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

MithosYggdrasil

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Purchased a 6 Pack of Bell's Oberon Ale from Avenue Liquor in Milwaukee, WI on 4/24/09. It was a unusually warm day (80 Degrees), so I figured drinking this ourside before I went out for the evening would be a good idea. Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy, straw like golden orange color. A wee bit of lacing, though not that great of head retention.

Smell: The orange bottlecap is obvious after getting a whiff, as you get the scent of citrus, as well as a bit of spice and wheat.

Taste: Fairly similar to the smell, with a fruity balance and refreshing taste.

Mouthfeel: Light and smooth, though not long lasting.

Drinkability: Overall, I would agree with an older post here; it's a good beer to drink on a warm day when you don't quite feel up to drinking a macrolager and somewhat enjoyable. However, I don't believe the cost justifies the taste. I don't think I'd ever buy a 6 pack to myself, but I'd go half and half with some a friend on it, put it in a created six pack or have it on tap at two locations that I know carries it.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 23:09:38 | More by MithosYggdrasil

etn3000

Minnesota

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

I've had this a few times. It's an unfiltered beer, meaning sometimes you'll get particles of stuff floating around in your beer, which I don't mind at all. For an American Pale Wheat Ale, it's more on the edge of the bitter side, but still has a taste that most American Pale Wheat Ale drinkers will appreciate. This is a good beer, but is it one of my favorites, probably not.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2010 22:19:52 | More by etn3000

ejl4

Vermont

4.28/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A) A pale straw color, with hints of yellow in the light. Slightly hazy as expected with a wheat beer.

S) Malty, sweet, with no truly discernible hop character on the nose. Light citrus character.

T) Very sweet up front with a slow mild bitterness. A light wort flavor.

M) Smooth, but light with moderate carbonation.

O) A great wheat beer with a nice citrus flavor. A great beer to drink in the heat of summer.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 15:52:32 | More by ejl4

yorlummass

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is a perfect summer beer. It has the fullness of a heavier beer with a lighter hint of fruit in it. Perhaps not the most appealing winter taste but is best for summer evenings in the sun. Has a similar feel to a Magic Hat #9 but is considerably more seasonal and less versatile.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 10:11:41 | More by yorlummass

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

guinness9880

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a hazy orange with a nice 2 finger head

S-Smells of a malty lemongrass

T-A very malty beer with hints of citrus, not exactly what I would expect from a summer ale. Doesn't have quite the crisp refreshing taste you would expect from a seasonal of this type. This seems just very ordinary nothing jumps out tast wise. Mild carbonation with a thin mouthfeel nothing to great.

This isn't a bad beer just not what I would be looking for in a summer seasonal, there are better examples (Gumballhead!)

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 00:56:42 | More by guinness9880

nyjets1248

Michigan

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

Ah....It's Summer and the Oberon is back! In my opinion a great Wheat Ale. The Beer pours hazy orange with a one to two finger head that dissolves quickly. The aroma is a slight citrus, not overpowering. The taste is where this Beer makes it's stand. Smooth and citrusy with a hint of Hops to clean things up and knock the edge off of the sweetness. Mouthfeel is light, clean and crisp. Drinkability is good and really hits the spot on a hot Summer day. It makes one happy to reside in Bell's backyard.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2006 01:42:42 | More by nyjets1248

beerdeity

Ontario (Canada)

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

The beer was transported in a "bubba" over a long distance, so I am not sure of the effect on the beer was. That said, it poured nicely offering a golden to lightly orange colour, with a slight creamy head. The nose was citrus, with a distinct orange undertone. The mouthfeel was smooth and silky. The taste was a nice apricot-like taste, with a subtle hop finish. The beer balanced out nicely by mig-glass, offering a very drinkable second.

Serving type: growler

08-09-2006 20:23:15 | More by beerdeity

dgb3

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Received from roadhouse in a trade. Thanks!

Batch 8667

A: Poured from the bottle a hazy orange with about a finger's worth of head. Head is still present after a drinking half a bottle

S: Aroma is faint, may be due to the age. Slightly fruity. Wheat and citrus are present.

T: Bread dough, and lemon with a nice malty back bone. Flavors finish out slightly bitter.

M: Coats the tongue nicely as the carbonation fights it away. A bitterness lingers, but only causes one to want another drink.

D/O: Wish I could get this fresh and during the summer. A great beer to have for the warm months and a nice take on the American Wheat style.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2008 03:30:45 | More by dgb3

bstewyb

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Nice 2 finger head. Quite cloudy, rich honey color.

S - Wheat & citrus with slight yeast

T - Cool, with slight wheat and tiny citrus. Clove and apple notes. Light and well balanced. Slightly bitter at the end.

M - Not too thick, slight carbonation. Tingles at the end.

D - Refreshing & nice. Nothing overwhelming, good summer drinking beer. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2009 22:59:00 | More by bstewyb

DavyTheFatboy

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Roth Brewing pint glass.
This has always been what summer looks like to me, going back all the way to when it was Solsun. It's a golden yellow, cloudy, rich-looking cup of sunshine. The head is fluffy, white, and leaves a sticky lacing that won't wash away.
Smells, as others have noted, of wheat, orange zest, and just slightly of malts.
Taste is unmistakably Oberon: Plenty of wheat to tweak your tastebuds, but lots of smooth citrus notes as well, none that bite though. It's the magic of this beer to leave all the bite to the wheat, none to the citrus notes or hops. Speaking of hops, they're in here but only in the background, and even then you have to look for them. There is also a mild presence of esters but nothing that seems on par with anything European. The beer finishes cleanly with more orange zest and an almost dusty aftertaste. It may sound odd but it's good.
The mouthfeel is rich and wide. This beer quickly coats the palate and begs for barbecue to compliment it. Carbonation is dead-on this year. It has been in the glass for over 10 minutes now and I can get lost watching the cascade effect as the bubbles go up and the particle floaties come down.
Overall, as a native Michigander I may be biased but this beer is just about perfect for summer.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 19:57:20 | More by DavyTheFatboy

moklett

North Carolina

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

Pours a golden yellow-orange with fair amounts of sediment and a frothy white head. Doesn't have a very powerful smell, but smells fresh and light, maybe slightly fruity like orange with some flowery hops. Taste is crisp and very nicely melded. Its fizzy on the tongue and very refreshing!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2007 22:01:55 | More by moklett

Aaron58

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First Oberon ever for me. Bought at Friar Tucks in Crestwood, MO. 7.99/6pk!

Poured into a pint glass.

A-Beautiful light orange. Truly looks like summer in a glass as they describe it.

S- Actually oddly sweet on the nose. Some orange, maybe some kind of spice.

T-Really pleasing. The spice is there, great backbone of malt and sweetness. Just kills any wheat beers I have had.

D-Fantastic. I cant wait until the weather heats up a bit so I can cool down with this. I feel like I could drink this from the bottle too and still enjoy it if I am at a park or something. Lived up to the hype for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 20:18:22 | More by Aaron58

stace

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Poor Phil's.

So happy Bell's is back in Illinois! This is the beer that made me fall in love with Bell's. Okay, let's go...

Appearance: Not very cloudy, not much head. By the time I got my glass it was mostly lace.

Smell: To be honest, I'm not getting much of anything off this. Nothing bad, though.

Taste: Ahh, this is why we drink it, isn't it? Lovely. Wheat beer taste, a little sweet but not too much.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy, light. Great summer beer.

Drinkability: Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes. Hot day, glass of Oberon? Yes yes yes. Seriously, though, it's quite drinkable, almost sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2009 00:17:14 | More by stace

lysistrata

Texas

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

Sixer purchased at Wise Guys in Indiana (suburban Chicago). Second of two bottles I drank.

A- Mostly clear slightly cloudy pale yellow color. 2 Finger head after vigorous pour. Medium lacing on the glass.

S- This part of the beer was most disappointing to me. Had a sour slightly funky aroma. I should say that I expect some sourness from the wheat malt, but something was just a little off.

T- Had a clean, citrusy, slightly sour flavor. The hops were subdued but meshed well with the malt backbone that was present.

M- Smooth, clean and flavorful. Not much bite from the carbonation, this is a wonderful summer beer.

D- Being in Texas, summer lasts 7 months here. If I had access, this could possibly be my summer go to beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 21:35:16 | More by lysistrata

bcgpete

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Hazy orange color with a creamy half inch head that dissipated into a film and a bit of lacing on the glass. Little carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass.

The smell is quite sweet, fruity, mainly oranges.

The taste is strong on the citrus, a little more lemon than orange.

The carbonation is excellent in this beer, very good summer ale.

I could drink a good bit of this while enjoying the insane humidity of the gulf coast. Excellent wheat ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 21:27:51 | More by bcgpete

aaronhanson

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: light gold, cloudy.

S: Weak but pleasant

T: A little bit sharp, but good. Not to much hops.

M: Smooth, but like I said a bit sharp.

D: Pretty good, but it's better in a bottle than a glass

Overall good. I'm not sure if this is a bad bottle, but I've been more impressed by this beer in the past before I tried to review it.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2009 18:34:48 | More by aaronhanson

clarkkr

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle -> tulip glass

Pours bright, cloudy, pale straw color with about a finger of creamy looking head. It's got a lot of carbonation and a ton of lacing around the rim. It smells faintly hoppy with a hint of citrus. The taste is similar, but with much more intensity. It's got a good pale ale malt build with wheaty and citrusy flavors, and the hops do a wonderful job of rounding out the flavor instead of dominating it. It's super creamy and velvety on the pallate. I really like this beer=)

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 00:59:09 | More by clarkkr

dBmV

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap from the Angry Pepper Waterside Maderia beach FL!
Great copper inviting color. Nice hit of hops and of coarse that orange burst! Refreshing when its 87 degress at 11pm! Not much of a head and not too much carbonation. A little filling, although you could drink a good 4 pints with light food.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2012 23:13:33 | More by dBmV

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

tsmthrs

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap. Delivered to the table an orange color with an opaque cloudy haze below the inch of head.
Smells of lemons and oranges.
Taste is of citrus, similar to a thick summer ade with maybe a hint of bananas and spice.
In the past I have not enjoyed wheat beers, but the lightness of this is really agreeing with me. I could definately drink this through out the summer.
Drinkability- I picked up a sixer on the way home and enjoyed it the next few evenings.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2006 03:36:01 | More by tsmthrs

FloridaDrinker

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, the beer is a medium gold with a nice thick head that dissipated quickly. The smell of oranges was very pronounced with a touch of lemon as well.

Taste was orange/citrus with a hint of banana and spice. The hop bitterness came through at the middle and continued to fade into the finish. Carbonation was moderate. Very good mouthfeel and excellent drinkability. Oberon is a great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2007 00:25:46 | More by FloridaDrinker

bigdan908

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pour into a pint glass. It pours a nice golden orange color. What little head I got from the pour dissipated rather quickly. There is thin lacing that lasts the whole glass.

S - It smells of yeast and orange. A little Saaz hops also come through.

T - Phenomenal. The initial taste of the yeast then as it progresses to the mid palette the citrus kicks in. I get oranges on the roof of my mouth and a nice, though very slight, bitterness due to the hops.

M - Very good mouthfeel. The wheat definitely adds body to the beer and it makes it feel substantial. No wateriness.

D - This is a highly drinkable beer. Although it is technically at the outerlimit to be a session beer, the alcohol is barely noticeable. This is a beer that can be drank in mass during the hotter times of the year. IMO, it is a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 02:37:14 | More by bigdan908

McGuire75

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- A cloudy golden orange, with some visible sediment.

S- Wheat, subtle herb, and zest aromas with a small floral hint.

T- Fresh and light citrus taste, very clean with a fruity start. The finish takes a slight turn for the hops, which is a good thing in this summer brew.

M- Feels crisp but not bright and clean. It leaves my mouth watery but without a lot of residual flavor. There is a crisp and refreshing carbonation without being overpowering.

D- Oberon is self billed as having "the color and scent of a sunny afternoon", whereas I would say it is more like a cool, bright, & crisp summer morning where the dew is still on the grass and sunglasses aren't quite needed. I have enjoyed this summer after summer in bottles,in mini kegs, and on tap. Oberon is one of my top 5 summer brews, and I will be looking forward to it next summer.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 01:26:52 | More by McGuire75

msproles

North Carolina

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

Went looking for a few summer beers to wrap up the hot months down here in the south and came across this one.

As a fan of wheat beers (originally starting with the Blue Moon Belgian White), I figured it was a safe bet.

The appearance was typical of a wheat beer, cloudy, but not too much so. Has the typical yellow straw color.

Smell was faint, just a hint of the yeast.

While not overly flavorful, it does have the taste one would expect from this type of beer.

It was an easy drinking beer, definitely could have had more. I would buy this again when I am in the mood for a change of pace.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 18:14:21 | More by msproles