Bell's Harvest Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours a almost clear reddish orange with a few inches of white fluffy foam that left a good bit of lacing as it faded.
S - Aroma is faint with a very pleasant sticky resin smell, slightly piney slightly citrusy. Very nice aroma.
T - Light malts are followed by a sticky grassy taste. You really get that fresh hop flavor. There are notes of pine and citrus as well. Very enjoyable flavor.
M/D - very light bodied beer with a light amount of carbonation that I think helps to focus on the hops. Very drinkable and would love to have more of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 04:17:58 | More by mikereaser

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 edition, received in May drunk in June. Expecting big hops, green and fresh. Rather subdued, pale ale describes it. Very good drinkability. Lighter coloured body, good retaned head. Hop aromas there and good, minty. Medium mouthfeel.Bottle from steven.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 06:04:17 | More by northyorksammy

barczar

Kentucky

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

Pours a clear amber color with a solid one finger cream colored head that lingers, leaving thick lacing.

Aroma is initially toasted caramel malt, with notes of toffee. Herbal hops and subtle citrus are evident. Grapefruit and apricot surface as it warms.

Flavor is far more citrus-forward, with grapefruit and bitter pith dominating. There's a fairly substantial malt backbone carrying herbal hops and pine into the dry, somewhat spicy bitter finish.

Body is moderate, with a moderately high amount of carbonation softening the dry finish.

Decidedly malty aroma, but fairly hop-forward in flavor. Finish is a bit dry, and wish the hop profile were a more complex. There's something kinda odd about the mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2012 22:03:46 | More by barczar

Treebs

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Bell's Eccentric Cafe. Served in a footed ale glass.

A: Pours a dark amber color with a thin, off-white head. it recedes to a thin ring that leaves some splotchy lace down the glass.

S: Fruity hops with some caramel malt sweetness. Light floral notes as well.

T: Same as the nose. Fruity berries with some deep caramel malt. Pretty sweet on the malt side with an increased residual hops bitterness.

M: Medium to light bodied with a medium carbonation level. Really dry finish.

O: Pretty ho-hum. Solid offering, but probably wouldn't revisit. Heavy on the malts and super dry. I'd like something a little cleaner and more refreshing if I was to drink a harvest ale.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2013 14:39:33 | More by Treebs

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

An excellent concept, purchased at the Kalamazoo store as a special treat.

Pours an absolutely beautiful dark and warm amber, with just the right red tones. Impressive lacing, derived from surprisingly little head.

Aroma is subtle, but malt forward. Flavours are well rounded, also malt-forward, simple at the front but with many deeper roasted elements at the end of the taste and lingering into the finish. The hops aren't "west-coast" - more grassy and herbal, without the citrus or pine elements I typically associate with an APA.

No Two-Hearted, but a well-brewed beer supporting a fundamentally great idea that in my mind, is well worth the splurge.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:07:29 | More by hopsolutely

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

With a significant malt presence and enough hop spiciness to balance, the peculiar timing for a "harvest" ale has asserted itself in the spring season.

Rich auburn in color with golden highlights, the light haze offers a glimpse into the pronounced hop character of the beer. Well headed with an egg shell colored cap that lingers and laces impressively.

Malty aromas strike the olfactory sense first with the rich scents of caramel, bread crust, peanuts, and starchy malt. A balance of hops rise with spicy notes of earthy grasses and woods, floral perfumes, and freshly ground white pepper. The hops and malt are pulled together by the estery complex of peaches, apricots, and freshly cut tobacco.

Malt sweetness also plays on the palate with a moderate amount of residual malt sugars, along with dextrin-rich starch, and hearty caramels that trend toward toffee and sorghum. Floral and earthy hops turn to a slight bitterness of pine resin, grass, and spice that balances the beer in finish.

Medium bodies, partly due to the creamy carbonation but also because of the sweetness that the yeast has left behind and also because of the hearty starch character. The beer holds its texture very well until the finish where the semi-dry character of hop dryness and alcohol warmth assist the slowly fleeting malt suppression.

Gaining influence from the popular Amber Ale, Bell's interceeds the beer with earthy European-type hops for an earthy bitterness and taste. However it is unusual to see a "harvest" ale outside of the hop harvest (fall) season. The beer's base style and it's dull and broad hop character doesn't allow the hops to display properly or as vividly as "wet" hopped beers of October.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2012 16:27:11 | More by BEERchitect

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Bell's on April 27, 2012. Served in a pint glass. Reviewed from notes. Pours a nice golden color that is quite clear with a good white head and a bit of foam. The nose carries a bit of spice and quite a bit of European hops. This smells like an IPA with all European hops. Spice, earth, and herbal qualities coming through. The flavor is very similar. Over-the-top spicy in some ways. I think this would have been better scaled back given the delicacy of some of the hops that seem to be involved. Body is light-medium with a dry bitterness through the finish. Not a huge fan, unfortunately.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 17:05:46 | More by Thorpe429