my last excursion to Pinocchio's and I had it sitting in the reefer awaiting an appropriate moment to tap the sucker when my neighbor invited me over for a backyard BBQ. He thought I was joking when I said that I had a keg that I would bring with me, not knowing the scope of The CANQuest (TM).

From the CAN: "An American wheat ale with the scent and color of a midsummer night's dream."; "[2011] Art by Philip Kaufman".

The trick with an oversized CAN like this is to have it on the edge of a table or sink so that the glass can be held far enough below the tap to create some head. I got a finger of soapy, bone-white head with decent retention from my pour. Color was a very cloudy orangish-yellow. Nose had a wheat-like sweetish snap to it which was very pleasant with dinner. Mouthfeel was quite soft with an initial orange and lemon citrusiness on the tongue, but then the mustiness of the yeast took hold. Finish was dry and musty and quite pleasant. I may be drinking the remainder for a couple of days so it is a good thing that I like it.

Serving type: can

09-05-2011 20:27:12 | More by woodychandler

Brad007

Vermont

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

Color: Cloudy orange with a frothy one-finger head. Seems like it wants to be a hefeweizen.

Aroma: Wheat upfront with a hint of orange and sweetness. Seems straightforward.

Taste: Sweet and bready with mild hop bitterness. Not much else to detect here.

Mouthfeel: Hop bitterness and breadiness dominate the palate here. Some dryness/sweetness as well.

Drinkability: Very drinkable on a hot day. Smooth. Not very complex nor over-simplistic. Just right and just enough to garner it a taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 19:11:55 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a standard pint. The brew appears a pale straw yellow to gold color that is fairly hazy. A white finger of head sits atop composed of rather large bubbles. As it fades, it leaves some spots and strings of lace on the glass.

The smell includes some wheat grain coupled with hints of sulfur, cheese and modest herbal hops. Overall not a bad smelling brew but not the finest either.

The taste is surprisingly sweet almost like orange zest. It is faintly reminescent of an orange tick tack candy that lost much of its flavor. As it warms up, across the back is a solid inclusion of sulfur.

This is a medium to light bodied brew that is light in the feel with a modest amount of carbonation. It is fairly easy drinking but I could do without the sulfur aspects. For a summer brew it isnt bad but it also isnt something I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 15:09:13 | More by stakem