Bell's Oarsman - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Bell's OarsmanBell's Oarsman

Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.
BA SCORE
80
good
-
1,026 Ratings
THE BROS
N/A

-
send 'em beer »
rAvg: 3.52
pDev: 17.05%
Reviews: 475
Hads: 551

Ratings Help


Brewed by:
Bell's Brewery, Inc. visit their website
Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Berliner Weissbier |  4.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (401), on-tap (69), growler (5)

Notes:
Sour mash wheat ale.

"Designed as a flavorful session beer, Oarsman Ale uses a classic German brewing technique to impart a light, refreshing tartness. Oarsman Ale grew out of a desire to explore the tradition of session beers, trading intensity for finesse while still creating a worthwhile experience for the taster. The grain bill includes a healthy portion of wheat, while light hopping lend citrus & herbal notes to the aroma. Fermented with Bell's house ale yeast, Oarsman comes in at 4.0% alcohol by volume. Rather than being the dominant flavor note, the tartness in Oarsman takes on more of a palate-cleansing role, making it perfect with meals or purely on its own."
View:  Beers  (75) |  Reviews  (159) |  Events  (0)

Reviews

Sort by:  Latest | High | Low | Top Reviewers  | Show Hads:
« first ‹ prev | 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75  | next › last »
Reviews by MCain04:
Photo of MCain04
MCain04

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

02-12-2013 18:32:58 | More by MCain04
More User Reviews:
Photo of TonyTalon
TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-24-2013 01:50:37 | More by TonyTalon
Photo of rodlavers
rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-24-2013 01:26:17 | More by rodlavers
Photo of Slay40
Slay40

Michigan

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-23-2013 22:33:45 | More by Slay40
Photo of mikeincharleston
mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-23-2013 01:19:22 | More by mikeincharleston
Photo of hilgart1
hilgart1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

05-22-2013 03:35:55 | More by hilgart1
Photo of ackeeper
ackeeper

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -29%

05-22-2013 02:02:01 | More by ackeeper
Photo of sacrelicio
sacrelicio

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-22-2013 00:30:26 | More by sacrelicio
Photo of Gotti311
Gotti311

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -29%

05-21-2013 14:50:03 | More by Gotti311
Photo of InspectorBob
InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

05-20-2013 14:13:28 | More by InspectorBob
Photo of cb8282
cb8282

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

05-20-2013 00:52:54 | More by cb8282
Photo of touchmeimsac
touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

05-19-2013 19:14:25 | More by touchmeimsac
Photo of LambicPentameter
LambicPentameter

Kansas

3.46/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at The Foundry in Kansas City, MO. Served in a standard pint glass.

Appearance - Rather disappointing, based on comparing it to my only other frame of reference for a Berliner Weisse (1809). The color is lemon yellow with carbonation bubbles drifting up through the beer as it sits. Head is white and about a half finger at best, and doesn't hang around long, leaving spotty bubbles on top. Looks very flat.

Smell - CItrus, grassy, some twinge of sourness, as well as the wheat characteristics. Promising, especially after the lackluster appearance.

Taste - Actually pretty good. I like the tartness and notes of lemon and lemongrass. Almost reminds me of a shandy with how lemony it is. I could totally drink this on a hot summer day, but I would like it to be more carbonated.

Mouthfeel - Like the appearance, I feel like it was negatively impacted by the carbonation situation. I get some hints of carbonation in my mouth, but it fades quickly, and just feel like a beer that is a little flat. It reminded me in a very small way of the mouthfeel of some of the popular macro lagers.

Overall, an up and down beer. Some elements are really nice, but others are quite uninspiring. I can't help but wonder if the tap was calibrated, because the others at my table seemed to have beers that lost carbonation quickly.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2013 02:55:56 | More by LambicPentameter
Photo of NJB145
NJB145

Michigan

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-19-2013 01:00:30 | More by NJB145
Photo of Photekut
Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

05-18-2013 22:24:28 | More by Photekut
Photo of warmbier804
warmbier804

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-18-2013 20:09:41 | More by warmbier804
Photo of Corey17
Corey17

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

05-17-2013 22:52:00 | More by Corey17
Photo of Demarais20
Demarais20

North Dakota

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%

05-16-2013 07:59:54 | More by Demarais20
Photo of twenty5
twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-15-2013 18:14:24 | More by twenty5
Photo of MSandahl23
MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-15-2013 03:51:42 | More by MSandahl23
Photo of Eaglefan344
Eaglefan344

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-15-2013 03:19:38 | More by Eaglefan344
Photo of oglmcdgl
oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-15-2013 03:01:34 | More by oglmcdgl
Photo of Dcunicelli
Dcunicelli

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-14-2013 00:55:46 | More by Dcunicelli
Photo of stewarbd
stewarbd

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +27.8%

05-14-2013 00:45:49 | More by stewarbd
Photo of Bitter_Echo
Bitter_Echo

Michigan

3.76/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Travelers 14oz mug. An American Wild Ale. Pours hazy lemony yellow, opaque, low head, blotchy lacing. Nose vague, hidden, wet, etoh. Citrus notes, wetness, then light bitter sour notes effervesce. Goes well with salt. Afternotes linger, lactic isn't too biley, clean flavors. Would like to have a more bitter hop bite on this to elevate. Carbonation is finer, moving to lambic, but fatter at the end. Somewhat champagne-like in mouth feel. Low EtOH allows for an easy another.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 00:41:57 | More by Bitter_Echo
« first ‹ prev | 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75  | next › last »
Bell's Oarsman from Bell's Brewery, Inc.
80 out of 100 based on 1,026 user ratings.