Bell's 25th Anniversary Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

olympuszymurgus

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A boy of michigan I am, out here on the coast fighting with chickweed and thistle. I yearn for my homeland, except the cold and snow and depressed economy. Ok, fine, I don't yearn for much of Michigan except the beer.

The bottle speak of dreams, soup pots, and a little bit of religion. This bottle may not convert me, but it could warm me up to the cute mission girls. An awesome orange red, the color of a harvest moon with a toothy bite. Creamy white head rolls off fast, but no matter, it smells of sweet caramel and bitter hops. Big bitter hops covered in a thick sauce of honey, dried figs, virgins and Wild Turkey. A bit of heat for such a sweet 8.5 brew, but nothing offensive, just suprising.

Mouthfeel is kinda sticky, too much so. Overall I feel it lack depth, a vapid teenage missionary with big dreams. Thank you Bells, for you give me love for my homeland. That, and thanks for that cute deadlocked princess from the Eccentric Cafe. May she shoot her pistol while listening to Warren Zevon until the end of time.

Bells- Bring me Lawyers, Guns, and Money. And a beer with a prayer flag attached, if you wish.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 22:44:43 | More by olympuszymurgus

LiquidBread219

Indiana

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L - Lightly hazed amber/orange color with a beige head that thinned to a ring and left a few trails of lacing.

S - Sweet dark fruit aroma with a light scent of floral hops.

T - Mainly sweeter flavors of dates, raisins, figs with some earthy undertones and some drying bittering right before a sticky sweet taste on the lips.

F - Medium bodied with good carbonation for the style.

D - It was quite enjoyable, I look forward many more beers from Bell's one of my favorite breweries!

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 16:06:49 | More by LiquidBread219

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy, dark, amber with a 2-finger, white head that has pretty good retention and splotchy lacing.

The smell is sweet and toasty caramel malt, a bit of cracker and a little alcohol.

The taste is sweet malt, a bit metallic & a light citrus flavor left over from it's 8/12/10 bottling. Feels more like a barleywine.

Mouthfeel is nearly medium and slightly drying.

Overall: This seems like a bit of a miss for a Bell's 25th Anniversay beer. It has some nice qualities but I was expecting more from such a good brewery like Bell's. Maybe it made more sense last September with a stronger hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 21:49:33 | More by meatyard

richkrull

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a dark amber color with a good amount of beige head on it. Smell is pronounced. Bit of cherries with some maltiness coming through. Taste is pretty great malt upfront with a nice bitter hop finish. Medium bodied beer. Very good all around beer. I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 22:18:34 | More by richkrull

portia99

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (batch 9871) poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A - Pours a mostly clear bright orange amber color. A thick finger of cream colored head briefly lingers leaving behind an uneven skim coat and tall collar/lacing on the glass.

S - Fruity, citrusy hops up front - bright and orangey with hints of pineapple. Underlying toffee and light caramel malt flavors and a hint of alcohol. Not amazingly complex but it has a very balanced aroma overall with everything well blended and consistent in intensity.

T - More sweet and malt forward in the flavor than the aroma would indicate. Very much of a hoppy barleywine type character. Fermented pretty cleanly with a big malt bill leaving behind a good amount of residual sugars. Sweet, caramelly, lightly metallic, noticeable alcohol component that is just a touch warm. Bitterness is medium overall and sufficiently balances the sugary malt base. A bit toasty in the background with some green, grassy and citrusy hops flavors for good measure. Pretty well balanced here too.

M - Medium/medium-high bodied with a firm carbonation. Noticeable alcohol which lingers behind after the swallow and on the exhale - not hot, but definitely a factor in the feel. The slighest amount of syrupy fell can also be felt on the tongue and is rather satisfying.

O - Overall, everything works pretty well here. There is excellent balance throughout the aroma and the flavors. I'd call this a nice hop forward barleywine. This is pretty enjoyable - I think its good for one more in a session too. Goes down pretty easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 19:29:41 | More by portia99

bgildea

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice dark murky amber color. Has very little white head that faded quickly and left little lacing.

S: Smells delicious. Strong sweet smells of honey and berries.

T: The taste mirrors the smell. Starts off with a nice sweet taste of honey and what seems like blueberry and raspberries. Finishes with a slight slight slight bitter flavor, but overall the flavor was a nice sweet beer.

M: Pretty thin beer. Not too much chew here.

O: I thought this was drinkability... but... Overall its a pretty good beer. It's a sweetish beer, but carries itself nicely. I'd definitely recommend this beer to other.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 02:42:51 | More by bgildea

waldoiverson

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into Nonic

A: dark copper, slightly offwhite head, with very active carbonation and moderate lacing

S: a bit of apple, caramel, and some lemon, strong malt overtones

T: rich malt with a pretty rapid hit of bitterness from the hops, fairly yeasty, earthy

M: not as carbonated as it appears, starts sweet but with a very dry finish

O: I'm glad to have had it but it is, unfortunately, fairly forgetable. I wish there had been a real standout quality. It was just yeasty and malty with a dry resinous finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 22:19:05 | More by waldoiverson

rootbeerman

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from notes 1-9-11

A: Pours dark amber with a finger of light brown/tan head. head leaves some lacing after it settled to a very thin layer.
S: a dry nutty malt which also lends some sweetness along with being a tad bready.
T: again nutty, malty and very bready. there is a certain fruity almost apple bread flavor. also a bit of alcohol as it begins to warm up.
M: this will sound odd but lightly thick, medium low carbonation
D/O: has some bock qualities as well as strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 05:35:47 | More by rootbeerman

zhanson88

Montana

3.1/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Bell's 25th pours a deep, slightly hazy copper color with ruby highlights. About a 2 finger slightly off-white head forms, that has pretty nice retention and lacing.

Smell: I get a lot of caramel malts on the nose, and some graininess. Also some citrus hops. To me the malts and hops in this beer clash a bit. Maybe it's just the fact that a ton of caramel and citrus don't go together for me; I can't quite put my finger on it.

Taste: Lots of caramel malts and citrus hops. That's about all I pick up on. The hops and malts don't clash as badly in the taste as they do on the nose, but this beer is still just average, maybe slightly above.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This beer is definitely light bodied for an 8.5% ABV beer. It does drink fairly smoothly due to good combination but still, just decent. Overall, just a slightly above average strong ale. Definitely worth a shot, but you'll find much better offerings from Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 21:47:04 | More by zhanson88

herman77

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep golden orange with a small light khaki head. Okay lacing.

S: Sweet carmel malt, some cereal grains. A hint of citrus hops. Not much going on here.

T: More carmel malt and breadyness. Decent amount of pine and citrus hops, though they do seem a bit faded since this was bottled on Aug 12th. Short finish, that stays a bit hoppy and sweet, then nothing.

M: Medium to lighter body. Moderate carbonation. Pretty standard

D: Decent drinkability. Can kind of pick up the ABV. Nothing too special, though I was thinking this beer would be more special.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 22:49:03 | More by herman77

Snow81

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +24%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Nice and Hazy orange

Smell: Light citric, sticky maltyness on the nose

Head: bit small not even a finger length and a little tan for color

Taste: Wow big floral hops with some mango or a exotic fruit with a touch of heat on the back

Weight: I would say about medium on the body and a bit lower carbonation than I was expecting

Finish: Mouth full of hops, lips get nice and sticky, a bit of a heat is still present, dryness hits the palate

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 07:13:45 | More by Snow81

jsulko

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought as a single

Poured into a shaker pint

Pours a amber color with a off white foamy head

Smell is malty with the piny hops present as well

Taste was somewhat overwhelmed by the hop presence and not in a great way

Beer just was a bit much for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 04:19:05 | More by jsulko

harrymel

Washington

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Dhren1979 for this extra, cheers Doug!

A: Pours a golden amber with excellent clarity and a single finger offwhite foamy head which dissipates over the next ten minutes leaving a central cap of the same. No evident lacing.

S: Caramel, toffee, malt backbone. Initially lots of metallic notes (bad). Not much hops. However, maybe the hops are in this observation: for some reason this reminds me of pineapple flavored gummy bears....weird.

T: Alcohol was not covered very well here IMO. The malts take second base to fusel that makes my jaw clench. Over the top of this is a great malt blend, sweet and enjoyable. Hints of tea-like flavors.

M: Smooth and slightly creamy. Lower carb. Leaves film in mouth. Not bad.

D: The beer definitely has potential. And I really like it, I will look for more (as extras).

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 08:32:13 | More by harrymel

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.13/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter. 8.5% ABV, Batch # 9871 (packaged Aug. 12, 2010)

Thanks to sweemzander for this brew!

A - 25 pours a beautiful clear crimson bronze color that's gorgeous and vibrant but topped by a weak bone-colored head. An arch of lace and ring of loose bubbles is left above the almost naked beer.

S - The immediately crisp, hopped-up aroma fades quickly into an amber malt and doughy-bread-based ale with subtle fruity esters. The once strong, citrusy American hops vanished quickly leaving the malt fairly balance-less in the aroma. Thin solvent alcohol notes in the back.

T - Some of the citrusy American hops pull into the flavor much more adding balance to the doughy, bready amber malt. Almost no finish or follow-through though which is largely my problem with it. It disappears very quickly.

M - While the flavor has a somewhat thin consistency, falling almost flat mid palette, the actual feel is rather thick and chewy. Smooth from very low carbonation on the finish. Retro-nasal alcohol warmth comes through.

D - For a 25th Anniversary brew, I find this lacking all around (for a Bell's product) especially the sharp drop-off in flavor on the tongue. No finish, odd feel, this is definitely a one-and-done for me. I wouldn't really want it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 04:00:17 | More by BeerFMAndy

treehouse

California

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark wheated ruby...

smells like an oaked semi-clean horse shed...it wants to be a siason....cherries...figs...some tobacco coming through...

mouthed....

wheat and fig newtons...a decent hop presence rounded by oats....complex enough...i can drink two more pints...!...wonder if being on tap would make this less horsey..more hopful....

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 19:26:37 | More by treehouse

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."

--Maurice Setter

Bittersweet orange with a fiery tangerine behind the snifter that is the rising sun. Nearly two fingers of toasted almond colored cream was produced on the pour and does its job with style. Enough frosting sticks to keep the appearance score right where it started.

Unfortunately, the nose lacks a major olfactory hook. The beer smells amber-like and somewhat caramel malty, with a hoppiness whose origins aren't immediately obvious. Here's hoping the usual Bell's magic makes an appearance on the palate.

American strong amber ale was an interesting design choice, but I suppose these guys have brewed just about everything else. Even though it's obvious that Bells' 25th AA is well-brewed, it's also is a little short in the personality department when it comes to flavor, which is where it matters most. Warming helps in that regard.

Golden American barleywine is probably the most apt comparison. The malts are primarily mid-range, with equal parts toasted whole grain bread and caramel-toffee. The hops are orange peel fruity and herbal-spicy as well. Sweet is favored early in the mouthful and bitter is favored late. A lingering finish and good alcohol masking help the cause.

Still generous alpha acids attempt to scrub the tongue clean after each upending of the glass. This must have been one resinously hoppy beast last fall. This really is enjoyable big beer, so the drinkability score (now carrying more weight, thankfully) will be bumped with pleasure.

The mouthfeel can best be described as buzzily creamy. More laid back bubbles might have been preferable, but it's hard to argue with the energetic wakeup call that each mouthful provides.

More was expected from a 25th (silver) anniversary ale from a brewery as accomplished as Bell's. Having said that, these guys still have a perennial place in my top-10 American breweries of all-time. With the demise of the Batch Series, it would be great if they continue to find a way to surprise us with inventive, one-off ales from time to time.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 13:24:34 | More by BuckeyeNation

bertram

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a rich deep amber with an ample head; scents of citrus and band-aid; mouthfeel is nice - the mixture of flavors excite multiple areas of the tongue; the flavor is smooth, with a good amount of maltiness and a hint of sweetness. An excellent beer that I'd gladly enjoy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 22:27:41 | More by bertram

beer2day

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Strong orange pour with dense, tight, medium tan 1-finger head. Faint retention, but decent lace. Light, small bubbled carbonation.

Nose is a fruit and caramel mix. Slightly sour, dry fruit with cherries and apricots as well as caramel malt. Definite alcohol presence.

Taste matches the nose well. Same fruits present. Bread malt all over the middle of the profile. Caramel malt starts the finish and transforms into a dry, earthy, tart ending.

Body is oily and resiny. Alcohol makes a strong showing.

Very nice sipper.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 02:20:12 | More by beer2day

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.18/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of russpowell. Thanks Russ!

Batch 9871, packaged August 12, 2010. Love the batch finder on Bell's website!

It pours a rather gorgeous a hazy brownish red, 2 finger head of foam that's backed up by very nice lacing.

The nose is dominated by bready malt, some sweet caramel, no bitterness at all and I wasn't hoping for any, given the style.

The taste is the same as the smell...no surprises. Big bready malt with a nice caramel sweetness that isn't over done. I can taste some notes of toffee as well. Again, no bitterness and that pleases me. If you like malty brews, this one is worth checking out. Another plus is the lack of an imposing alcohol presence.

Medium bodied, lightish amount of carbonation, and I have a very smooth brew. Love the mouth feel.

Drinkability is pretty darned good. The flavours seem to mesh very well and with the alcohol being pretty much a non factor, I'm flying threw the bottle rather quickly. I'm pretty impressed; thanks Bell's and thanks again Russ!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 00:55:59 | More by Bitterbill

trappistlover

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

(12oz bottle courtesy of gwguest!) Pours dark amber with off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt, honey, candied sugar. Taste is sweet-like a tootsie pop. Some bitterness on the end. Medium bodied with slick texture and slightly bitter finish. Ok, but nothing worth seeeking out. Huge thanks to Gavin for this!!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 06:46:59 | More by trappistlover

otto251068

Tennessee

3.15/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Rochefort chalice. Batch 9871 making this beer six months old.

Appearance: Pours a dark ruby red with some hints of brown, a little muddy. Great color, when held up to the light it really makes this beer look lively. The half fingers worth of off white head appears, then quickly dies to leave only a trace of spotty lace covering with a ring clinging to the glass.

Smell: Sweet caramel and toffee start this one out. There are burnt notes, some malty sweetness, and piney hops in there as well. The hops come out more and more as the drink warms.

Taste: The maltiness appears first, followed some sweetness. The hops really come out to play at the end, and leave a drying bitterness after the swallow. There is an herbal, almost soapy flavor in there, but it is not unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium, almost high carbonation level. The carbonation level does a great job at "perking" this beer up making all the flavors come out.

Overall: The sweetness out front is countered well by the hoppy finish. I enjoy the kick from the sweetness, but it may be a little too rich for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 00:38:25 | More by otto251068

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into snifter glass. Pours clear amber with tan head. The aroma has plums and raisins and then lesser notes of molasses, cinnamon, brown sugar, faint earthiness and pine hops. The taste is near robust in strength with raisins and plums as well as brown sugar, molasses and cinnamon spice. By about midway pine hops and mild earthy hops come forward as well as a sense of dates that help take it into the finish. As it warms and opens up the pine hops begin to shine brightly. Full, slghtly sticky, balanced with a decent level of carbonation keeping it from being cloying. Nice maltiness, but a little astringent in the finish. Overall a very pleasant tribute to Bells!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 20:35:09 | More by CuriousMonk

billab914

Virginia

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish snifter. It poured a deep amber/orange color color with a thin white lacing barely covering the top of the beer. The head clung to the edges of the glass and left a bit of lacing as I drank it.

The aroma has a sweeter, malty flavor with some honey and caramel sweetness along with some nutty, toffee like flavors. A bit of a floral like hoppiness comes through in it as well.

The taste shows a lot of sweetness to it. I get a honey, malty sweet flavor throughout the beer. It has a lighter, more floral hoppiness with some citrus presence as well. A little bit of the caramel and bready flavors come through as well.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is decent but not great. It really showed off the malty Michigan barley, but could have been a little more balanced overall. It felt a little sweet at times, especially in the finish. Pretty good beer overall, but not a great one.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 02:56:19 | More by billab914

hwy61mb

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 9871, 12oz. bottle poured into a snifter

I have been enjoying this beer off and on since I picked some up in the fall of 2010.

This mother pours a reddish-amber color, not too dark, slightly cloudy, with a half inch head, and a little lacing. I can smell the hops along with a bright sweetness. It reminds me of fruit, but not the dark fruits that I am used to in this style, also not citrus. The smell is amazing.

It gets me first on the sides of my tongue. I can taste the hops up front, but something else at the end. I think it's more bitter than it is sweet, but almost balanced. There is a fair amount of carbonation and it's light in the mouth. I could drink kind of a lot of these if I had more. I like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 00:47:52 | More by hwy61mb

mbusster88

New York

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle, batch 9871.

A: Pours hazy copper color with off white head of two fingers. Medium bubbles in the head and good lacing. Some carbonation is evident on the glass but not much at all.

S: This one smells strongly of brown sugar and cookies. The nose is very strong of sweetness and not very much by way of hop aroma. Good strong malt profile in the nose and a really nice warming aroma.

T/M: The sweetness from the nose comes into the taste as well. Great amount of body here, but not overly thick. Love the slight hop bite in the back that balances out the sweet flavors that you get right on the front of the tongue. Very nice flavors and balance as well as a smooth finish.

D: Great overall beer, not typically my favorite style, but I did like this one. Glad I got a chance to try this one for sure. Really nice impression of this beer and makes me want more of this style.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 18:04:04 | More by mbusster88