The Oracle - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

znichols

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Straight clear orange with a resilient white head. A good amount of sticky lacing clings to the glass too. Looks pretty standard to me. Looks like a double ipa.

S- Pungent hops and very very sweet malt in the aroma. There is a little bit of alcohol in there too. I would say grapefruit, pine, caramel, and alcohol.

T-Very delicious maltyness to this beer; not expected. The hops make an appearance at the end and really linger on the tastebuds. Think grapefruit, pine sap, and a little fresh cut grass. The caramel, toffee, brown sugar malt really overtakes this beer though. Not what i expected nor what i look for when purchasing a DIPA. not necessarily bad though.

M- Oily slick mouthfeel with moderate to low carbonation. Really glides across the tongue but kinda fails to really pull you in.

O- You know, this is a very good beer. Its biggest fault is the fact that it is too malty. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what i was looking for nor expecting in this brew. It really really is like an imperial two-hearted ale, with the caramel malt and touch of centennial hops really shining through. As others have said, might be closer to a barley wine than a DIPA. Not that bad, but not as advertised.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 05:44:05 | More by znichols

pumptrick

California

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle bottled on 8/11/11 courtesy AgentZero and his LIF.

A- nice ldark yellow clear with two fingers of head after a hard pour into my Stone IRS tulip. lacing from top to bottom by the end.
S- subdued sweet malty and some grapefruit citrus and maybe pine resin.
t- first is the sweet malt like an aged old guardian then the hops come in and leave a lingering bitterness. then a little heat. I love old guardian aged a couple years but it loses this wonderful hop flavor. Citrus and resiny pine are outstanding.
m- coats my tongue and feels great. thick and wonderful.
o- picked a hell of a beer to end three weeks on atkins diet. this thing is just right.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 22:32:22 | More by pumptrick

Sideswipe

California

2.78/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, dated 8/12/11, courtesy of Memyselfandi. Thanks Mike!

The Oracle pours a dark amber color with a finger of white head. The foam dissipates leaving sticky lacing and a thick coaster. The nose is citrus hops and caramel malt. Taste mirrors the nose with big orange and grapefruit up front. Hoppy bitterness is followed by a wave of sweet caramel malt. The hops never quite make a comeback and as a result the finish is sweet and boozy. Feel is thick and sticky with a low level of carbonation. Overall I found The Oracle to be a bit too malty, boozy and sweet. Almost in barleywine territory in my opinion. Glad I had the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 02:56:44 | More by Sideswipe

russwbeck

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The bottle gushed a bit with head when I popped the cap. Huge white head results and laces beautifully. Orange yellow in color, the beer pours extremely clear. A very fine looking DIPA.

S: All about the hops here. Fresh, piney, fruity (orange), balanced hops. Light caramel maltiness rests in the background.

T: The taste starts off with big piney hops. The fruitiness comes second, and balances out with the maltiness. A hit of booze on the backend. The taste is very big, but balanced nicely. The booze sets the flavor off a bit.

MF: Extreme hop bitterness. Light body, carbonated very well. The dry finish is curbed a bit by the warming alcohol feeling.

O: A very good DIPA, it just didn't wow me the way others have. Tasty, drinkable, high ABV, jut not perfect. I would recommend it to anybody, however.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 02:39:58 | More by russwbeck

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4.59/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Big Hunt in DC. Poured into a snifter glass. The Oracle places hop intensity first and foremost, making only the slightest concession to malt & balance. The fireworks start with the floral aromatic punch of two separate dry-hop sessions with Amarillo and NZ Pacific Jade. Resinous, citrusy hop flavors mixed with aggressive bitterness from a massive kettle addition deliver on that aromatic promise. What a great DIPA!

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2011 16:35:31 | More by CuriousMonk

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap in a pint glass at Woodlands Tavern on 9/12/11

Faded, pale tobacco burst; pretty color. Poured a thin, smooth layer of foam. Wispy, sure, but it holds. Sporadic strands of lace up top, but builds mid-glass.

Hoppy aromatics are outstanding and flush with tropical and citrus notes. Grapefruit, peach, tangerine and some mango. It's absolutely bursting with white grapefruit and peach, though. It's fruit cocktail of hop excellence. smells a bit oily with sparse hints of pine resin. Malts are nearly absent, save a faint graininess. Not boozy. I could smell this all day.

Tastes of pine resin, offering a low-slung bitterness. The downside here is that the bitterness finishes a tad astringent. Citrus isn't as expressive as the nose; zest accents are buried in the pine. Toned down malts - grains and biscuit. Faint sugar cookie sweetness at times.

Medium-full feel due to heavy slickness. Alcohol is appreciable but not too hot, just warming. Carbonation if fluffy but fairly soft.

While the taste doesn't live up to the aroma, the latter alone is worth $5 a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2011 01:15:12 | More by Ryan011235

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on 2011-10-15 at Capone's (from notes)

A - Clear amber with a 1/2-finger white head into a 5.5oz snifter. Little lacing.

S - Tropical fruit, orange, mild pine and floral hops. A little hard to get a good whiff out of the snifter.

T - Grapefruit, mild malt, lots of pine. Compared to Hopslam, this is less sweet and emphasizes the bright citrus flavor more. Dries pretty well.

M - Light-medium body and carbonation. Resinous. Not cloying. Crisper on-tap than bottled.

O - I was surprised how much more I liked this on-tap than bottled with the greater emphasis it gave to the citrus.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 11:56:58 | More by Tucquan

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another extra from Marc, much thanks. Batch 10588 packaged August 12th, poured into a New Belgium globe.

A: Pours sunset orange with touches of copper, minimal haze, and a fluffy white head with tight white bubbles that leaves soapy, wispy lace all over the glass.

S: Suprisingly sweet with tropical fruit overtones; blood orange, papaya, apricot, pineapple, sweet hoppy pine, caramel malt, even honey. Smells hoppy, but sweet and fruity, with a little alcohol underneath.

T: Lots of bitterness, upfront and middle of the tongue. Pine flavors and grapefruit bitterness, and a small amount of alcohol burn. Dry and biscuity in the malt department. Very bitter.

MF: Pretty light-to-medium, sharp crisp mouthfeel with a lot of dryness.

O: Impressed. For a DIPA brewed/bottled in mid-August the bitter flavors and fruit hoppy aromas have held up beautifully.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 02:56:49 | More by Scotchboy

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to beerhan for this so I can finally try it. Packaged on 8/12/11 so not super fresh but not bad.

Pours a fluffy 1 finger head that fades fairly slowly with a nice sticky lacing over semi hazy golden nectar orange colored beer.

Nose has plenty of hops, but not super fresh hops. Candy hops, some citrus and a bit earthy, kinda like those jelly orange candies I used to have as a kid. There is a sweet rich malty base, some reddish caramel malts and almost chewy. Although the hops are fairly bright and slightly floral.

Taste comes on big, lots of malts and hops, quite bitter. A really strong spicy and earthy hop just inundates the palate like an IBU count higher than my weight. Tons of bittering hops, some earthy and spicy, and again more candy and some citrus hops. Again with the candy gummy orange flavors, and orange rind astringent bitterness. The sweet malts blanket everything as well, almost syrupy but not quite, with a bit reddish caramel malt flavor, like that reddish candy syrup and almost maple like sweetness. Then booze, some tingly and warming booze really smack me in the tongue and whole mouth area. it finishes super bitter and astringent as well as spicy hop flavors like I just chewed on a hop pellet, and some sweet sticky feel with a bit of booze.

Mouth is pretty big, thick but not really syrupy just wants to pretend to be, with decent carb and a decent booze kick, and ridiculous bitteringness (just made that word up, you wanna fight about it?!).

Overall interesting, but tough to swallow. Nice sort of balance of malts and hops, but just way over the top on both sides, much more like triple IPA with an IBU count that reaches the moon and back, and malts giving a big body and booze that anesthetizes a bit. Very slow drinking, but tasty. I could drink it again, but not very often.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 23:25:39 | More by jlindros

AshleyMiller

Vermont

3.63/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to jmarsh123 for throwing in this great extra. poured into my stone cali-belgique tulip.

a- pours a darker, reddish amber with a two-finger head, and lots of lacing, good retention as well

s- a great mix of sweet and grapefruit-fragrant hops

t- nothing sweet, just bitter and the hops linger in the back of my throat long after swallowing, though not as strong as most ipas i've had. lots of grapefruit in this one

m- lighter-bodied with surprisingly not a lot of carbonation - i'd like to see a bit more to be honest

o- good, goes down easy and quickly though the bitterness lingers. i can't tease out the hops, nor am i overwhelmed by them. a good ipa but not a great one. glad i tried it, and paired great with some cabot pepperjack cheese

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 22:38:38 | More by AshleyMiller

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap during the Devin Townsend concert at Reggie's in Chicago.

It is a nice vibrant gold with a frothy white head.

The nose is citrus and pine with a hint of malt.

Flavor is super bitter, nice itter hop bomb, malt comes in as it cools. Big grapefruit.

Awesome beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2011 18:49:38 | More by crossovert

shivtim

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on-tap during Hop Harvest at Brick Store. 12oz pour.

This is a beautiful deep murky copper brew, with lots of slow rising visible bubbles. Small head.
Nose is solid pine hops, sweet and slightly fruity.
Taste is a hop bomb balanced with some finishing malts. West coast, pine/grass.
Mouthfeel is foamy, sticky IPA goodness. Very solid IPA overall.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 20:44:49 | More by shivtim

zrab11

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a orange color with a nice 1 finger head. Great lacing all the way down.

S- Has a nice citrus aroma , also get some hints of carmel and pine.. with some hop aroma as well

T- Starts off with a nice citrus carmel flavor followed by a grapefruit middle and a strong piney bitter finish.

M- Medium body with good carbonation

D- Overall it was a nice ipa. Im not a big fan of overpowering grapefruit flavors in DIPA and this one had it. So its not my cup of tea but many of you will prob like it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 00:46:34 | More by zrab11

zachary80

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 10588, bottled on 8/12/11. Poured into a Bell's Tulip.

Oracle starts off with a moderate white head, that only lasts a couple minutes. Body is closest to orange with a slightly brown tint.

Aroma is citrusey sweet, grapefruit and lemon come to mind first.

Flavor has a nice bitter/sweet balance. Flavor is predominantly from the hops, pretty heavy citrus influence. High level of bitterness lingers a long time. Alcohol presence is not noticeable.

Mouthfeel is good, nothing very notable.

Overal The Oracle is one of my favorite beers, a great DIPA, and definitely the best I've had that comes in a sixpack

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 00:00:19 | More by zachary80

KDawg

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

had this on tap and it poured a dark orange color with a decent sized foamy head

Very aromatic with richer tones of hops, citrus and some florals as well

Medium/full feel that is really plush and smooth. It is a bit slight bit boozy though

While the alcohol was a bit noticeable, this was a really good DIPA. It was on the richer side but with a freshness to it as well

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 03:13:19 | More by KDawg

nandemo1

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear gold with a giant cascading white head, definitely 2+ fingers. Head settled out over time and left a lot of sticky lacing.

Smells heavily of piney hops with some sweet citrus notes. Taste is also very piney but not overly bitter. Alcohol is present me up as I get through the glass.

Feels medium bodied with decent carbonation. Very smooth but a little hot at times.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 23:54:16 | More by nandemo1

Ninjaticker

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the pub recently.

A - medium clear gold, cloudy white head, good looking beer.
S - Very rounded aroma, grapefruit mostly, other citrus fruit, hops on the finish.
T - This is a very hoppy dipa, not alcoholic of chemical, but lots of pine, most of the malt is going, wish it was a touch more balanced.
M - Appropriate fee.
O - This is a solid dipa worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2011 23:07:46 | More by Ninjaticker

zhanson88

Montana

3.03/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a very clear copper color with low carbonation. About 1/2" of slightly off-white head forms, which has good lacing and decent retention. 4

Smell: Lots of caramel malts on the nose, sweetness, citrus, and pine resin. A bit different than most DIPAs as far as balance goes, but decent.

Taste: Big caramel malts up front, followed by heavy pine resin. The combo is very sweet, even cloying. Following that is some citrus, with resinous bitterness on the finish. Maltiness is okay but not necessarily my preference in a DIPA, with sweetness that is too cloying.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Mouthfeel is pretty good. Medium bodied, with low carbonation. Smooth drinking all in all. Overall, I thought this was an interesting take on a DIPA and even a nice change of pace. Not my favorite though.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 21:15:34 | More by zhanson88

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Golden Orange colored body with a bone white head thatstarts almost 2 fingers high. The head drops down into a thin cap ontop the beer that remains during entire glass of beer. Sticky lacing.

Smell: Nice fresh hops notes. Grassy, a little herbal, and piney notes. The booze is also noticable after your nose gets past the smell of the hops. Buscuity malt profile is hard to find, but its there...really subtle though.

Taste: Moderate bitterness from the hops that have a fairly one demensional flavor of pine. The hops have a wonderful fresh taste to them and that is the shining point of this beers taste. The beer has an aftertaste with a decent alcohol bite.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation levels. Fresh and clean DIPA. This beers alcohol level is fairly apparent and definately warming for the style.

Overall: This is a solid DIPA. It reminds me of RR's Pliney the Elder, but I like pliney a little better. Hopslam is my favorite Hoppy beer hands down and I would say that the Oracle is Hopslam's little brother. Bells Hopslam is my favorite DIPA, but the Oracle is still a quality beer made by Bells.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 03:07:21 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Immortale25

Florida

4.54/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Cigar City pint glass from a quart-sized growler.

A- Comes out a see-through amber with a quarter-inch head and retains a bubble pattern on top that indicates healthy yeast. Damnit, I took a sip of it before I even smelled it. Couldn't resist, since I've had this beer before.

S- Mmmmm. That smells fantastic. Beautiful wet, grassy, dank hops that give way to a perfumey alcohol compliment. I can tell dry-hopping was a crucial step in this beer's production. Not much malt detected though. Can't wait to really sink my tongue into this.

T- Aww yeauh! Hops, hops and more hops assaulting my palate with IBUs just the way I like it: savory and lingering. Kinda boozy but with good reason to be (since I believe it's actually 10.4% this time around contradictory to BA's report of 10.0%). Not really sensing the malts as much because there's so much bitterness present, plus it makes sense given its somewhat light color. I taste equal parts grass, bitters AND lemon-orange. Every single hop varietal they used swirls together to make a pronounced and tasteful combination of flavors. I'm sure everything I'm sensing is extra pronounced since it's off the tap. Man, is this shit good. Now I see why it's rare and sought-after. Although, once again, I'm missing some malt balance that would most likely provide an extra dimension of sweetness that could really accelerate this beer's flavor.

M- Very smooth (I know that's a cop-out adjective, but really!) yet abrupt. I kind of feel like the mouthfeel makes this beer because the carbonation gives the hop profile its kick.

O- Thus far in my experience with Bell's, their IPAs are where they shine. This and Two-Hearted could easily be considered their best single and double IPA, hands down.

Serving type: growler

10-07-2011 04:41:03 | More by Immortale25

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap at TJs in Paoli PA into a snifter glass.

A: A medium orange color with a one finger white head. Glass lacing is left on the entire glass and is sticky never leaving.

S: Sweetness. Sweet fruits, caramel malt, pine and some herbal hops.

T: Citrus flavors start off with grapefruit, mango, pineapple which give way to the huge caramel malt sweetness that builds. Some bitterness creeps in towards the rear with some pine and herbal notes. Finish remains bitter with the sweetness turning almost sugary and a huge alcohol kick. Finishing flavors really linger too.

M: Full, coating, sweet and bitter, very boozy and nice carbonation.

O: I had really, really great expectations for this beer and felt let down. The sweetness on this beer does not work near as well as Hopslam and I think the booze shows too much.

Overall I'm really glad I got to try this on tap, and had huge hopes that it could rival Hopslam, but alas it didn't. Solid beer, but not one I would go out of my way to get again as there are much better DIPAs out there.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2011 13:12:44 | More by Kadonny

waltersrj

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pour: Dark, golden yellow with hints of brown and a quickly dissipating white head.

Nose: Pine, dank hops, slight citrus (grapefruit and lemon), alcohol and sort of a cardboard smell but not in an oxidative way.

Taste: Slightly sweet hop oils, slight cardboard, hot alcohol, pine, slight citrus and a caramel backing.

Mouthfeel: A little heavier than I'd like but not too heavy or out of whack for the style.

Overall: Moderate for the style. Definitely too much unhidden alcohol and only a slight citrus bite. Decent but not really what I love in a IIPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 03:40:10 | More by waltersrj

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Still smelling extremely fresh bottle on date is 8/12/11, I've been waiting to try this DIPA for quite some time, or at least since it's been released. Pours a deep copper color with a bright slightly off white head leaves fine even bands of lacing. Sorry Hopslam fans no honey additions in this one, but the nose is full of citrus fruit and mild pine and bark. Sugar coated hops come about with each sniff this is some serious hop candy. Flavor dawns me with a spicy mild herbal bitter dank citrus fruit peel tone. Hints of bright caramel for a second followed by a candied hop garden, kissed with warming alcohol while the beer is still pretty chilled. Mouthfeel has warming alcohol, with a touch of hop oils going smooth with even carbonation. Overall I'm loving the hops in this one I could use this with less alcohol and the same hop profile sweetness is ample not over played a pretty balanced midwest hop monster.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 00:38:54 | More by WVbeergeek

schultzi22

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

A: A relatively dark color for a DIPA. Beautiful lacing.
N: Hops! Wonderful bitterness with only a slight hint of sweetness and malt.
T: Sweeter than the first bottle I had, likely due to 'aging' and the copious amount of Zombie Dust I've been drinking lately. The hops come through with a fresh grassy flavor and the bitterness really takes hold during the second half of the taste. Interestingly, more malt come through than on my previous tasting, but I'm not sure it feels better balanced because of it.
M: A nice, thick feel on the tongue. Just enough carbonation.
O: I'm a little disappointed that I'm not liking it more, because I thought it was exceedingly tasty the first time I had it. Again, I'm going to chalk it up to the Zombie Dust blunting the citrus flavors from my initial sample. Still an outstanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 01:30:58 | More by schultzi22

djeucalyptus

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

massive thanks to semibaked for hooking me up with this one. poured into a Kuhnhenn snifter - also thanks to semibaked!

pours a brilliant golden apple-cider hue, crystal clear, with a two-plus-finger head that has stunning retention and leaves even more stunning whispy thick lace all the way down the glass.

aroma is distinctly IPA in nature. rich caramel malt intermingles with intensely tropical hops. pineapple, papaya, hibiscus. floral, sweet, fruity. smells solid.

taste follows... bitter piney floral hoppy booziness. intense. delicious. smooth and luscious with an intense hop kick. some cracker and bread underneath, but this one is all hops.

mouth is full, with a pleasant thickness that isn't quite slick, but gives nice body and helps the lingering slickness be pleasant.

wow. this is one impressive beast. pretty much sets the bar for double IPAs... stunning. I'm not a die-hard double IPA fan, but I know a good one when I try one. and this one is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 03:05:36 | More by djeucalyptus