David Bell Is 21
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

David Bell Is 21David Bell Is 21
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 7.73%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 27, 2010
Added:
Oct 30, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of BeerAndBourbon
Reviewed by BeerAndBourbon from Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A. Pours amber brown with white creamy head and no lacing.

S. Honey and some oxidation.

T. A bit acidic with honey and sweet malt.

M. Thin to medium with fairly high carbonation.

D. Definitely the most honey forward of the iterations of amber ale under Bell's. Closet to the Kalamazoo Royal Amber Ale.
Sep 27, 2010
Photo of Urbancaver
Reviewed by Urbancaver from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Honey... amber and tasty... smells and tastes way more like honey than any other iteration of the Amber Ale. 3 years out I guess it aged much better than anticipated. Smooth and sweet and overall definitely something I would drink again... if it were still around at least
Sep 21, 2010
Photo of ColdPoncho
Reviewed by ColdPoncho from Ohio

4.01/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
So this was beer #23 in this Bell's 25th Anniversary tasting party, which was really my first exposure to Bell's. Also, my observations might be a little off, and I certainly don't remember it, so I'll have to rely on my notes. Here goes nothin'

Appearance - something of a cloudy orange-copper

Smell - some dark fruit, and spicy freshly-cut grass

Taste - well-balanced hops with malt, but each is distinguishable. I guess nothing was particularly noteworthy about it.

Mouthfeel - medium-bodied

Drinkability - rather smooth, with a bit of a dry finish
Sep 19, 2010
Photo of udchemist
Reviewed by udchemist from Ohio

4.17/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Aroma - hints of a sour beer and cherries
Taste - very reminescent of the kalamazoo amber ale. Hints of honey, cherries, slight hops and malts appear after initial hints of sourness.
Mouthfeel - much lighter in body than expected.
Drinkability - I could drink this all night!
Appearance - light golden amber in color, little to no head (after several years of aging), slight legs are visible upon swirling.

Thanks to urbancaver for hosting a bells tasting! :)
Sep 18, 2010
Photo of younger35
Reviewed by younger35 from Minnesota

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Received this brew as an extra from hoppymeal some time ago. It's been in the fridge but somehow kept getting passed over. Drank from my Stone India Pale ale flute.

Appearance- Pours a pinkish red with a very nice one finger ivory white head that is so creamy it's almost not real. A nice cap and collar are maintained the entire beer with a bit of spotty lacing.
Smell- A tinge of toasted malt with a slight toffee sweetness. Sort of crisp and clean with a bit of light grass. Slightly fruity as well with a fair amount of peach and freshly grated lemon peel.
Taste- A light bit of caramel and peanut brittle upfront and a really nice toastiness. The malty goodness is quickly overtaken by lightly bitter bite of hops. A bit of grapefruit and melon mix in quite well. This really sort of reminds me of a slightly hopped up version of a Mild Ale. Finishes with that lingering nuttiness and a strong earthy toast.
Mouthfeel- Medium feel that verges on creamy with a nice sharp bite of carbonation.
Drinkability- This brew turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure if it's just a repackaged Bell's Amber but I really did enjoy it. Seems to have a slightly English side that I'm totally digging. Recommended for sure, thanks Derick!
Apr 16, 2009
Photo of danielharper
Reviewed by danielharper from Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Beautiful orange-red body, slightly translucent, with a very thick foamy white head. Yeast particles suspended in the body, frozen as if in amber. Significant lacing. I never thought I'd do this for an amber, but I'm giving it a 5.

Smell: Sweet, malty. Hints of cherries, strong aromas of apples. Strong yeastiness buried underneath. Very intriguing, can't wait to taste it.

Taste: Drier than expected, but with a sweet finish, lots of apples. Some yeast in the aftertaste. Not as good as the nose would lead me to believe, but still a very good amber.

Mouthfeel: Thin, actually, with a fairly high dose of hops and carbonation. I expected it to be a bit chewier, but this is actually pretty well-done for an amber.

Drinkability: From the appearance and the aroma I expected this one to knock me on my ass, but ultimately this is a merely (merely?) a very good amber. If you can get it it's definitely worth a try, but these limited releases generally don't last very long.
Feb 13, 2009
Photo of rtepiak
Reviewed by rtepiak from Poland

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
the back story is that the beer was made for mr. bell's son turning of legal age... hince 'david bell is 21 ale'. a supposed rarity. a friend wanted me to put in my two cents. here it goes.

pour is the color of lipton ice tea... murky. some bubbles coming up. some sediment going down. with slight off white head. great carbonation. aroma is yeasty honey malt, a light lemon hop, pepperiness. taste is not american amber but a true english pale. nice soft astringent pine hop and light fruit coincide with a strong malt backbone and subtle buttered bread quality. malt is really grain like and steady but not the complex multitude i would expect in an amber. solid malt with a light woody pulp at most. abv seems about 5.5 to 7. well placed to say the least. really would like to see more of this in the states. put most simply... its an american hopped 'english two hearted' and i'm really into that.

thank you HIGHPA...

had it again about a year later and the hop quality i loved so much was gone. this after sitting around is very much an american amber. above average but nothing to write home about cellar wise.
Dec 21, 2008
Photo of RedBaron
Reviewed by RedBaron from Illinois

3.82/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Wasn't sure what to expect from this cryptically-named Bell's offering (who is "David", and what's with the sort of cheesy 70's-style photo on the label; no offense, Larry, just inquiring.)

Appearance: sunset orange with a fairly quickly dissipating head.
Smell: citrus-y hop nose; toasted aromatic notes
Taste: a nice complex maltiness up front, with nice biscuity/bready components; The house yeast character is evident; Wonderful bitterness, and finishes dry.
Mouthfeel: a well-balanced beer overall between the hop bitterness and complex malt ratio.
Drinkability: This is a pretty good ale and one that I could drink several of. The label gives no indication as to what type of ale this is, but from my judgement it tastes like a Bell's interpretation of a classic English pale ale, especially the malt traits, coupled with the use of American hops. If only Larry could tell us who David is?! :-)
Nov 30, 2008
Photo of gmcfarre
Reviewed by gmcfarre from Colorado

3.61/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz bottle poured into traditional pint glass

A - Pours a nice translucent amber orange color. Head is small, peaking at about 1/2 inch with a soft eggshell white color. Loads of carbonation bubbles stream from the bottom of the glass passing some floating yeast particles along the way. Leaves great lacing on the glass.

S - Caramel malt with light dextrous properties. Nice grain flavor that is almost doughy. Little hop activity.

T - Starts with a good dose of grainy sweetness that shows some caramel and slightly roasted flavors. A touch of bitterness at the finish.

M - Light carbonation with a medium body makes for a soft, easy-drinking mouthfeel.

D - An easy-drinking brew that still exhibits tasty flavor. A nice entry to craft beer (you know, for someone who just turned 21).
Nov 24, 2008
Photo of GRPunk
Reviewed by GRPunk from Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A- It poured with about a 1 finger off-white head that settled to a full lace, leaving nice sticky rings on the side of the glass. The body was a hazy, reddish-brown with medium-heavy carbonation.

S- The aroma was on the sweet side. Caramel malts lead the way with a slightly earthy/floral hop aroma later and throughout the background.

T- As the scent would suggest. It begins with mostly caramel malt tones with a hint of bready/doughy flavor and finishes with earthy hop notes that leave a dry finish.

M- Pretty moderate. Medium carbonation and hops give a slight bite, it also had a slightly oily and grainy feel, none of which are negatives in my estimation.

D- It's an easy drinker. I would guestimate the ABV in the 5-6% range which, combined with its nice flavor and smooth feel, makes for a very sessionable drinker.

Overall- A solid beer. I'm thinking this is a rebranding of the Amber Ale for the special occasion. Not a bad thing. I'm a fan of the Amber.
Nov 04, 2008
Photo of ahking
Reviewed by ahking from Michigan

3.11/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
This beer pours a gorgeous dark amber color with a sea foam head that really laces down the glass to the bottom. Aroma is rich and malty, maybe some caramel apple aromas. Flavor is decent, nothing too exciting. This is a low hopped red beer with strong malt overtones, but a little on the thin side of body. I can taste roasted malt, warm bread, a hint of spicy hops. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy. A good fall beer, not offensive, but also nothing too exciting. Worth a try.
Oct 30, 2008
David Bell Is 21 from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 11 ratings