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

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Bottle # 277/1499. Batch # 11471.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy white head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, honey, fruit, and yeast aromas. Taste is much the same with honey and spice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that smells slightly better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:02:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

SportsandJorts

Michigan

4.59/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Type: 750 bottle
Glass: Snifter
From: Bell's General Store
Price: $13

Appearance: deep yellow not quite clear. some sediment floating. slightly off-white head, about a finger that slowly fades to almost nothing.

Smell: Honey, citrus, florals, slightly fruit. Smells wonderful

Taste: pretty similar to the nose, honey, citrus, florals with a touch of fruit. followed up by a bitter slight hoppy finish.

Mouthfeel: fairly light and smooth. has a crispness to it and slightly warming sensation. leaves mouth dry and wanting another drink

Overall: I have been searching for this beer for quite some time and was expecting a lot from it. It did not disappoint. I am glad that I found it at Bell's. Very good in every aspect and pretty close to a perfect american tripel.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 20:18:36 | More by SportsandJorts

clintyeastwood

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a New Belgium glass (yeah, I know... but we had 2 New Belgium's and only one Bell's snifter) Bottle # 1107

Appearance: Pours a tarnished brass color. It's clear yet with obvious sediment thoughout. Had a light beige foamy head with minimal lacing.

The aroma is devine. It prepares you for the taste sensation to come. Notes of honey, lemon, floral, vanilla, apricot and pear.

The taste is exceptional. Honey, caramel, lemon, and ginger. There is also licorice on the tip of the tongue and hops at the finish. This beer is well balanced.

The mouthfeel is exactly what you would hope for in a tripel, light and smooth. Crisp with a warm finish.

Bell's has done it again!! This beer accentuates the qualities of a good tripel. It has a good bright mouthfeel with a warm finish. The taste is imaginative without being overbearing. The notes are subtle and discreet. It was a fine beer to bring in 2013.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:19:09 | More by clintyeastwood

Duff27

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Batch 9400. Bottled November 12, 2009

Half inch white head on a chunky sediment filled orange body. Collar left with sticky lacing.

Biting and crisp Belgian yeast aroma.

Alcoholic fruits in the taste. Very peachy. Aftertaste gives way to something which I'm calling "getting close to being too old".

Medium mouthfeel, medium-low carbonation.

It was alright. I got through it but at times didnt know if i would. Thanks TATURBO for thr try. Bottom line, drink 'em if you have 'em.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 02:38:09 | More by Duff27

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to TATURBO for the bottle! Thanks chris!

poured into tulip glass.

Batch number: 9400.

Appearance: Yellow bodied beer with a mild haze to it. Thin white head. Spotty lace.

Smell: Fruity malty sweet notes. Wheat and hay notes. Some spicy booze. Bananas and clove.

Taste: Sweet white grapes and red apples. Honey, bananas, and spicy cloves. Sugary sweetness. Finishes like a very sweet white wine.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with low end of moderate carbonation. Little bit of a syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall: Not a bad beer. I have not had many tripels before so I dont have much to judge this beer off of. It was an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 04:39:56 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 10.6.12.
Bottle # 793/857
Batch 10689

A - Pours a clear medium orange with a fizzy two and a half inch cream-colored head that fades down steadily.

S - Subtle citrus and hoppy.

T - Sweet orange and honey and some sweet malt, floral.

D - Lower carbonation with a light body and a sweet finish.

O - Light and sweet floral and citrus, refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 06:12:39 | More by HuskyinPDX

cosmicevan

New York

3.48/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

humongous thank you to Thorpe429 for seeing this on my wants and making it happen. poured into a la fin du monde tulip.

a - pried the homemade wax top off, poured a transparent honey with lots of bubbly carbonation and a thin bubbly white head that fizzeled away leaving a ring around the surface and subtle streaky lacing.

s - sweet honey and flowery orange peel. pretty subtle. candied bozzy sweetness.

t - sweet without cloying, malty nutmeg. some grape and tropical fruitiness.

m - medium bodied and a bit syrupy. very sweet on my mouth.

o - overall seems like another american take on a belgian classic. definitely not classic to style, but not bad by any means. seems like a tripel in the way that kerbos from flyingdog is a tripel.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 04:23:02 | More by cosmicevan

dorianmarley

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle was an elegant, wine-like 750ml corked bottle.

Appearance is light brown with a fizzy head and decent lacing.

Nose is sweet, with yeast and plenty of fruit.

Taste is a splash of sweet grapes, light, wild yeast, and light, caramel malt.

Mouthfeel is very crisp; bubbly: this actually tries to be "the Champagne of beers."

Overall, this is a great beer for special occasions.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 23:28:48 | More by dorianmarley

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired from raznug, courtesy of the Under 100 III BIF so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains Belgian yeast, light caramelized malts, honey, some fruit, some spices and a bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with a strong flavor of Belgian yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. Then some sweet flavors of honey, spices and fruit quickly follow. The hops presence is mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, it's a solid beer but there are better ones within the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 01:23:38 | More by TheManiacalOne

LiquidBread219

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From my notes:

A= Pours a crystal clear gold with no head. Looks really still.

S= Smell is syrup, yeast esters, banana, clove, apple.

M= Taste is smooth grain, banana, clove, sweet malt finish.

M= Mouthfeel is sparkling as the name indicates but actually not too carbed.

D= Drinkbility was good, I enjoyed this. Yeasty flavor can be a little overwhelming at times, though.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 16:14:04 | More by LiquidBread219

grover37

District of Columbia

3.23/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle with no batch number. It says 9255 on the bottom but that's not a Tripel in the batch finder. Either way, it's about 1.5 years old from the second half of 2009.

Appearance (2.5): Light gold. I thought it was very clear but looking closer there are some floaties. This is surprising because there was absolutely no sediment, even for an aged bottle. The head was just over a finger of off-white dense bubbles. This reduces to nearly nothing. Minimal lacing. Not very impressive but still pretty clear.

Smell (2): Not exactly what I'd expect from a Tripel. Very bready which mingles with the typical Belgian spicy yeast. Also a touch of band-aid which is a bit unpleasant but not terribly obvious. There is also a bit of dish soap. It's not nearly as spicy as I would like.

Taste (4): A sharp spiciness up front, as well as orange rind and a background of the breadiness in the aroma. This bready, pilsner malt flavor kicks it up a notch in the middle and then it finishes spicy again, but much more mellow and yeasty. The taste is much better than the aroma and all the flavors meld together well without much ethanol at all for such a simple, yet strong, beer.

Mouthfeel (3): A bit slick at first, then mouthcoating in the finish. Medium to full bodied with medium to low carbonation. I expected much more effervescence.

Drinkabiility (3): I don't think this is a Tripel I'll come back to. Even with the benefit of some age to not down the alcoholic heat, the flavors weren't that impressive although they went together well. Maybe that was a product of the age as well though. Still, this is a below average Tripel in my book.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 03:06:03 | More by grover37

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The pour was very nice. Rich light amber in color with a light cloudiness to it. A good sized head of white came up over the top and settled down nicely into a small layer of foam across the top. carbonation could be seen streaming up from the bottom of the glass.

The aroma was very nice and very complex. Light grain in the base and then a blast of sour notes coming through. Very, very nice. Light apples, pears, peaches, hints of anise and lovely earthy notes coming throughout. THe flavor was clean, crisp, sharp. Alcohol was totally hidden here beneath of blanket of nice fruit and light spices. Smooth finish here left a subtle tartness in the mouth and a really nice light grain flavor and a hint of green apples. Smooth mellow carbonation and a really fine finish,

Overall for a triple, this was fantastically drinkable. No hints of alcohol at all and really just amazingly complex. I would love to try this one on tap as I heard it is mind blowing. This is one that needs to be sought out!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 20:55:27 | More by mikesgroove

BHwks

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a duvel tulip. I estimate that this is from the 2008 bottling, as I believe this is the last time it was bottled. Unfortunately, the bottle I have does not have a batch number.

A - In terms of color, one of the most appetizing beers I've seen. A really nice deep golden color with many bubbles rising in the glass. Very little head for a tripel, possibly due to the age.

S - The smell is dominated by bananas, a little clove, and a lot of general fruit character. This smells great.

T - A lot of banana and some spice, if I'm not mistaken the spice has mellowed from what I remember (not surprising after 2 years). The flavors have really come together nicely. The beer finishes with a slight hop/alcohol flavor, especially as it warms. To me, this really defines an American take on a tripel - bright, bold flavors, a definite American style yeast (very little funkiness like Belgian examples) and just a really clean taste in general. Little to no oxidation either, which I'm a little surprised by.

M - Very smooth and slick on the palate.

D - Good, though as the beer warms the alcohol becomes more prominent so this takes a little way in terms of drinkability. For this style though, this beer is surprisingly clean and light tasting, and I mean this in a good way. Some Belgian examples, as good as they are, can get a bit cloying as you drink them.

I really enjoy this beer. I know this gets mixed review on this site, though in terms of American tripels this is pretty high on my list. My guess is that it gets dogged a bit because it's not exactly true to style (when compared to Belgian tripels) though I really think this is a prime example of an American take on this style (kind of like IPAs - you've got your hoppy American styles and your more subtle British varieties). My review reflects my opinion of this being sort of a subgenre of tripel, thus I scored it pretty well. Against other Belgian tripels, I could see how this wouldn't do as well if someone was expecting a similar flavor profile. If you can get a hold of it, this beer is well worth trying and truly underrated. Approach it purely on it's own merits and I think you'll like it.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 02:39:41 | More by BHwks

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a tulip on Thanksgiving Day 2009. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a fairly clear light golden color with a fairly large off white head and a good amount of lacing as it goes down. Nose brings a fair amount of Belgian spice and hints of fruit, as well as a bit of sweet bread. Taste adds in a bit of sugar, although it is mostly dry. The earthy spice and fruit flavors are present, but faint. Feel is light and airy, with good carbonation. Drinkability is decent, but isn't much compared to many of the Belgian versions of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2010 10:46:09 | More by Thorpe429

harpus

Alabama

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a slightly cloudy bight golden color. Reminds me of a pilsner. A finger of white, fizzy head remains for a while, reducing down eventually to a thin layer. Good lacing to go with good head retention.

S- Bananas, orange, peach, other subtle fruit smells. A bit spicy, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.

T- Once again, fruit flavors dominate, especially the banana and citrus. A bit buttery also, sadly none of the spices seem to show up. A bit boozy as well as the beer warms.

M- Light bodied and well carbonated. Has a prickly mouthfeel to it.

D- Very drinkable, the 9% ABV barely shows itself except for in the flavor just a bit. I could easily drink a couple of thes

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 12:39:49 | More by harpus

NODAK

Tennessee

4.58/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The nose here is very sweet and very full of spice. One of the spiciest beers I can remember.

Immediately, loads of sweet esters hit the tongue (banana, peach) followed by a very healthy dose of cloves. This fades into a thick, sweet finish that has a smattering of hop bitterness on the sides of the tongue but it's very minimal, along with a little peppery spice. Some smacking sweetness sticks around in the aftertaste with some spice. Alcohol not noticeable, which is impressive given the high ABV.

I'm very impressed with this beer. Very drinkable despite the ABV and very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 02:12:42 | More by NODAK

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

2.85/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint.

A: Crystal clear gold, tiny wisp of head no lace, looks like a glass of apple juice at this point

S: sugary sweet, lots of candied fruit and spices sort of like a tripel

T: what happened to the sweetness in the nose? very dry and malty a solid amount of clove and pepper not very good

M: light dry body decent amount of carbonation

D: Overall a bit of a misstep from a world class brewery. Fuck it. They can't all be Black note

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 02:49:15 | More by beerwolf77

mcann2pu

Delaware

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a light golden-yellow color with bubbles rising from the glass, not much head, no lacing.

Smell: light spice aroma, maybe some faint clove,

Taste: light spice taste,

Mouthfeel: fairly highly carbonated, bubbly

Drinkability: high drinkability, it's a light bubbly ale that goes down easy for 9%.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 16:51:57 | More by mcann2pu

WakeandBake

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A semi-hazy golden orange brew with plenty of lively carbonation bubbles an. d a thick white head that slowly dissipates with some lacing. Aroma of light bread malt, orange zest, some yeast and a touch of grassy hops. Flavor is zesty ,peppery with flavors of semi-sweet malt, bready yeast and some spiced oranges,Medium body , clean mouthfeel , dry peppery finish , very drinkable and quite good

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 23:25:38 | More by WakeandBake

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bell's Sparkling Ale from 2004 (a local distributor held some of these back in '04 from unknown reasons)

Poured into a Lindeman's Flute

A. Pours a clear gold with a billowing white head that sticks around for awhile then fades with very little lacing.
S. Pears on the nose once I open the bottle. In the glass raspberries and white peaches make an appearance along with white grapes. I'm excited to take a sip.
T. More alcohol upfront than I expected from the smell. The fruit is still there, but more subtle than I expected from the nose. Dry champagne-like flavors on the finish.
M. Medium bodied with a low level of carbonation - less sparkling on the tongue than I'd expect from a sparkling ale.
D. More like champagne than I expected - higher alcohol in the mouth than on the nose, light and fruity on the nose, but a little lackluster on the carbonation. Not a great representation of the style, but a surprisingly champagne-like beer: they hit the bottle's stated target on the mark, but I'm still disappointed that all of the wonderful scents didn't fully transition into the taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2010 07:08:19 | More by BeerAndBourbon

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of russpowell. Thanks Russ!

A nice light golden colour, there's minmal foam but pretty good lacing.

The smell is fruity, spicy(mostly pepper), kind of an earthy maltiness. A good nose.

The taste starts off very fruity and has a yeasty taste to it, branches off to some grainy notes, some dashes of pepper, and some candi sugar and maybe honey? The finish is slightly bitter with some light tartness. Some interesting flavours that *I* think could do without the graininess. I'd like it better..

Close to full bodied and fairly light carbonation. A good mouthfeel.

Drinkability? Maybe a little too grainy... now that I'm deeper into the session, I'll call it more earthy than grainy, to give it great drinkability for me. I don't know, the flavours come across as a little harsh so I'll say it isn't the easiest drinking Tripel I've tasted but it's interesting. Give it a shot if you see some. You may like it more than I do.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 02:16:13 | More by Bitterbill

urwithdave

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into my snifter.

A- pours golden yellow in color. A fairly small white head that disappears almost immediately. There is some lacing but not enough to get all smitten over.

A- yeast jumps out at me right away. Its followed up by subtle hints of aplle and pears.

T- the yeast is def in charge. There is a slight hint of cloves. The malts are around as well. There is a belgium candy taste that dominates everything except the yeast.

M- medium bodied with a lot less bubbly than I had expected. It finishes pretty sweet but not overly so.

D- not my favorite style but is drinks really easy. Not a hint of the abv present.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 01:04:06 | More by urwithdave

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A nice clear golden color with some white head that leaves little lacing. Smell is largely of some belgian yeast, a bit of clove, and some pale malt notes. A bit of fruit there too. Taste follows suit, with some bigger hop notes than I expected--some grass and leafy-ness. It's good, just more suited to the BSPA category than Tripel (not fruity enough, IMO). Decent MF, a little lacking in the creamy/filling department, could have used a bit more carbonation. This one, however, really wins on the drinkability, easy drinker with well-masked ABV. Good stuff, just not my favorite from Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2010 04:38:32 | More by LordAdmNelson

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into pint glass, grabbed at Bruisin' Ales in Asheville.

Pours hazy gold, hints of a white head that never really amount to much of anything.

Nose is big on the yeast up front, tropical fruit, just a bit earthy, tangy.

Taste follows suit - tangy up front and a bit peppery with a lot of yeast wrapped around a candy-sweet fruit character that contains notes of pineapple, white grape skins, pears, bit of spicy alcohol, and a grassy hop note rounding out the finish with a firm bitterness that lingers alongside the tangy fruit on the palate. Fairly well executed, though not quite to my taste. The grassiness is just a bit much for me.

Mouthfeel is well done, full bodied, with a well-defined carbonation that is just crisp enough while still feeling velvety soft. Bit sticky is the only downside.

Drinkability isn't bad, but the grassiness interferes more than it balances to me. Still, a well made beer that impresses in more ways than it doesn't.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 02:02:24 | More by JohnQVegas

Contagion

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It pours a nice golden amber color. Light passes through, but there is some haziness to it. A quarter inch white foamy head formed, but it faded quickly to a ring around the edge of the glass. There is some very minimal lacing. .

The smell starts off with a yeast scent that is quickly overcome with a strong sweet fruit scent. Citrus, pear mix to form a kind of pineapple smell. There is a touch of spicy hops to it. The flavor echoes the scent. A fruit flavor of pear and grapes. There is a nice touch of coriander and cloves. A slight grassiness rounds out the flavor. For having such a high ABV, you can't taste the alcohol.

This is a medium bodied beer with strong carbonation. There is a slight creaminess to it that coats the mouth.

I enjoyed this beer. I don't know that I would drink too many of them in one sitting, but I could see enjoying one or two with friends. I think this is definitely a good outdoor beer, sitting on the porch or around a campfire.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 03:05:08 | More by Contagion