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

Hanby

Michigan

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

Appearance: Oberon pours a cloudy orange- amber, with big white head foaming at two fingers, then settling to a thin lingering lace. I said cloudy, but that cloudiness is not there until you pour the last bit from the bottle.

Smell: There's a lot of wheat on the nose up front, with some orange peel and spice.
Taste: Orange rind and lemon zest jump out at first and invite you in. There's a light and crisp hop presence. All throughout, the wheat malt and yeast flavor stands out and holds it all together.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and crisp are how I'd describe mouthfeel here. Carbonation is good.

Overall: The good folks at Bell's have done the world a great service here. Oberon is a great, light, refreshing summer beer, perfect for a hot day under the sun, or a rainy day wishing the sun would show it's face. The balance of zesty citrus with the sweet and mellow wheat malt backbone combine to make a beautiful ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 02:34:48 | More by Hanby

Ri0

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

poured 12oz bottle into a small Pilsner style glass

A - Hazy orange sun color with a 2 finger white head. Some lacing. Noticed small particles suspended in the liquid.

S - Orange rind, soft spice notes, lemon zest, wheat and straw.

T - More wheat and straw with subtle sweetness and spices. Orange rind comes through nicely and has a bit of lemon and citrus zest mixed in.

M - Nice and light with a crisp and zesty finish that drinks well in the warmer months.

O - Great beer to have with a meal or at a picnic. Nothing that will blow you away, but a very nice refreshing beer to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 02:57:31 | More by Ri0

RhinoDBJ

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Having heard good things about this summer ale, I picked up a 6 pack.

It poured out with a slight haze with a fairly small one-finger head.

The smell was certainly not overehelmiing ... mostly wheat and the taste was, I thought, I little flat.

So be it ... I'll keep trying!

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 01:50:42 | More by RhinoDBJ

scotorum

Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 12 oz. bottle dated 4/17/13. One of the good things about Bell's operation is the date and ABV are clearly printed on the label.

a. Hazy orange-gold with an inch-plus white head which shrinks slowly to a nice film with a foam ring around the sides of the glass and some lacing.

s: Faintly fruity. Anticipating a mild-IPA taste.

t.: Yup. Mild citrus flavor with some hop bite. More like a mild IPA than a wheat.

m: Light to moderate and quite smooth.

o. The sun on the bottle suggests a summer drink, and that's what this is. Definitely above average, the flavor does not dominate so much as refresh. Should prove a popular thirst quencher with the beach crowd.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 05:55:49 | More by scotorum

Craiger1967

Wisconsin

4.01/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is probably my most favorite "summer" beer. I love the sweet smell and over soft mouthfeel of this brew.

Lemony, Citrus on the light side but a bit more tart towards the end of the drink which is what I like in my Wheat style ales.

I convinced a friend of mine to give this a try and he said it was definitely on his "to buy" list next time he hits the liquor store, and this is coming from a very picky drinker.

Overall a very drinkable summer beer and it pair well with all the good summer fare to be had. :)

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 21:32:05 | More by Craiger1967

Mike18103

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Tried this for the first time today after hearing much about it from my local distributor, Shangy's in Emmaus, PA. Never got any bad advice from Shangy's. They turned me on to Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale many years ago and I look forward to its annual release just before Thanksgiving. Back to Oberon. This is an outstanding summer brew perfect with spicy food or just to sit back and watch a ballgame. I usually spend a little less on lighter beers but went for the extra few bucks out of curiosity and the 5 star rating giving by Shangy's. Glad I did because this is a keeper and easily worth the extra few bucks to step up from my usual summer brews like Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn and Sam Adams. My glass is just about empty so it's time to end this review and go grab another to watch the Belmont Stakes. The horse I'm betting also begins with an "O". Hopefully it will be a winner like Oberon!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 21:36:35 | More by Mike18103

mikem0487

Pennsylvania

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

12oz bottle served into ale glass.

A-Golden color body with a burnt orange hue. Minimal head wrapped around the edge of the glass. Hazy with small particulates creating that haziness. Minimal lacing.

S-Clove, lemon and honey with a sweet mash like smell as the back bone. No hop notes noticeable.

T-Sweet clove like taste initially. A rustic honey taste mid palate with a citrus, lemon forward after taste. Belgian nuances throughout the taste but very subtle.

M-Medium mouthfeel. Sweet finish.

O-A solid wheat pale ale from Bells. A good beer to drink on a nice sunny day outside. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 00:37:55 | More by mikem0487

Bosoxfan20

Missouri

3.74/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A- Hazy dark golden with a nice 2.5 finger fluffy white head. Tons of beautiful carbonation bubbles. Nice lacing as well. Wonderful looking wheat.

S- Some citrus, mainly lemon. Having to dig deep to find it though. Fresh cut grass and barley wheat. Slight grain and yeast.

T- Very subtle with the hops. Lets the malt do the talking here. Very balanced. Some citrus and fruit. Notes of lemon, apricot, peaches, but not as robust on the hops as Lil Sumpin or Gumballhead. Touch of clove.

M- The highlight of this beer imo. Light body, but still big flavors with a silky/creamy composition from the malt profile. Drinkable and refreshing without being overly thin. Well carbonated. Dry finish.

O- Well done wheat/summer beer that lets the wheat define the beer. Certainly one of the best American wheat efforts I have had.

Bottled on 4/17
Consumed on 5/28
$8.99 for a 6 pk

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 02:31:54 | More by Bosoxfan20

sweemzander

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

(A)- Pours a clear yet pale straw yellow color that produced a good but quickly dissipating pure white head. Some lacing left behind.

(S)- Primarily a very straw-like dryness with hints of a grainy subtle lemon rind.

(T)- The wheat definitely shines in the flavor profile with subtle citrus and a yeasty grain-like aftertaste.

(M)- A good carbonation level meets a smooth and crisp balance fitting well into its style. Ever so subtle bitterness amidst a refreshing mouthfeel overall.

(O)- Have had this many many times over the course of the years yet never got around until now to finally review it. Definitely one of those "gateway" beers for me that got me into all of this. Still solid and still great to have on a warm day.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 15:42:03 | More by sweemzander

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