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

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.14/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

a cloudy (yeast chunk covered) amber red pour with a finger of head which quickly dissipated. smells of citrus, fruity (strawberry), and bready grain profile. slight earthy bitterness with lots of citrus notes and sweet malt. light-medium body with moderate carbonation. a refreshing ale.

i believe this is the least impressive bell's beer i have tasted so far.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 05:14:36 | More by facundoCNB

aaronbeach69

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

appearance a dark orange... copper... not dark enought o be "amber". 1.3 fingers head, lace holds to sides of cup pretty well... head is somewhat carmel-white...

smell: fruity with subdued hops

taste: nice bitter aftertaste in the back of the mouth... somewhat of a warm alchohol glow left...tips of tounge tingle between carbonation and alchohol showing through more than expected. However, the mid-taste seems subtle to non-existent...

mouthfeel - a nice mouthfeel... somewhat filling than most pale ales I have had but much less than a hearty IPA...

drinkability - easily drinkable... however a little bit of alchohol jumps out that the ABV doenst' justify...

notes: an ok beer, something I would repeat... but not that I plan to

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2004 03:14:01 | More by aaronbeach69

Slynger

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very lightly hazy tangerine color with a slight lean towards bronze. An off-white head settles quickly to a ring around the glass leaving some solid lace.
The nose is quite weak. Biscuit malts and a little bit of sweet honey accompanied by a light floral hop presence.
The taste picks this one up a bit. Mostly toasted bread with a small amount of sweetness. Bitter and earthy in the finish.
Mouthfeel is crisp and dry and leaves me thirsty, only maybe I will try something else .
This one is okay, but there are a lot of other beers I'd rather drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 05:43:29 | More by Slynger

nocheinsbitte

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

had this from a 12 oz bottle.

A: pours a typcial amber-orange color with minimal head and no lacing. A decent looking bier.
S: very slight smell, nothing spectacular.
T: not as robust as many ambers, a little weak.
M: nothing exciting here, doesn't offend bu doesn't excite.
D: could have a few of these on a hot summer day, but it wouldn't be too remarkable.

Bells usually makes a good product, this is not one of it's best. This is a "recommend slightly".

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 01:39:38 | More by nocheinsbitte

Axic10

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours an amber orangish color with a thin layer of head that disappears quickly.

Smell: A very week nose with hints of slightly bready malt.

Taste: Caramel, bready malt with a somewhat weird sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and semi chewy.

Overall: Bell's makes so many great beers, this is not one of them.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 02:42:38 | More by Axic10

RBorsato

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bronze color with lots of tiny suspended sediment, a full pillowy light beige head, decent carbonation, and decent lace. Light spicy malt aroma. Spicy malt flavors on the forefront; almost a bit like it was oxidized or infected but I doubt that. A bit on the sweet side. Medium-light bodied with a decent balance; not too sweet.

Not a rebuy ... bland.

Per Bell's website:
Mostly Pale Malt with some Munich and Caramel Malts
OG: 1.056
ABV: 5.8%

Batch # 7757 ('6329' lasered on bottom)
Tasted: 01/20/07

($7.99 / 6-pack)

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 19:42:47 | More by RBorsato

BeerMark

Alabama

3.05/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bell's Amber Ale pours an amber color with a medium head. The smell is of light malts and nothing else. The taste is weak with some malt and very little hops in the mix. This is a beer that I had high expectations for but was let down in the end. It's drinkable, but that's about it. There just ain't a whole lot of flavor goin' on here. I look foward to trying some of Bell's other offerings. This amber ale will not be purchased again.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 05:50:55 | More by BeerMark

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Batch 9468; Sampled April 2010
An aggressive pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three-finger thick, lightly tanned head. The beer is a reddish, amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, amber, with flashes of gold color when held up to the light. Hmm, interesting the beer smells of butterscotch... and more butterscotch; while this note is not loud, it over-powers most of the other notes in the aroma. Some biscuit-like malt character is just perceptible at times.

Lightly sweet, with a soft fruitiness to it up front, but the beer finishes with an out-of-place light tartness that I wouldn't guess was intended. A touch of herbal hops towards the middle and finish lead to a light, but firm bitterness. The fruitiness found here is quite possibly accentuated by the light hop character. The butterscotch diacetyl note from the aroma is much reduced in the flavor (which is often the case), but still adds some buttery notes to the middle and finish of this beer. This has a medium-light body to it that would make for being quite quaffable on a day other than the heat of summer. The tartness in the finish combines with the herbal hop character and gets a touch harsh at times.

I'll definitely have to get another bottle of this as this is almost definitely heading down the road to an infection; this is not actually horrible tasting though and is even somewhat enjoyable in its own right. Hopefully Bells is able to clean up this infection as I really like a lot of their beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2010 14:22:19 | More by Gueuzedude

HopHeadKen

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I have been on the trail of Amber Ale recently, acquiring several for a trade I am about to ship; so as a consequence, I have reviewed a number of them in the past week; I am sorry to say that this is my biggest dissapointment from Bell's - (BTW, I LOVE Expedition Stout, and several others) This sixer has a bottle code of #6302.

It is bottle conditioned, with a large layer of loose sediment in the bottom of the bottle, I had two of them, trying to isolate the sediment, which poured like chunks of green/brown trub from my first attempt, somewhat un-appetizing; if this is a negative in your beer book, then POUR CAREFULLY !

The pour is hazy orange copper, not as dark or red as other ambers that I have been recently been drinking. It has an ivory head that quickly dissapates to a thin lace.

The smell is faint, carmel malt; and the taste is carmel malty with the thinnest hints of plumb or raisin (maybe I was really looking too hard); with a subtle hop bitterness that finished tart. wondering if it might have been bottle conditioned with a Belgian Lambic yeast ?

I won't be running out to get more of this; and IF you are shopping for it, look at the bottles first, to see how how much sediment is in the bottom.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2005 20:42:10 | More by HopHeadKen

brentk56

North Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a very cloudy ice tea color with a decent head that leaves a few shards of lace; clearly bottle conditioned

Smell: Caramel malt and grassy aromas

Taste: Starts out with a diacetyl influenced butterscotch flavor; after the swallow some toasted grain bitterness kicks in, providing a yeasty, sweet and fruity finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick bodied, with moderately prickly carbonation

Drinkability: Just not my cup of tea, here; this Amber has some flavors I find in some of my least favorite English brews; the combination of the diacetyl and the overwhelming yeasty flavors are a downer

Thanks, murrayswine, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2006 21:24:02 | More by brentk56

alkemy

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy amber-orange color with a fluffy tan head. Sweet malty smell and no discernable hops smell. After drinking Nugget Nectar and Hopback within the week, I was fairly dissapointed with this one. I know Bell's has been touted as having some great beers, but this one just doesn't do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 22:07:13 | More by alkemy

kinger

Ohio

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Mild malt aroma. Light amber color with a medium thin head, some lacing present. Smooth on the palate with an easy finish. Good flavor kind of boring especially from Bell's. There was a subtle creamy sweet malt presence and the beer is lightly hopped. Nothing great about this "flagship" beer but easily drinkable and pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2008 12:21:34 | More by kinger

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Well I would first like to point out the Batch Number on this beer being 8231. It was packaged November 14, 2007. I was very disappointed when I found this out.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle. This beer had a nice fluffy, off white colored head. The color was very awesome, fading from a light orange to an amber orange at the top. I can definately taste that this beer is almost a year old and it makes me sad that I didn't get to enjoy the full potentials of Bell's. The beer tasted very skunked, so I am going to stop my review here and when I get a chance to try an "up to date" bottle, then I will write a new review.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 03:58:47 | More by mothman

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer smells good. I have always been a big fan of Bell’s. I REALLY like their seasonal beers; of course, the beers I can’t get anytime I want them. And it always works where I want one when I can’t get one!

Anyway, moving on to the Bell’s Amber Ale. I like ales, the pale ales especially. But after pouring this into a glass, it doesn’t appear to be as dark as a good pale ale. It’s not a pale ale though, it’s just an ale. Too many ales going on here.

The nose and the head on this beer are pretty consistent. The drinkability is solid too. Most pales have a bitter, almost thickness to them. This beer drinks like a domestic with a bit of punch toward the back of the palate. I would drink this beer with dinner, perhaps on the back porch while reading a book. (I really should read more than I do.) It also leaves a good aftertaste. I wouldn’t call it a strong aftertaste, just a lasting and comfortable one. Try the beer, it will make sense!

I wonder how this would taste on tap… most beers taste different on tap. Not saying they taste better, just different. Man, that aftertaste just isn’t going away. Bravo Bell’s!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 01:09:03 | More by rickyleepotts

elephantrider

Michigan

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Hazy orangish color, thin head that diappears quickly

S: Sweet, bready, and toasty. Not much hop presence. Very fruity smelling.

T: Alot like the the smell. A little too sweet and fruity for my tastes but finishes dry and crisp.

M: Medium bodied

O: This is not one of my favorite Ambers. I tend to like them with more carmel flavor and a little more hoppy. Still, not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 01:08:43 | More by elephantrider

Murphious

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This one by Bell's is a typical amber ale---well, typically good. Nothing really bad about it, but nothing stands out as better than the rest out there. Good balance of malt and hops, no bitterness, caramel smooth finish, and the cloudy appearance makes it somewhat different.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 00:37:02 | More by Murphious

PENGUIN5B

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Looks like an amber ale...

Smells ok, nothing special or offensive.

taste: way too much bitterness for a non-IPA, to me anyway. The hops dominate the entire taste spectrum, which is great if you're a big IPA fan, which I'm not. Wouldn't have bought it if it said IPA on the label.

MF: medium body, just slick enough.

drinka: see "taste"

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 23:48:55 | More by PENGUIN5B

Anthony1

Colorado

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Serving Type- on tap poured into a pint glass

appearance- mildly cloudy amber color. small head with not too much lace, but what it did have stuck.

smell- a hoppy citrus. smells of orange and lemon

taste/mouthfeel- a bit malty hops with an citrus flavor, tipped with a bit of banana. hoppier then i expected with a bitter after taste. medium body with ok carbonation

drinkability- wasn't impressed for a brand i've been waiting for. not much of a defining flavor

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2009 13:09:51 | More by Anthony1

PartyHatjo

Ohio

2.8/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Good amber color, leaning more towards red than yellow. Head was nonexistent (likely due to the pour quality, why don't bars know that some head is good on beer?).

Aroma: Malty, biscuity notes, slight earthy hop tones, not enough for what I think an amber ale should have--disappointing in general.

Taste: Quite malty/nutty flavor with overtones of biscuit, but it's lack of hop flavor/aroma was really a detractor for me--flavor balance in this brew is shifted heavily towards malt (maybe I'm too used to troeg's hopback, which has great malt/hop flavor balance). Taste is more reminiscent of an ESB than what I'd consider an amber.

Mouthfeel: Nice bitterness, decent sweetness and carbonation was good enough. There's a bit of pungency that comes through the nose that I'm not too fond of.

Drinkability: Nothing spectacular, I didn't really want another one, in fact, I could barely finish the first one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2006 03:30:18 | More by PartyHatjo

mjc410

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

The pour into my Fuller's nonic raises a light tan, stable but short head. The lacing it leaves is sparse and slick, but clings a bit. The body is a very hazy golden copper, with a significant amount of sediment floating about. I wonder why that's in a beer like this, but I'm sure it helps the flavor, and maybe it's even bottle conditioned. The nose is very malty-sweet, with a toasted bit to it as well. I pick up mellow citrus notes, too. The beer has a nice taste balance, with the hops leading at first, but, again, mellow. It finishes with a relaxed toastiness that invites another taste. A bit too acidic, though. The mouth is medium, with too much carbonation, despite being very fine. Overall, it's not hard to drink, but too many faults make me regret that I bought a whole case.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2007 18:30:00 | More by mjc410

Realale

Missouri

2.73/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Slightly cloudy copper/orange in color. White fine fluffy head settles to a complete cap and leaves nice lace.

Nose is faint bready malt over a chalky-mineral base. Slight hint of fruit, and a touch of both yeastiness and caramel. Quite subdued.

Sweet palate impression, initially, then a bit of bready malt. No hop flavor, but a significant mineral component - chalky again. Some bitterness on the finish, but its quite short.

Mouthfeel would be helped by a bit higher level of carbonation - it might give this one some personality. No real faults, other than not being particularly interesting or well-balanced.

Purchased at the Brewery's General Store on July 3, 2003.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2003 13:08:49 | More by Realale

nortmand

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours extremely cloudy amber, with little white head.
Smells like Bell's other standard beers: yeasty, doughy, bready, lacking in complexity or interest.
Tastes similarly yeasty, overpowering even. A little caramel flavor, but not enough to balance the extreme yeastiness.
Mouthfeel? Have you ever eaten Pillsbury biscuit dough raw? Like that, but with water and carbonation. Doughy? mouthfeel.
Drinkability is OK, but this beer is way too yeasty, man am I going to be regular in the morning.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2004 04:18:36 | More by nortmand

circuitmonkey

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not quite sure what to make of this beer. Its the first Amber that I've had that is cloudy, with a little bit of sediment in it. The color is a dark orange. Pours a low/medium head that doesnt last long, aside from the edge of the glass. Taste is a little more bitter than I would care for, but still has decent malt to balance it.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2005 00:27:15 | More by circuitmonkey

TheHoppiest

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a slightly cloudy/hazy amber color. A nice 1/2" of cream-colored head that reduces fairly quickly. A decent amount of suspended sediment; this is my second amber/red ale of the evening that presents with suspended sediment; I wasn't aware this was common of the style, as other red ales I've had have not looked like this.

Smell is rather non-existent, with a hint of sweet malt.

Taste is unremarkable,with some toffee-malt, tempered with wet straw and other grains, and an underying woodiness like chewing on a plant stalk. Ends with a mildy sour/bitter taste that fades away.

Mouthfeel is thin.

I don't find this drinkable, and am glad I purchased it a a single.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 12:03:43 | More by TheHoppiest

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy copper color with amber hues when held to a light source and a one finger foamy white head that settles quickly into a lasting ring. Very little in the way of lacing.

Bland aroma with a balance of caramel malt and floral hops. Not much else to speak of.

Very hop forward with a nice caramel malt backbone and slight crisp fruit. The hops dominate this beer and linger all the way through over the malt backbone and subtle light fruit notes in to a bitter dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 01:57:24 | More by corby112