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

kc44

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep copper hue, a little haze, but a great head that starts out fluffy and then collapses in on itself to stick around and stay thick. Malt and a bit of bread on the nose, I wouldn't mind a little bit of hops and some more complex grainy character. Incredibly delicious beer - the bread shows up here, and so do the hops, the malt doesn't bail. Wow. This beer has a great depth of flavor, and remarkable interplay and balance in the elements of its taste. A real pleasure to drink, decent bodied but doesn't require chewing, carbonated but doesn't try to jump back up your throat. Overall, a terrific example of what basic American microbrewing is at its best. It doesn't need to be crazy hoppy. This is a well-balanced, totally thought out beer. That being said, it is simply not the type to knock your socks off and be a once-in-a-lifetime. That's ok by me -- I'll happily keep this in my mental list of go-to basics for the rest of my life.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 03:28:54 | More by kc44

beagle75

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

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

A: Slightly hazy, light amber color with one finger of diminishing off-white foam head. Moderate stepwise lacing remains on the glass and profuse solids hang suspended throughout the column.

S: Bready, with mild caramel and crystal malt.

T: Begins dry, with refined bread, mild herbaceous hop aromatics, and a whiff of caramel. Acidity is of minor presence into the middle where grain becomes maltier before earthy flavors step up to dominate in the mildly bitter finish.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, wet and slightly astringent on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This amber ale is satisfactory in its ability to capture some English plae ale qualities while remaining clean and versatile. Hopping is light but appropriate, while malt components are varied and interesting without being challenging.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 17:54:57 | More by beagle75

Vec2267

Florida

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - murky orange with nice off white head, not much lacing

S - caramel, grass, notes of citrus

T - caramel and toasted bread, grainy, but a surprising hop bite for the style

M - quite creamy

O - I like that the grains and breads are balanced with some hops heft - but not what I was expecting from the style

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 22:42:31 | More by Vec2267

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into pint glass.

A - Hazy light brown amber with yeast sediment floating around.

S - Light scent of sweet malts and a touch of floral hops.

T - Biscuity malt followed by slightly bitter hops. Nicely balanced.

M - Smooth, medium bodied, average carbonation.

O - Another good offering from Bell's. An easy drinking amber ale with decent flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 01:31:40 | More by mooseo

Gladius270

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Deep orange, rusty color on this. Good lacing. I had to mark it down because of some "floaties" I have. Not like an unfiltered look... This is floating matter.

S- Sweet and Malty. Not much more to say here.

T- At the beginning it follows the nose. There is a really good consistent bitter backbone here. I enjoy the back-end of the taste ALOT. It's hard for me to describe. It's a heavily caramelized sugar aftertase. much like the aftertaste that I remember from hot fudge.

M- Medium body, maybe leaning toward the thinner side. Carbonation stings on the tongue.

O- At first I was not real keen on this one, but after a few sips, it really opened up for me. This is yet another solid offering from Bell's!

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 03:09:54 | More by Gladius270

sweemzander

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into a nonic. 09/27/11 packaged date.

(A)- Pours a hazy amber color. A small cap of white froth & lace.

(S)- A nice malty backbone with some subtle fruits; grainy.

(T)- Similar to the smell. A nice malty backbone with some subtle grainy fruits.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Simple and straightforward, but smooth and malty.

(D)- A solid, straightforward amber. Malty, but smooth and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 19:23:22 | More by sweemzander

Doughbodyboy

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

it pours a slightly hazy slightly golden amber with a solid head that is hanging around. the malt is solid with a lasting taste. the hopy note is rather light with no real bitterness. it has the right refreshing fell in the mouth. nice and bubbly. i prefer a strong IPA. so this was surprising how good it was to me. i recomend this fine amber ale from bells!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:15:13 | More by Doughbodyboy

climax

Kansas

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This one pours a true amber hue, pretty cloudy, and a nice tan head. Retention is very good and lace is decent.

There's nice balance in the nose. Lemon zest and grass make up the bright hop profile, while buttery caramel and bready grains comprise of the backbone.

The flavor has the malt forwardness of Bell's Oktoberfest, yet adds the extra hop dimension. It's balanced all the way, and not too shabby on intensity either. Sweet caramel and bread are consistent throughout, and the bitterness is always able to keep up.

Plenty of carbonation greets the tongue and lingers throughout the semi-dry finish. The body is on the light side of medium and the feel is slightly thin. There's no doubt this makes a good well-balanced session beer with enough flavor to stay satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 00:35:38 | More by climax

Jerone

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Hazy amber in color with a one finger cream colored head that fades to nothing relatively quick, very little lacing.

S - Slightly sweet malt flavor mixed with a touch of floral and citrus hops, some biscuity aromas in there too.

T - malts > hops, some sweet lightly toasted malts that have a biscuit and toasted bread flavor, with a touch of floral and citrus hops in there. The finish starts out with some hop bitterness but fades to a lingering flavor of malts.

M - Light body with low carbonation.

O - A solid beer that tastes good and is quite enjoyable, I would recommend it. I also wouldn't recommend going out of your way for it because imho there are slightly better amber ales that can be found quite easily.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 20:31:27 | More by Jerone

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a bold, clear amber with a thin head and lace lasting to the end. It's aroma is of sweet, roasted malt, dough, pine and straw. The flavor is fruity with notes of roasted nuts, bread crust, and a hint of toffee in the background. There's a smooth hop bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium. Bells Amber Ale is a good brew, refreshing and very drinkable. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 23:54:12 | More by B967ierhunter177

OleJohnnieAle

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured an amber color with finger of tan head. Very minimal lacing left behind.

S: So sweetness from the rich malts.

T: nice sweet malts hit you up front with some nice biscuity flavors.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation. Well balanced and crisp finish.

O: seems just an average amber, nothing special but a decent beer worth another shot.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 03:09:12 | More by OleJohnnieAle

muletrane

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottled on 9/12/11

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a nonic.

A: Pours a very hazy amber color. 2 fingers of egg shell head. Tight bubbles. Decent retention and lace.

S: I'm getting alot of sweet fruity malty notes. A slight touch of Belgian yeast qualities in the nose as well.

T: Slightly sweet malts up front. Biscuity notes on the back end. Finish is pretty dry. Not alot of hop character here.

M: Crisp, clean and dry overall. Moderate body and carbonation.

Overall this is an average amber ale. Not a bad beer by any means. Taste isn't bad and its easy to drink. Nice nose on this beer as well. Just nothing great. I'll review again when I come across a more fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 15:05:44 | More by muletrane

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an orange/copper color w/ a thin off white head. Good lacing on the side of my snifter. Lots of yeast hanging out in this brew- just enjoying life living in a Bell's beer. The nose is sweet malt, fruit, yeast. A very nice smelling brew- very balanced and pleasant. The taste follows the nose exactly, with hops being added to the mix. Very tasty for the style. Feel is medium, creamy, with a nice full finish. Overall, another solid brew from Bell's. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 17:16:52 | More by jayhawk73

dexterk1

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass. Color is little hazy reddish brown. Head was small and dissipated relatively quickly.
Odor is pleasant and is malty and sweet with some caramel notes.
Taste is good overall. First you get some malt and toffee. Finish has some hops bitterness and a little more malt.
Mouth feel is not too bad. Does not linger too long and feels a little light on your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 22:05:38 | More by dexterk1

VaterRoss

North Carolina

1.63/5  rDev -57.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

12oz bottle into tumbler, bottled 12/15/11

Pours a mostly clear amber with a nice off-white frothy head. Looks good so far. Not much going on in the nose, a light biscuity malt and hint of hop spiciness. Oh my, what happened here; taste starts aright with some mellow malt biscuit and some hoppiness, then I am hit by the distinct taste of soap (ugh). Mouthfeel is even worse with the smooth.creamy, and very slick texture of soapy water. Not even the nice maltiness can save this one as it is buried in soap.

This beer tastes like very mild soap (this could be the diacetyl) and that is not a good thing. Starts off tasting fine and then turns into dishwater. This is one of the more unpleasant beers I have had. Perhaps this was just a bad batch?

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 17:39:17 | More by VaterRoss

littlelorib

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is my first example of the style.

Cloudy orange brew with a persistent creamy head. Smells wonderfully of biscuit and yeast topped with sweet and floral notes. Taste is middle of the road, but nice and balanced. All the things hinted at in the smell come out - the biscuity sweetness of the malt balanced nicely by the hops.

Overall this is a very enjoyable beer. It makes a nice change from the porters and stouts i've been drinking recently, and i can definitely see myself getting more.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 00:40:09 | More by littlelorib

secondtooth

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a semi-clear amber with some sediment. Huge head with lovely, detailed lace.

Nose is delectable -- biscuity grains, yeast, sweet malts.

Taste is sweet and malty, too, with a hint of hops at the finish. Certainly a solid, easy-to-drink ale that would make an ideal gateway ale towards craftier ales. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 13:48:33 | More by secondtooth

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

A) Hazy amber with many bubble rising to the surface. There was a fair amount of sediment. The head reached a full finger. It settled to a dusting. Nice sticky lacing, spider webbed the pint.

S) Malty, bready, caramel, earthy hops, light floral and fruit.

T) Pretty close to the nose, but more hops character than I picked up with the aroma. Nice malt flavors, caramel sweetness, toasted grains. This is balanced out by the hops and an earthy/grassy finish.

M) Medium body, pretty well carbonated, maybe just a tad too much for me, but that's knit picking. The aftertaste lingers a bit, but on the whole, this is an easy drinker.

O) Solid amber ale option.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 05:28:13 | More by RoamingGnome

hopfacebrew

Colorado

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

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes from my vacation to Arizona. Beer reviewed on 4/15/2011.

A - Beer poured from brown 12oz bottle to a pint glass. Pours a clear bronze/amber color with a good 2 finger cream colored bubbly head, good retention, and nice lacing.

S - The aroma is that of a sweet malt/toasted grains. A nice subtle earthy/herbal/citrus hop character.

T - The beer has a good flavor or toasted malt found in the nose. Together with that sweetness the hop character presents a well balanced beer. Nice herbal/citrus tones. Pretty solid

M - Lighter end of medium bodied and well carbonated.

O - I was pleasantly intrigued by this beer. For the style I've found the Ambers to be too malty or overhopped and not balanced. I wish it was distributed to Colorado :)

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-17-2011 18:42:05

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 14:27:58 | More by hopfacebrew

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Amber with some orangeish tint to it. Head is just off white and lasts quite well. Almost no lacing.
S- Quite sweet with some sugary cookie, some fruityness, caramel, and floral.
T- It's quite sweet and sugar. Very much like a cookie with a bit of dried apple in the finish. The hops are very subdued until a floral and light citrus rounds it out in the finish.
M- Very smooth. Light medium body, with medium-high carb that keeps it lively.
O- A drinkable smooth ale. It's a bit too sweet for my preferences, but there is nothing glaringly wrong with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 03:03:16 | More by jsprain1

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12OZ in a pint glass.

A- Hazy amber with a two finger head. Lots of random floating particles.
S- Sugary red with some caramel sweetness. Not a ton to it but pretty nice.
T- Silky smooth malts. This beer is as creamy smooth as they get. Good biter sweet balance. Tastes like a typical red, lots of Unique malts.
M- A very balanced beer. Not too bitter or sweet. Very nice drinking and satisfying. Full flavored and full bodied and yet, not too hard to drink.
O- Most amber ales dont stand out and tend to all blend together. This one may not be a unique step forward but its definitely a step up. A great amber ale for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 05:42:12 | More by TwelveOunces

natemort13

California

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes, 12-25-2011

Bottled 11/09/11

Nice new label, love the Michigan nature scene...good to be home.

Pours a light orangey brown with a decent frothy white head.

Nose is almost all malty sweetness and bread, slight touch of hops, not overly impressed but hey I'm a hophead.

Nice strong malt presence up front, carbonation lingers on the finish with slight hop bitterness that balances out the malty sweetness. Caramelly, some biscuit.

Overall it's better than I remember, I definitely appreciate the balance of this beer much more now, but when two-hearted is sitting on the shelf next to it I know what I'm gonna reach for.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 06:14:28 | More by natemort13

jsh420

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bottled on 11/29/11

pours cloudy amber orange with a frothy 2 finger off white head that left some spotted lacing

smells of sweet caramel malt, apples, and earthy hops

taste is semi sweet biscuit malt little grain fruity floral earthy hops - could use more bitterness

mouthfeel is a tad thin - decent carbonation very smooth and easy drinking

overall - not a mind blowing beer but well made good flavor very sessionable

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 05:53:38 | More by jsh420

soju6

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice moderate amber color with a good head and some lacing.

S: Aroma is a mixture of sweet malt and citrus. There is also a trace of fresh grain.

T: A pleasant flavor of caramel with some fruit tart to start. Fresh grain with a nice bitterness and a dry finish.

F: Fairly moderate body. Smooth and refreshing. Very well balanced.

O: A very good Amber Ale, much more than I expected. I will have to add this to my regular inventory.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 13:26:11 | More by soju6

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Yellow golden tan, white creamy 2 inch head, some lacing.

Smell - Malts, earthy,biscuit-like armoa. Some bitter fruits mixed with a little yeasty sour smell.

Taste - Nice smooth caramel malty flavor along with some mild hops and dark fruits. Toffee and some added sugars give this a sweet, yet not overly done flavor. Alcohol is masked very well. Pretty simple sytle, and basic taste done well.

Mouthfeel - Thin, smooth and very easy to drink. Malts hit tounge with there caramel and toffee goodness. Palette gets remaining malts, some hops and a little bitterness. Aftertaste is smooth and malty.

Overall - A simple beer, simply done well. Very tastly, easy to drink and low alcohol make this a easy beer to enjoy. Very well done and easy to get ahold off. Worth a drink for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:42:53 | More by wvsabbath