The Oracle - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

beagle75

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Clear, medium amber color with one finger of off-white foam head. Heavy lacing remains and fine streams of bubbles rise at varied rates from the bottom and sides of the glass.

S: Overripe tropical fruit and coniferous foliage are classically joined in the smell, suggesting sweetness as well as powerful aromatics to come in the flavor. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins far off-dry, with a preemptive hit of booze that combines with caramel and fruity esters to create an illusion of spirituous brandy. Minerals are also present early, vitamin-like. Acidity is aggressive, influencing the taste but in a fairly positive way. The middle sees fruitiness persist, turning more citrusy thanks to the citric acid influences. Intense bitterness comes on strong before the finish, adhering to the palate with apparently no plans to depart. Malt is finally established into the finish, showing some crisp bready flavors that are obscured only by the ongoing medicinal bitter presence.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, very sticky on the palate showing a fiery alcohol burn, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: There is frequently a point in the development of a DIPA when the line gets crossed, where a well-intended project goes off the rails. This beer walks that line, and it is not clear to the drinker which side of the line it is on. It is best appreciated by the nose, with some of the suggested qualities showing up in the taste but in the presence of a whole handful of other, less appealing flavors. This is one of the most spirituous DIPAs encountered that manages to remain some kind of drinkable. It is intense, and that intensity does take a toll on the palate--due to the extreme bitterness as well as the often hot alcohol presence. While not endearing, it does offer the DIPA enthusiast a point of reference for the comparison of Bell's other hoppy beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:44:23 | More by beagle75

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