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

Bell's OarsmanBell's Oarsman

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BA SCORE
80
good
-
1,026 Ratings		 THE BROS
N/A

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

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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
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Reviews by cfrances33:
Photo of cfrances33
cfrances33

Illinois

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 7/24/12, enjoyed on 8/13/12. Served in a FFF pint glass.

Pour: Lightly hazy yellow, with a finger and a half white head. Diminishes to a rim, and leaves light lacing.

Smell: A funky wheatiness, as well and a nice lemon rind. Thats about it.

Taste: Nice, light sour lemon, with a delicious bready maltiness. Really two dimensional here, and I'm perfectly ok with that.

Mouthfeel: So light and refreshing. Tartness is just barely there, but is really nice.

Overall: I really, really like this beer for what it is. I would love this in cans.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 00:01:33 | More by cfrances33
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
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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
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Demarais20

North Dakota

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%

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

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

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

Indiana

4/5  rDev +13.6%

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

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13.6%

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

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

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

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-14-2013 00:55:46 | More by Dcunicelli
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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
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Bell's Oarsman from Bell's Brewery, Inc.
80 out of 100 based on 1,026 user ratings.