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

Proteus93

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A murky gold, quite a bit of sediment got poured in there. Decent retention on the off-white head.

S: Soft and sweet, light toasted malts, a bit of a floral scent.

T + M: A mild bodied drink, light & sweet toasted malts. A little bit of both a buttery feel and taste in there together, along with floral hops towards the end. Barely bitter, but just enough so to round it all out. Excellent.

D: I would have another of these in a heartbeat. There's not much more that could be done to make this any easier for me to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2008 20:22:34 | More by Proteus93

scottyshades

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a light brown/caramel color with a 4 finger head that leaves a decent lace

S: Sweet nose, mostly roasted malts and caramel...overall a sweet smelling beer. Nice and piney hops.

T: Sweet; caramel, roasted malts, hops, and possibly molasses

MF: Clean, not dry, not bitter, good aftertaste, goes down easily

D: Superb, very drinkable, definitely my new favorite session beer during the summer

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 02:40:08 | More by scottyshades

skrib09

Missouri

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

really nice hazy copper/amber color to this beer. nice creamy head.

smells well balanced. a touch of hops with some sweetness from the malts.

tastes great! great balance to this brew. again, a touch of flavor and notes from the hops with the balance from the malts. not overly sweet, just a touch, just enough.

great mouthfeel. a touch of the alcohol towards the back of the palate.

great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 05:30:45 | More by skrib09

LauraAlberts

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Cloudy Amber color with night fingers worth of head

Smell: Not too much - might need to warm up. Mild hops, mild citrus, very floral notes. Very nice.

Taste: Honey, Brown Sugar, Hops, Barley - Very nice long tasting profile.

Mouthfeel: Nice soft tannins, this beer is light and refreshing - but not watery.

Drinkability: Session. I love this new Bells beer we're getting here in SC.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2009 17:22:02 | More by LauraAlberts

JEdmund

Kansas

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance
Cloudy, apricot; minimal white head; more orange than amber

Smell
Fruity, sweet, and floral, reminiscent of pear, peach, berry, and caramel

Taste & Mouthfeel
Nicely balanced with an initial crisp bitterness, followed by a light bready sweetness and fruity notes. Mouthfeel seems perfect--not water-thin nor too heavy for the style. The finish is very clean, leaving me wanting more and making for an easy-drinking ale.

Overall
Bell's Amber Ale is a good session beer, as it manages to stay drinkable while packing in a lot flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2009 19:47:31 | More by JEdmund

Tinfoilrcr

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My first Bell's beer and let me just say that I will definitely be trying more of their beers, as this was a fantastic beer.

It has a beautiful red copper color with a good head that lasts throughout the life of the pint.

The beer has a wonderful balance of sweet citrus flavors and a good dose of hops for a very refreshing finish. Neither the sweet malts nor the hops are over-powering.

This is by far one of the best ambers I have had, and the only disappointing part was when it was finished.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 23:31:43 | More by Tinfoilrcr

NODAK

Tennessee

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Smells of caramael, malty sweetness and a bit of toastiness. Pretty rich...I was surprised.

Floral hop crispness comes across the tongue initially with a bit of bitterness, but not all that much. What follows is a good dose of caramel maltiness and toasty flavors in the middle to finish of the beer. Reminds me of a German crystal malt here. There's a little residual bitterness that lingers a bit after the swallow along with the toastiness that is pretty prevalent.

It's actually a very tasty beer that does an excellent job of balancing the right amount of hops with malt. Awesome!

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 03:03:23 | More by NODAK

aepb1

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A re-review after some palate-training and education!

A- Cloudy burnt orange body with a white had and nice lacing present

S- Sweet malty, floral citrus hops

T- Roasty malt moving into the nice citrus hops in the finish. There's a nice full buttery malt under it all

M- Medium, crisp finish with hops and carbonation

D- Very easy to drink and great example of style!

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 17:26:49 | More by aepb1

ninaturner

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Caramel color, somewhat chalky, unfiltered.

Aroma: You can smell a hint of caramel malt and some yeast, but there is little aroma.

Taste: You can definitely taste the caramel malt in the beer. I love the kick of bittering hops at the end. Probably my favorite part of the beer.

Mouthfeel: Great mouthfeel; somewhat thick but not too thick--similar to other amber ales.

Drinkability: Mouthfeel and overall flavor make this beer highly drinkable.

Overall: You can't go wrong with this Bell's Amber Ale!

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 23:00:48 | More by ninaturner

Mitchster

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewed with pale, caramel, munich malts, and a "mélange of American hops".

OG=1.056, 6.0% ABV.

Brilliantly clear with a careful decant, honey-colored amber with copper accents, forming a sticky white head with very good retention and excellent lacing. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma has a nice touch of sweet butterscotch, clover honey, toasted grains, and mild hops. Mouthfeel is slick with a medium body and moderately bright acidity from the carbonation. Taste begins with smooth, well-balanced earthy hybrid American/English hops followed by caramel, a backbone of honey sweetness and a lightly astringent tea-like toasted malt body. The finish has notes of grainy bitterness and is lightly dry with more butterscotch and tannins.

A very nice, solid amber ale. Always a pleasure to drink some Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2003 23:00:35 | More by Mitchster

alexgash

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I'm beginning to think that Bell's beers were made for me. The amber ale appears to be their flagship beer, much like Fat Tire is New Belgium's. Both being amber ales, I can safely say that Bell's kicks Fat Tire's Fat Ass. No offense New Belgium.
Cloudy orange-tinged amber with a pillowy soft white head. Smells of sweet graham crackers, with a gentle hop backing. The taste reminds me of homemade cookie dough and caramel rolls. Very malty and yeasty. Medium bodied, low carbonation. Some hop presence (just enough to balance out the bakery sweetness). One of the best ambers I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2004 04:06:42 | More by alexgash

Opethsprite

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep, murky orange with a slight, foamy head. (It would be very nice to look at if there was more of a head.) Smells very sweet, but with a good balance of spices to keep it from being sickly sweet. Moderately plain, though. Given the nose, I wasn't expecting such a level of broadness and subtlety in the taste. Spicy and slightly metallic at first (but not overkill...ie Dogfish 90 IPA), the beer becomes honey-sweet and well-rounded. This is a beautifully crafted beer!!!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2005 02:36:20 | More by Opethsprite

Shovelbum

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a white head over a copper-amber body. Head rapidly recedes. Light aromas of caramel malt, hay and yeast. Sweet caramel malt flavors predominate, but are balanced by a decent hop bitterness in the background. Medium carbonation and body. Smooth mouthfeel and clean finish.

Well-balanced and fairly complex for the style. The Bell's yeast is definately detectable and lends an interesting twist. One of my favorite session beers. A Michigan classic.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2005 23:34:15 | More by Shovelbum

malcontent

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Hazy, light amber body with lots of visible yeast in suspension. Head comes on strong but fades all too quickly.

Big amber malt nose laced with an orange peel hop scent. Biscuit notes linger. A fine aroma profile for the style.

Biscuity right up front and back-loaded with citrus hops. Outstanding balance of soft brown sugar-sweet malt with a crisp, controlled finishing bitterness.

A touch over-carbonated although thinking back to the head I'm wondering if I should have poured harder. The body is full but never heavy. This has been, and in my mind still is, one of the reasons this style exists. An often overdone, underwhelming beer that is taken to new heights here. Sessionable in every way and a Midwestern classic.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2007 04:14:11 | More by malcontent

snaotheus

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a really good amber. It's not overly sweet, it's not overly bitter. It's extremely well balanced.

Very nice looking beer. Deep amber color, thin film of beige head, light lacing, looks like some sort of sediment suspended. Thick in the mouth. Smells slightly earthy and sweet. I now wish I had bought more than a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 21:03:23 | More by snaotheus

popery

California

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A thank you to deliriumfest for our recent trade (the first of about 30) which gave me the opportunity to try this beer. Bell's Amber is a quite good amber with a fresh full feel and a balanced earthy flavor. The color is spot on for an amber, whatever that means, but the head dissipated quickly and left little lacing in my DFH glass. The smell is bready and full of caramel malt. The flavor strikes an interesting balance between spicy, earthy hops and doughy, sweet malt. The feel is thicker and fuller than expected. It's rather chewy. There's some apple or raisin note in the background. Bell's Amber Ale is an enjoyable, sessionable and solid beer. Quick edit: I'm actually going to bump my taste score up a half notch. The malt flavor is really growing on me.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2009 07:19:10 | More by popery

isualum12

Idaho

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ok my second bells ever. I got it in a little package and was like a kid in a candy store.

This beer looked amazing when I poured it into a clear pint. It glowed red Cooper with a thick finger high head that ran away quickly to a white lace

The smell was good. Not to strong or over powering.

Taste was a little sweet with a follow up of light bitters. I think there is a very mild hint of raw honey in this beer. It left me wondering how it's taste would change as it was paired with spicy foods. My guess is amazing.

Feel was alright. It has some carbonization rolling in and sits on the tip of your tonge.

Over all I am impressed. This beer explained to me the rave about bells. Honestly I had to question it before this beer. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 02:00:59 | More by isualum12

Brent

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Coppery amber. A fair bit of flaky white sediment decanted, most of which stayed suspended, but the larger chunks sank to the bottom of the glass. Malty aroma, flavor is very bright and lively. Malty, tangy and moderately hoppy, all at the same time. Well crafted. A very nice example of the style - lots of personality without going over the top.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2003 09:42:19 | More by Brent

chaduvel

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice orange/red amber color, sticky head that stays around for the whole beer. Oily hops and malt on the nose. Taste is toasted malt, some sweet malt and touches of oily hop and that unique Bell's flavor...is it some special hops or special malts. I don't know...yet. Very tasty. This is by far the best amber that I've had thus far.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2003 17:01:19 | More by chaduvel

canoehornpoint

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Very nice. Poured a nice light amber with little head but very clingy. Light malty aroma. Light creamy malty swee taste with a hint of black currant, nicely offset with finishing hops. Surprisingly light mouthfeel considering the taste. Finishes a bit fuller than the start. Even though I prefer a hoppier beer, I could enjoy many more of these. Very well done.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2004 02:05:41 | More by canoehornpoint

nota

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours cloudy amber with tan head. My wife could smell the sweetness of this beer three feet away! It is sweet, but I like the citrus tang of this beer mix with caramel overtones at end. Thier is enough hops to give it a good balance. I could drink this beer all day.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2005 01:05:45 | More by nota

beveritt

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass. I picked up this beer as part of a 12 pack Midwest Sample Pack. No date visible, but it was stored in a cooler and most of the beer in the store was dust free.

Appearance: Nice copper color with a steady stream of bubbles coming up form the bottom of the glass. Initially it has a one finger head comprised of pretty large bubbles. The head disappeared quickly and left no lacing.

Smell: Sweet, malty smell. It is almost like sticking your nose in a bag of fresh cracked grains before you dump them into your boiling kettle. Also noticeable is a citrusy smell from the hops.

Taste: Sweet and malty upfront, with a nice level of bitter aftertaste. Hints of caramel.

Moutfeel: The carbonation level is good, a decent amount stuck around, even after a heavy pour.

Drinkability: Not too heavy, I could drink this all day.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2006 21:27:57 | More by beveritt

nycjag

New York

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another yummy beer from my Bell's mixpack. Brazenly purchased in Harrisburg, PA, and stealthily brought back across the New York State border via an underground tunnel that was carved out under the Hudson River at least a half century ago. Maybe drinking Bell's in New York City makes it taste better because we vociferously aren't supposed to have it. If so, who cares? This is a great beer.

It pours a nice deep amber (duh) with about a one-inch head. The aroma hops aren't too far forward and the maltiness you get from quaffing this beer is also present in the aroma.

This is an Amber you could drink gallons of and not get tired of it. Some nice biscuity flavors going on here.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2007 05:52:05 | More by nycjag

TheBierBand

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on-tap at Dewey's Pizza. It arrived at my table in a pint glass with a scant 1/4" of left-over head that quickly diminished to a thin cap. The color is clear and medium/dark yellow.

The nose is not readily apparent... just some slight toasted malt.

Taste: This is one SOLID AMBER. Malt sweetness, a little buttery smoothness and a tiny hop bitterness at the end that makes for a well-balanced brew.

MF: Medium carbonation, buttery smooth, nice aftertaste.

Drinkability: Hech yeah!... have these all day long.... this one is all about sessionable goodness.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2008 13:24:10 | More by TheBierBand

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A dark amber with huge chunks of particles flowing throughout. Head is initially strong but quickly dissipates, but allows for nice lacing while drinking. Sweet malts are present in the nose as well as in the mouth. Nice mix between sweet malts and bitter hoppyness. At 5.8% ABV its very drinkable, and a great year round session beer for people who are lucky enough to locate Bell's beer easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2009 06:25:46 | More by