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

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 10272, bottled 8 April 2011.

Pours a translucent pale straw yellow, scarecrow-like, with a minimal white head. Head retention is below-average, lacing is okay.

Smells warm and wheaty, with a bit of citrus. Hint of earthy hops late. After tasting it, I can pick up a bit of lemony tartness, but I missed that the first time around.

Wow, this is not what I expected - it's so much more. It's starts out with grainy, earthy wheat, before rolling into a fantastic slightly sour tart lemon flavor that carries on through the finish. A touch of bitter hops come in late, but they're no match for the tartness. Incredibly refreshing, in a very unexpected way. I love the tart flavor combined with the pale wheat malt backbone. Nice dry finish.

Medium-light body, high carbonation. It's fairly thin, but still gives the mouth a good coating, allowing that lovely tartness to linger in the mouth, before finishing smooth and dry.

This is simply a fantastic summer session beer. It's light-bodied, low ABV, and refreshing, but still incredibly flavorful. This is a revelation for me - I never would have designed a beer like this, but now that I've had it, it seems so obvious. I could drink it all day long.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 01:33:41 | More by zeledonia

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

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

hilgart1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

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

ackeeper

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -29%

05-22-2013 02:02:01 | More by ackeeper

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +13.6%

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

Gotti311

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -29%

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

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

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

cb8282

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

05-20-2013 00:52:54 | More by cb8282

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%

05-19-2013 19:14:25 | More by touchmeimsac

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

NJB145

Michigan

3/5  rDev -14.8%

05-19-2013 01:00:30 | More by NJB145

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

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

warmbier804

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

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

Corey17

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

05-17-2013 22:52:00 | More by Corey17

Demarais20

North Dakota

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%

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

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-15-2013 18:14:24 | More by twenty5

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +13.6%

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

Eaglefan344

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13.6%

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

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

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

Dcunicelli

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -14.8%

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

stewarbd

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +27.8%

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

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

ADTaber

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +13.6%

05-13-2013 23:14:37 | More by ADTaber

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%

05-13-2013 18:27:17 | More by vrbulldog22

ipas-for-life

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%

05-12-2013 16:20:23 | More by ipas-for-life