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

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

Duff27

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Batch 10669
PKGD 9/12/11 A

A- Full inch of white head on a sediment filled amber bodyied beer.

S- Smells of biscuits and caramels.

T- Some caramel notes. Well balanced between malts and hops.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Smooth, lower end of carbonation.

D/O- Just a nice, easy drinker from Bell's. For whatever reason, this beer has never done much for me....aside from the appearance and drinkability it doesn't really stand out in any way. Good, but pretty middle of the road.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 04:50:42 | More by Duff27

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Copper Cellar, Knoxville. Pours amber with a long lasting, thick white head. Aroma is of ripe fruit and caramel malt. Medium-full, creamy body. Taste is of caramel malt, ripe fruit and earthy hops, some hints of chocolate. Long, dry finish. Tasty session brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 22:52:55 | More by mikeg67

Shumj

Illinois

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

Aroma: Sweet malt, very nice

Appearance: Copper color. Pours with a large head. Good carbonation. Nice lacing.

Flavor: Carmel and sweet malts, nioe even finish. A very good Ale, one just isn't enough.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a rich feel, mild carbonation.

Overall: A Very Good Ale not over powering but still with great taste, very nicely balanced. I definately recommend.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 04:17:09 | More by Shumj

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

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

A: Dark-orangey copper more so than amber. As light as some pales are dark. A bit of floaty haze with lots of small bubbles rising to a fair-sized cream-colored head. Good retention and nice lace.

S: Toasty grain & light caramel / crystal malts. Light, yet fruity and bright citrus hops. Good aroma, but not al that strong.

T: Balanced super nice between hops and malts. Starts off with a brief flash of light crystal malt sweetness. This is quickly pushed aside by the hops. Start off with bright & fruity citrus and then an herbal note that grows through the middle and becomes resiny in the end with a faint hint of pine in the finish. Throughout it all the toasty grain & biscuity / cracker pale base malt provide a solid backbone. Sweetness makes a brief reprise at the end as the hops start to fade and linger.

M: Medium, to just a hair over, for body with good balancing carbonation. Smooth and rich feel. Semi-sweet with some hop drying at the end that increases as you drink it down.

D: A bit light in some ways, but oh well – it still has lots of flavor & character and is very balanced. A rather well put together & executed amber. It is very drinkable, but at 5.8% it is getting up there. One of many solid anchors in Bell’s portfolio.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 21:07:58 | More by SickGnar

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was able to sample the Bell's Amber Ale at "The Bank" in Wheaton. The beer pours a clear amber and thin tan head which laced nicely. The scent was a sweet malt The taste included a sweet malt with floral hop finish. The mouthfeel was a medium body ale with good carbontation. Overall the beer is an easy drinking beer with good flavor and nothing takes over.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2011 00:46:34 | More by WoodBrew

CuriousMonk

Virginia

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

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass. Pours clear amber with a small white head. The head fades slowly and leaves a moderate amount of fine lace throughout. On the nose, there are aromas of caramel, grain, toasted malts, and hints of fruit and pine. The flavor is balanced between moderately sweet caramel malts and earthy, piney hops. The finish is moderate in length, with toasted grain. On the palate, it is medium in body with a smooth, watery texture and soft carbonation. An excellent and easy-drinking amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 15:55:55 | More by CuriousMonk

runner440

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is an awesome Amber Ale. A perfect session beer to drink all night. A perfect amount of Big thanks for Marc for hooking me up with this flagship beer. There are epic tastes of sweet caramel and malt. The mouth-feel was very nice and had a perfect amount of carbonation. The drinkabilitly on this beer is huge! One of the best Amber Ale's I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 02:04:56 | More by runner440

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a Pint glass.
Batch 103?

A - Pours a cloudy amber brown with a khaki colored head. Good retention and light lacing.

S - Sweet carmel, barley.

T - Lots of carmel, malts, barley.

D - Average body and carbonation.

O - Decent, sweeter and very carmel forward.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 03:19:10 | More by HuskyinPDX

dorianmarley

Ohio

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

Appearance is murky, light brown; like apple cider. Head is light and oil-slick. The lacing is nice.

Nose is sweet malt, light hops, apple cider, mild spice, and light citrus.

Taste is smooth hops with a light kick, lightly toasted malt, and apple.

Mouthfeel is a good amount of carbonation. It is very easy-drinking and very refreshing.

Overall, a tried-and-true American ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 04:31:36 | More by dorianmarley

beergoot

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Orange-copper color with some cloudiness; light head, not very thick, but sticks around to the end. Nice lacing with rings stepping down the glass. Looked like some sediment/yeast effervescing at the bottom of the glass (somewhat surprising, because I don't think this is supposed to be an unfiltered brew - I could be wrong).

Smell: Slight citrus aroma; not much else noticeable.

Taste: Light malt forward, kind of bread-like. A hint of caramel. Light bitterness finish.

Mouthfeel: Good, medium body, perhaps a bit too much carbonation.

Overall: A decent all-around beer. I much prefer their porter, Two-Hearted ale, and Oberon wheat, but this beer is also worth checking out when looking for a solid, middle-of-the-road style of beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 21:11:18 | More by beergoot

afdempse

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Murky amber colored beer with cloudiness and floaties from sediment. Head dissipates and leaves decent lacing.

Aroma is great. Strong scents of freshly baked bread, with an earthy spiciness contributed by the hops.

Flavor is a bit muted compared to the aroma. The bread flavor doesn't quite come through fully. Decently malty, and slightly fruity, but rather neutral and subdued. Hops come in and take over, finishing a bit edgy with yeasty notes following on.

Carbonation is good, body is medium and the finish is semi-dry. Hops seem to be a bit on the astringent side.

Overall, not bad. Certainly not in my top 10 Bell's list, however. For their "flagship" beer, it would seem like they'd put a bit more effort into getting the flavor out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 04:37:18 | More by afdempse

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle ---> pint glass. Hazy dark orange with medium sized white head. Sticky walls of lacing.

Smell is mostly cereal grain and malted barley. A floral blend of aromatic hops add an herbal essence to this beer. A touch of fruitiness rounds it out.

Taste is mostly sweetened malts and grain with some light floral hop character and some wet grass in the middle with dried berries and nuts. Perfect amount of lingering bitterness in the aftertaste.

Slightly undercarbonated and smooth.

Recommended if you enjoy lightly hopped, sweet ambers.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 20:36:51 | More by TheMultiYeast

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pretty much the definitiion for an Amber Ale. Poured at about the right temperature for a small to medium, light tan head that soon settled out. Color is a clear honey amber with some bubble trails. Aroma is malt, beer, and a little roast, hop, and fruit. Flavor is similar to nose with just a little sweetness to balance the carbonic tang and slight roast and hop. Body is superb, with excellent carbonation. Finish is like flavor and slowly fades with no off notes. Super easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 00:24:00 | More by drpimento

hdelavega

Florida

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured to a tulip.
Pours a nice honey amber, with a two finger fluffy white head that doesn't stick around long but leaves a nice lacing and keeps a thin whispy film atop the brew.
Smells of caramel malt and sweet carmalized sugar, I get a little breadyness In there with pretty discreet hops in the back.
Nice sweet malty flavors, I am still getting other burnt caramel. Nice lightly bitter hop finish.
Mouthfeel is medium light with medium high carbonation.
Easy to drink refreshing beer. I almost always have a bottle or two in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 03:03:32 | More by hdelavega

Dhgirl

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Beautiful amber color with a finger width of creamy head. Nice ribbon like lacing.
S: Sweet caramel sauce aroma.
T: Great malty sweet taste.
M: Medium body with light/medium carbonation.
O: Spring/Summer beer to enjoy with loved ones and friends.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 03:03:14 | More by Dhgirl

adman08

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Clear amber color with a great amount of creamy white head that leaves very nice lacing.
S-Aroma of sweet bread dough, it smells almost identical to fresh bread dough, very interesting. I detect a hint of baking spice.
T-Good balance of sweet, bready malt and mild hop bitterness.
M-Moderate body, good for the style. Good carbonation. Slightly sweet.
Overall, really great for the style. I think it's a totally overlooked style and I understand, it's not exciting but for the style this beer is excellent. It's one of those beers I could drink all day.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 22:15:28 | More by adman08

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is hazy amber in color. It poured with a finger high white head that slowly died down, leaving wispy patterns of bubbles floating on the surface.
S: There are aromas of caramel malts in the nose along with hints of citrus hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell with additional flavors of bready malts and has a light amount of bitterness in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and quite smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very well balanced and isn’t too malty.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 16:55:31 | More by metter98

Cummins9110

Indiana

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

poured into mug

A - first off this pours an excelent head that lingers for a long time

S - smells of delicious carmel, like candy bar carmel!

T - taste like carmel and toffee, and fruit(I cant tell you what fruit, maybe apricot?) my brain is searching for the taste im tasting! im thinking its apricot that has me stumped

M - Very soft, yet i would consider it light, maybe more fluffy

Overall like all the Bell's beers im very impressed. This is a great Amber!

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 07:16:12 | More by Cummins9110

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer looks like a perfect example for an amber. The color is, well, amber, and on the pour you get minimal foam. The carbonation was pretty minimal, and not surprisingly, the foam dissipated quickly.

Off the top a get a little bit of sourness. I get some light malt and some caramel.

In each drink I get the typical amber flavor and a little bit of metalic.

This is a good example of amber. I recommend trying it out.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:04:56 | More by ummswimmin

Immortale25

Florida

4.11/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a D'achouffe snifter. Says packaged on 8/29/11.

A- Pours a dark, slightly hazy copper color with a one-finger head that reduces to a 1/4 inch and has somewhat decent lacing.

S- Smells sweet and balanced with no one ingredient more apparent than the other. Some apple maybe. Ah, after a large whiff, some hops show up but you've really gotta dig.

T- Once again, great balance. The malts are definitely there with the hops a close second but they work perfectly together. When that happens, usually there's a yin-yang bittersweet vibe but with this it's more sweet than anything. After a few sips, the bitterness finally sinks in but it's more earthy than citrusy.

M- Medium-high carbonation with soft, pillowy bubbles. A slight alcohol tinge that's to be expected since it's so close to 6%.

O- Makes sense that this is the original Bell's beer since it's so flavorful yet drinkable and just an all-around great session beer. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 04:06:46 | More by Immortale25