Bell's Big Porch Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Imsothirsty

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +34.8%

01-28-2012 13:53:01 | More by Imsothirsty

gratefulbeerhead

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

03-17-2013 00:18:00 | More by gratefulbeerhead

SiRCRX

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

07-27-2012 14:13:32 | More by SiRCRX

chrisbokmuller

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

05-10-2012 03:03:02 | More by chrisbokmuller

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

02-11-2012 13:16:39 | More by Tyrawlings

HoneyLamb

Michigan

4/5  rDev +7.8%

01-01-2012 03:48:28 | More by HoneyLamb

TasteTester

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.8%

12-17-2011 00:08:58 | More by TasteTester

Goldfoot

Michigan

5/5  rDev +34.8%

12-16-2011 15:26:41 | More by Goldfoot

Another6Pack

Michigan

4/5  rDev +7.8%

11-22-2011 01:40:27 | More by Another6Pack

mmcnaughton

Michigan

4/5  rDev +7.8%

11-19-2011 14:15:38 | More by mmcnaughton

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pour was pretty good with a nice medium amber color with nice clarity to it and a small white head on top. Aroma of nice carmael malts and a dose of piney hops. Warming really brought out the sweet notes here, very solid. Nice medium body and very well carbonated. Strong caramel and bready malt undertones were very prominant with hops an afterthought but strong enough to really shine through in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 03:02:24 | More by mikesgroove

oline73

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a goblet at the Grand Hotel.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with just over a finger of fluffy off white head. The head fades quickly leaving hardly anything behind.

Smell: Sweet caramel malt, mildly fruity. Pretty simple.

Taste: Quite malty, bready and mildly sweet. There is a slight bitterness in the finish as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly carbonation, and a hint of dryness in the finish.

Overall: Just an average amber ale. Nothing unpleasant, but not a whole lot of complexity either.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 00:06:41 | More by oline73

projectflam86

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This stuff is super fresh. Picked it up at Bell's on July 22 and the bottled on date is July 20!

A- Pours a light copper red color with a thick foam head that leaves great lacing.

S- Some nice caramel malt aromas and light fruits come through in the nose.

T- Plenty of clean grain flavors with toasted malt and caramel coming through. A bit of floral hops make themselves noticeable with a light bitterness that helps to balance the sweetness. A bit pedestrian in flavor maybe but still quite good.

M- Light bodied with nice carbonation. Crisp with very well hidden alcohol.

O- Overall this was a very solid brew. I would pick this up often for grill outs during the summer as a substitute for Boston Lager and Elliot Ness.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 02:02:03 | More by projectflam86

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased at the Bell's retail shop. Served in a snifter.

Pours a very light copper color with a good white head and plenty of lacing on the way down. The nose has a bit of bread plus a touch of cream-like yeast. Bready throughout. Very much so. The taste is mildly malty; again, there is a bit of light sweetness and a very mild earthy character plus gobs of bread. There is a light tannic grainy bitterness there as well. I'd waited awhile to try this one and it was quite disappointing. Too bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 21:55:25 | More by Thorpe429

mdfb79

New York

3.43/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. 2010 bottle.

a - Pours a somewhat transparent amber color with an inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of caramel malts, bready malts, sugar, honey, and sweet fruit. Smells sweet but it's pretty good.

t - Tastes of bready malts, smooth pale malts, fruity malts, and caramel malts. Not as sweet as the smell, somewhat of a drop off.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty smooth.

d - A pretty good amber ale. The taste was pretty standard for ambers but I enjoyed the smell a lot. Would try again but not seek out.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 21:51:44 | More by mdfb79

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I'm not sure of the age of this brew or what the status is on distribution, but here it goes.

A. Pours amber with a small thin head.

S. Honey with some oxidation; similar to David Bell is 21.

T. Very little flavor with a touch of honey.

M. Thin body.

D. One and done.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 21:43:52 | More by BeerAndBourbon

Wasatch

Utah

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks goes out to mikereaser for this brew.

Pours a cloudy amber color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, slight hop profile, lots of caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with some caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice little brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2009 23:25:28 | More by Wasatch

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle into DFH specialty glass on 5/28/09.

A - Hazy, gritty-looking amber/caramel-colored body with about a finger of off-white foam that reduced to a thin veil and left a bit of lace around the sides of the glass. Lots of tiny particulates are suspended throughout the body.

S - Aroma is a blend of light citrusy, spicy and herbal hop notes paired with a sweet caramel and bready malt character.

T - Flavor kicks off with very subtle citrusy and herbal hops and a sweet caramel malt aspect. Finishes with a distinctive spicy, bready maltiness with a toasted grainy character.

M - Medium bodied with a syrupy texture and lively carbonation. Sweet, slightly spicy finish with scant hop bitterness.

D - Drinks like a malty pale with a distinctive grainy finish and a spicy flair. Not one of Bell's more memorable brews, but a good enough session beer at the very least.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2009 23:59:41 | More by ffejherb

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - pours a murky brown with no foam at all

S - nothing too outstanding here, just a light malt aroma with a bit of piney hops

T - light malt taste and some piney hop flavor, Some pepper feel to it and bready malt, but nothing much more than that.

M/D - smooth, light bodied, but nothing too outstanding. Just a basic flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 20:23:13 | More by mikereaser

webmanspidey

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark caramel amber color. A sour unpleasant smell that I can't really describe. Very sweet and malty flavor with a slight touch of bitterness at the end. Lots of caramel-like flavors. Not overly strong but very sweet. Smooth enough to be considered sessionable. Decent middle of the pack amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 02:23:09 | More by webmanspidey

AltBock

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle with a light tan colored label that has a drawing of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan. Below the drawing is the vintage year of 2008 and Bell's address. The back label has a paragraph that talks about how this beer was "inspired by the beauty of Mackinac Island." Along with all the mandatory US info, there is a batch number of 8511. That means this bottle was packaged on May 22nd, 2008.

Appearance: I had no other choice then to pour this Bell's Beer into my Bell's pint glass. "Big Porch" poured a hazy golden tangerine orange color. What separates this beer from the other golden tangerine orange colored beers in this beer's hop particles. They're floating around. I would have to say that they were stagnant. They were just there. The initial head of foam was 3/4 of inch in height and white in color. This head of foam had great retention that left behind a long lasting skim of white foam and few small blots of lace around the glass. Great appearance!

Smell: I wish I could say that the aroma was just as great as the appearance, but I can't. It was just a standard aroma. The aroma was simply malty with biscuit malts and a gentle whiff of bitter hops. That's it! Swirling it around will do nothing to the aroma.

Taste: While the aroma was simply malty, the taste was peppery and malty. That's the best way I can describe the taste. The taste was peppery and malty with biscuit malts, a dash of black pepper, a quick flash of juicy fruits, a gentle touch of yeast, and a subtle hint of bitter hops.

Mouthfeel: This was an easy drinking light bodied beer with a malty and slightly peppery aftertaste of biscuit malts, black pepper, and a quick splash of juicy fruits. This aftertaste did however linger on for some time.

Drinkability: This was a not one of Bell's classic over the the top beers. This was one of their easy drinking summer time beers. This is a beer where you could actually see yourself drinking while you're sitting on the porch of the Grand Hotel on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 19:58:35 | More by AltBock

danielharper

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Hazy reddish-orange body, thin head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

Smell: Dry, malty, hints of fruit. Smells basically like a generic "amber" beer, but no flaws are easily detectable. Perhaps a touch sweeter and fuller-bodied than most.

Taste: Again, a pretty standard amber. Heavily malty starter, dry finish, leaves a bit of a sickly sweet aftertaste. No real complexity here, but it's well-executed and, again, there are no real flaws here to speak of, besides a bit of tartness to the finish.

Mouthfeel: Thin-to-moderate. Slightly grainy, light carbonation.

Drinkability: The American Amber Style isn't the most impressive style to begin with, but the folks from Bell's have made a perfectly serviceable example of one. Fairs better when not being scrutinized -- this makes a really nice beer with which to sit and have a meal or to have while watching TV, hence the relatively high marks for drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2008 22:37:03 | More by danielharper

luciusgilmer

Michigan

3.33/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle poured into tulip glass and mug.

An earlier reviewer claims this is just rebadged Amber. The differences are enough that I still prefer the Amber mightily. I buy this every summer because Meijer puts it on sale for cheaper than most Bell's can be had for. So that's that (they're currently $6.80 a 6 pack, pretty cheap for this expensive brewer).

A: nice and colorful, like most Bell's; a thick, bubbly head, rich amber color.

S: Nothing special; a bit spicy.

T: Solid, but to me, not as sweet as the regular amber; I agree with the biscuit taste comment. I like it. But it's more bitter than the Amber.

M: Fine; it's carbonated but smooth, and hits a few taste buds with sharpness.

D: I'm less impressed by this, but it's easy to get for cheaper than Amber, so I drink it every summer (last 2 years, anyway).

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 20:17:49 | More by luciusgilmer

Donnie2112

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Nice hazy copperish red in color and a little bit of head

nice light herbal aroma and some toasty on the nose

it's some and biscuity on the malt and rolls into a smooth, herbal slightly citric hop finish.

smooth medium body, nicely carbonated snappy astringencey that dries the mouth through the finish

very drinkable beer, I really wish this was available regularly in my area. It seriously would be a regular beer that I would drink. It's almost perfectly balanced, tasty yet inoffensive. This might be a perfect drinkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2008 01:15:50 | More by Donnie2112

youngblood

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours coppery brown into a glass. Head retention is descent, about a minute or so. In the nose, you can sense the expected caramel sweetness of the malts, while a small bit of hops balance it out nicely.
Taste follows the nose closely with the main focus being on the malts. It is very well structured with a smooth texture to the ale.
Overall, it's a good amber.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 18:26:56 | More by youngblood