Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.21/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. White head on a hazy gold body. Moderate head retention. Suddsy lacing. Aroma is a pleasant mix of citrusy, lemony hops, and a light sweetness. Taste is nicely bittered, refreshingly fresh tasting, with a mild background sweetness. Very easy to drink I would think, over and over.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2013 01:51:09 | More by KickbacksSteve

PattyMelt

Michigan

3.59/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A-amber, thin white head.
S- orange zest. Maybe some lemon or grapefruit? Slight hoppyness.
T- piney hoppy taste w/ orange zest on the back. Still think there's grapefruit in there but can't pinpoint it.
M- Light to mid-bodied.
O- Pretty decent, but nothing to scream about. A good beer, though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2013 02:41:36 | More by PattyMelt

clayrock81

Virginia

3.81/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A golden body with great head and lace on top of a piney hop aroma with a good amount of rye that is picked up (that bready smell it can sometimes give off). Smooth, almost creamy, easy to drink, not bland or boring but not the most exciting beer. A floral hoppy taste, along with citric, is balanced with a hint of sweetness and the rye smoothes things out while giving it a tad spiciness and crispness in the finish. Can't complain with relaxing with this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2013 21:50:17 | More by clayrock81

DAllspaw

Indiana

3.89/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

forget the rye,I don't get it at all. what I got is a very well balanced and bright Saison like pale ale with. pale color, great lacing and a mouthfeel which belies its color, more body than expected.

don't get caught up in the style, just drink it. a very nice beer, will take this over Oberon as a better spring offering from bells.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 00:44:36 | More by DAllspaw

punky796

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Buffalo Wild Wings.

A - Poured a cloudy amber-orange, with about a finger of head when served. BWW's laser-etching helped keep the head alive. Impressive lacing.

S - Very hoppy smell, as expected from Bell's, fruity, with some wildflowers thrown in.

T - Hops again. Lots of them. Next comes the rye, which didn't really show up in the smell for me, but I like. Who knows, I might have confused the hops and the rye a little bit, making for less hops than I perceived, but they go together nicely. The wildfloweryness of it transforms into a kind of honey taste. An interesting combination.

M - Pretty smooth, with medium carbonation, but with relatively heavy thickness. Nice.

O - Generally wouldn't be my type of beer considering it's hop-heaviness, but Bell's does it well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2013 06:16:38 | More by punky796

Alextricity

Michigan

3.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at Green Dot Stables in Detroit, Michigan. $3 for a 12oz mug. Gimme!

Appearance: A beautiful golden color with a tiny head. The lacing's patchy and not that great, but the appearance surely isn't what matters most.

Smell: I tried, tried, and tried some more to get aromas out, and for some reason I didn't get that many, but they were more than pleasant. Rye, floral aromas, some sweetness, maybe like a honey... very inviting.

Taste/feel: Great stuff. I've only had about three or four rye beers in my life, and this one tastes different than most... but I think that's a good thing. The sweetness of this beer is something I'm not used to, because ryes generally seem more bitter to me. The floral notes with the sweetness and, really, light rye makes this a super tasty beer. The rye doesn't come out very strong, but a good beer's a good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2013 16:11:33 | More by Alextricity

jucifer1818

Florida

4.26/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: dark straw, with a large head
4/5

s: Floral, fruity hops dominate the aroma, with some bready nodes
4.25/5

t: This beer has the sour and spicy tastes from the Rye, and they are complimented by a strong bitter hoppy backbone. A bit of grainyness is also present (most likely from flaked rye). A excellent Rye beer
4.25/5

M: Creamy from the Carbonation with a bit of grainyness
4/5

Overall: this is a great American Rye ale. One of the best comnerical examples Ive ever seen
Highly recommended

4.5/5

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2013 05:08:27 | More by jucifer1818

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Honey tangerine color. Excellent lacing. Creamy white head with insane retention. Bartender had trouble subduing the carbonation on this beast.

Citrusy hops are light, but upfront. Lots of herbaceous notes. Lightly floral with a dry rye-ness speaking for itself.

More rye than I was even expecting. Floral hops with flourishes of summery orange citrus. Hints of lemon and wheatgrass. Decent bitterness level. Quite refreshing.

Mildy carbonated in the mouth. Smoother and lighter body. Supremely drinkable. Just what it's good for.

A tasty spring seasonal that I'm short on words for. Worthy of a six-pack purchase, however.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 23:39:32 | More by thecheapies

oline73

Maryland

3.61/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Served in a snifter at Churchkey.

Pours an orangish amber with a layer of off white head. The nose is abut weird. I'm getting rye and some citrus but there is also a slight medicinal quality. The taste is better. Rye spice teams up with citrus peel hops. The malt backbone is quite nice. Quite enjoyable but not spectacular.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2013 22:31:08 | More by oline73

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.54/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

On tap into a snifter.

Appearance - Hazy golden orange. Sticky white head. Leaves great lacing and nice surface foam.

Smell - Simcoe-like hop nose. Strong grapefruit aroma. Trademark garlicky notes. Rye isn't blatant, but gives it a slightly floral aroma. Some sweet notes there too.

Taste - Much less hoppy than the nose. Stronger rye and a ton of grainy malt flavor. Bitter and grainy in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium light in body. Well carbonated. Grainy bitter finish gets a bit abrasive, but easily consumed anyway.

Overall - I liked this more at first and then was less enthused as I drank it. Rye flavor isn't enough to keep it interesting and the hop profile isn't my favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2013 02:51:09 | More by Alieniloquium

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is served a golden color with a two finger white head. The head fades quite fast to leave a fantastic level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is a mix of rye bread and hop. The hop of the beer is mainly of a citrus nature with aromas of grapefruit and lemon but along with the citrus are some hop notes of pine as well.

Taste – The taste begins with a bitter and dry bready taste. The grapefruit hop and rye bread flavor that is present upfront is met with a light fruity sweetness in the middle with some flavors of wheat. These flavors soften the taste from the initial starting more bitter and dry taste. These flavors largely take the taste to its end where they are joined by a light pine hop flavor bringing back a slightly more resinous bitter flavor to be left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is slightly above average in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is rather average. A little more creaminess may have suited the rye flavors of the brew slightly better, but even so the mouthfeel was still quite nice.

Overall – A nicely hopped rye with lighter notes of wheat and a decent citrus showing. A little more refreshing then the typical rye IPA, but not quite as complex. A great brew to try (and likely try again).

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 01:04:38 | More by Darkmagus82

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.86/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Max's

Pours vibrant light gold with a white head dissipating quickly into a ring.

Lemon and light citrus in the aroma with a bunch of biscuit/bread character along with spicy rye.

Wow this is rye heavy. Like rye bread in liquid form. Some lemon up front and finishes with an insane amount of rye kick.

Lighter bodied with carbonation a touch on the high side, but works with the rye.

Enjoyable beer as I was not expecting that much rye kick. Nothing substantially great, but if you are a fan of ryes you'll like it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2013 20:44:29 | More by jmarsh123

Cabbage_pants1

Indiana

4.11/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance was orangey with a slight haze
Nose was bready huge malt loveliness with the promise(which was delivered) of citrus and a slight spice to come. I have to say I fell in love with the nose on this one...beauty... sheer beauty...
Taste.. Ahh taste... Malty toast preceeded by a citrusy, mostly orange flavor... Good stuff...
Mouthfeel was ephervecent at first rolling about mid mouth provideing a truly balanced feeling almost maturing as you drink... Lovely probably my second favorite part
Overall I like it... I want to love it but it won't let me... Good stuff though if you see it drink it! It's totally worth it...

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2013 05:13:13 | More by Cabbage_pants1

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass at Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville. From notes. Reviewed 9 July 2011.

A: Hazy golden-brown. Thin head fades and leaves great lacing. Pretty.

S: Fresh-squeezed lemons and hint of grain. Very faint.

T: Good! Fresh, crisp, and the graininess is perfect -- dry, rather than corny sweet -- not a big hitter, but supremely drinkable.

M: Carbonated, sweet-fun, and kinda grainy (rye, I assume). Still, refreshing and good.

O: Sure to find wide appeal. I might not be looking for more, but I like it. Tentatively recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 02:42:33 | More by AgentMunky

stewart124

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy golden yellow with a trace of head and lace.

Spicy nose with some lightly toasted grains present.

Needless to say the overall character of the beer was spicy but very pleasing. More toasted grains in the malt character. Some spice from hops to play along with the rye. Really drinks like toast would honestly but it is quite tasty and easy to drink.

The 6.5% alcohol is not noticeable. Solid beer

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2012 13:50:09 | More by stewart124

drabmuh

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On draft at Churchkey, beer is yellow, mild haze, wispy white head, minimal lacing, low retention, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is a little nutty, a little yeasty, a little spicy, I really like the aroma.

Beer is medium to light in body, a little grainy, a little dry on the finish, overall a nice beer but a little bit of a let down. I"d have it again though.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2012 18:53:33 | More by drabmuh

jayhawk73

Maryland

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

On draft at Churchkey:

Pours a light yellow color w/ a thin white head in my snifter. Average lacing on the side of my glass. Nose is rye, malt, citrus, hops. Taste follows the nose profile w/ the rye a little more present. Feel is light, well carbonated and crisp. A good example of a rye beer done well. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2012 02:35:10 | More by jayhawk73

russwbeck

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The 4th and main course of RFD Washington's Bell's Beer Dinner. Golden Rye paired with grilled medallions of pork tenderloin with a Golden Rye jus, served with brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes.

A: Hazy golden brown pour with one finger of white head that sticks around well into my meal. 4

S: The aroma has hints of rye, citrus hops, and a nice malt backbone. 4

T: More rye on the taste than on the aroma certainly. The hoppiness is also there, but doesn’t take over. Fruity, and bitter at the end. 4.5

MF: Light and crisp. Very drinkable. 4

O: This was a good beer, but it really wasn’t anything special. Paired very well with the Pork Tenderloin, but on its own, I don’t think it would have been all that great. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2012 17:15:03 | More by russwbeck

mcallister

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Missy yellow with a thick, chunky white head, sticky and lacy as hell.

Noble hop aromas, earthy and floral, nice rye spicy esters, light fruity character at the back end.

Nice beer, the rye is light and zesty adding a hint of spice on the finish, melding well with the droning earthy hop which turn floral on the finish. Semi sweet cereal grains in the middle add great depth, and an untelling fruitiness in the back the while time. Zippy, fat cutting carbonation a great food beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2011 21:52:48 | More by mcallister

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Bell's Tap Takeover at Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville, VA.

Cloudy, gold, finger of creamy whitish head. Laces some.

Some rye on the nose, trace of vinegar.

Wheat with some rye tang and hop kick. Summery.

Excellent, so creamy and wheaty.

Overall fine, a slightly bitter-er summer beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 02:31:27 | More by zaphodchak

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

On tap at Bell's last weekend.

Pours a clear golden color with a thin white head and some spotty lacing on the way down. The nose carries some rye and a bit of light spicing. The hops are mostly floral and there is an earthy component as well. Nothing over the top. The flavor has a bit of rye and spice with mild hops. Light body and high carbonation. Body is crisp and fairly bitter. A nice, easy-drinking brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2011 21:57:37 | More by Thorpe429

minterro

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

rrating from notes

A: hazy yellow, with orange glints. The head is pure white and doesn’t stick around

S: malty and earthy but not much there.

T: for some reason I was admittedly tasting hops, and it was hitting hard for a rye beer. I know its a rye beer so its obviously going to taste like rye but it was super rye tasting. A pinch (but just a pinch) on the spicy side.

M: fairly high carbonation, medium to full bodied. Crisp and clean feel

O: overall pretty good, the people around me enjoyed it more then I did but it wasn’t bad. This RYE is worth a TRY... like that rhyme?

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2011 01:49:05 | More by minterro

dirtylou

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on-tap, Dexter's

appearance: served in a shaker pint, golden-straw body, 1/2" white foam

smell: pale malts, lightly spiced rye, earthy hops

taste: Nothing overly excited here - easy drinking ale - clean earthy hops, light spicy rye, toasted grain, pale malts.

mouthfeel: light and crisp

overall: fine, and certainly drinkable, jut not very exciting

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2011 18:08:28 | More by dirtylou

Phelps

Arizona

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at the Hungry Monk, poured into a medium-sized taster.

Pale tarnished gold, slightly cloudy, with almost no head, though what's there is a fizzy tan. No lace.

The nose: biscuits, apples, rye, subtle earthy hops.

The flavor: light, biscuity sweetness with a mild spicy rye kick. Earthy hops, very bready. An odd sourish character emerges, possibly from the rye. Mild bitterness and a snappy, dry finish.

Feels fluffy, with a soft, medium-light body and gentle carbonation.

It's not bad for a golden ale, and is actually an interesting take on the style, though I maybe could've used a bit more rye. If I hadn't known it was there, I might not have noticed.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2011 23:34:37 | More by Phelps

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Brilliant golden bronze with a thin off-white veil for head. This dissipates to a thin film and leaves spotty lace,

S-Light spice and a bit of sweet biscuit malt,

T-Light biscuit sweetness with a mild spicy rye kick. This is kind of like your average "beer" fermented with ale yeast with a spicy twist!

M-Medium-light body, sharp and crisp with a good lingering bite.

D-Nothing fancy but solid and easy to drink. A nice intro craft beer that is certainly a good summertime drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2010 13:21:29 | More by Deuane