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

dublife1

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this on Cask at Tap and Table in Emmaus, Pa. Perfect two finger head and smells of roasted grains and caramel. Taste is so crisp and slightly malty. FANTASTIC!!! Mouthfeel is incredible and so much better than in bottle form. This is a session beer for sure!!! Bell's is no doubt an incredible craft brewer that the USA can be proud of! Well Done!!!

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2009 01:11:31 | More by dublife1

kilustration

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wow! I am not usually a fan of red beers.

This one is smooth! Slightly sweet flavor, pours amber (duh!) with a medium white head and nice lace. Very hoppy.

Nice mouth feel. Easy to finish. Somewhat creamy texture. Light carbonation.

Very surprised. This for a red beer is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 02:03:55 | More by kilustration

Luigi

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours out an hazy amber color with copper highlights and presents massive a three finger head. Plenty of of lacing, as the head sticks all around the glass.

The aroma is full of toasted malt, caramel, and herbal hops. No aroma over powers the other bring this ale into balance.

The taste is semi-sweet with toasted malts, caramel, and citrus fruit from the hop. The finish is crisp with a dry pine like hop lingering for a while on the palate.

The body is medium/light and crisp with mild carbonation. Very easy to drink as this ale is balanced so perfectly. No flavor over powers the other, making this ale a pleasure to drink. The only question that comes to mind is "can I have another?" because Bell's nailed this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 07:19:05 | More by Luigi

timn

Kentucky

4.51/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A: Pours a dark gold / orange-brown color. Very hazy, almost unfiltered in appearance. A small amount of sudsy head.

S: Slightly sweet, with some hints of malts.

T: Surprisingly complex flavor. Really nice balance of malts and grains, with a nice honey or caramel sweetness at the end. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste.

M: Also a nice mouthfeel. Medium, but with a sort of slick, oily quality to it -- in a good way.

O: I really enjoyed this beer. For an amber ale, it has a nicely complex taste, with a great sweetness to it. I'll definitely grab this one again sometime.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:25:08 | More by timn

nicksta

Michigan

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

A: The beer poured a very nice, very cloudy amber orange. A really big head sits on top of that dissipates quickly into pillowy froth on top of the brew that has nice layers upon layers of lacing.

S: I approached the smell like I normally do an amber brew. I can never dicpher the scent of ambers from one another EXCEPT for this one. It started out like a normal amber. It had some toasty caramel smoothness and started to turn metallic, but instead of finishing like I expected it to it became an extremely sweet. It was as sweet as tasting caramel. It actually tickled my nose and relaxed my whole face.

T: It starts out really smooth, but a little light. After that sweetness starts to come out of the corners of my mouth. The beer then moves into ultra-smooth caramel toasty malts. The beer then ends with a kiss of roasted hops that at first are very floral and then end bitterly. Awesome.

M: It is really really good. The beer is ultra smooth and has just the right texture. Unfortunately, it is quite carbonated which tends to sting the mouth. Just let it sit a bit.

D: A really great session brew. Heed the carbonation and sip don't chug, but as the carbonation settles more and more, you can chug more and more. I am not really recommending chuging though; (even if it is good enough for me to want to) take the time to enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2006 02:15:06 | More by nicksta

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

TheBigLebrewski

Michigan

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

Bell's' flagship. Bell's, Bell's, Bell's. And no brand-whoring about it, Bell's gives what you want from a brewery. In the interest of full disclosure, I wear their belt buckle.

Bottle to pint glass. Moderate mostly white head with a touch of brown. Excellent lacing retention. Damn near perfect color for an Amber; a tiny bit less color than the subjective amber idyll. Very good smell, though pretty subtle.

This is amber ale. Not 'an' amber ale. If you want to drink a straight up amber ale, this is it. The taste is spot on. Leaning towards sweetness, as ambers do, but not at all overly sweet, as is far too common for the genre. Mouthfeel is perfect. This is very good beer.

Here I will qualify: I, personally, would prefer a more balanced ale; in particular, a touch of hop in the finish would make this beer incredible. And, in truth, there is a lack of hop in the finish. (See Stone's Levitation - an American Amber Ale - for a comparable beer of a different genre that I personally prefer).

Overall, I will say it's not my favorite beer. Not even close. But it is as close to the perfect straight Amber Ale as I've ever tasted. And according to the way we try to rate beers here, this deserves one of the best ratings I've given. Again, there are dozens of beers I personally enjoy more, but, that being said, this is far and away the best straight amber I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 04:49:46 | More by TheBigLebrewski

inebrius

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wonderful nose of unfermented wort and earthy hops on a slice of toast. This here is a beer drinkers brew, this here is what craft and quality taste like. Outstanding! Kalamazoo brewing needs to expand their distribution network.

Cheers to Deuce for the sample!

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2002 22:23:36 | More by inebrius

righlander

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful amber with a frothy foam head with nice lacing from a 12 ounce bottle. Smells of sweet malt with some citrus hop hiding nicely in the background. Taste is smooth sweet malt with some toasty grain and excellent hop balance. Perfectly carbonated and crisp with sweet malt and nice mellow hop balance. Very nice on the tongue. Drinkability is great, very nice amber. probably the best amber ale i have ever had. i could drink several of these. The cool thing is I took a chance with these and bought a whole 6-pack because they were bottle conditioned I figured there was a chance they could be decent. And I am pleasantly surprised! I love it when this happens! Like i said probably the best amber i have ever had. 5 more to go... CHEERS!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2008 04:56:35 | More by righlander

tigg924

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: amber, medium carbonation, cloudy, with a small head

Smell: sugar, malt, and a bit of citrus

Taste: hops, malty bread, and caramel

Mouthfeel: smooth, light, small hoppy taste in the middle followed by a semi-sweet finish

Drinkability: With apologies to Nugget Nectar, I think I may have just found my favorite version of this style. Perfectly drinkable this beer seems made for me and may have been my favorite from my Philadelphia trip. An awesome mix of malt and hops. I could easily session this...Now if only Bells would ship to Massachusetts.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 16:55:49 | More by tigg924

kevinjosephlee

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a glass

A: Amber orange, with an off-white head. The sediment at the bottle of the bottle was agitated, and by the presence of "floaties" I would guess that it was not only yeast but also some proteinaceous precipitate. No lacing and relatively low head retention.

S: A caramel malty scent with some hops sharpness as well.

T: It has a caramel malty presence that is moderated by a hops bitterness. Some floral notes (citrus) emerge later in the drink along with a clove spiciness.

M: Not much alcohol warmth, but the alcohol flavor does make an appearance. Good carbonation and body.

Notes: A great beer. I am glad it was recommended to me by my local bottle shopman. I have been on an amber ale kick and find that I enjoy the balance between hops and malt. This beer is very drinkable, yet needs to be enjoyed, so sip slowly, or make sure you have a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 21:10:14 | More by kevinjosephlee

GossageBrewery

Missouri

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured this American Amber Ale from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. It poured a cloudy orange color and produced a 1 inch white head. Head retention was below average. Lacing was very good. The Aroma of the ale was full of roasted malt with a hint of hop and citrus. The taste of the beer was outstanding. It was very drinkable, and had nice body. The beer was first and foremost filled with roasted and malt and it gave way to a nice sweet finish. High drinkability- Perfect session beer. This is the most outstanding example of an American Amber Ale that I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 22:03:00 | More by GossageBrewery

malty

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz. longneck - no freshness date.

Appearance is a beautiful glowing amber (go figure) with a brite white head. The tiniest of suspended yeast is apparent if you look closely into the beer, due to the fact that Bell's doesn't filter their ales.

Fresh, blossoming notes of sweet pale malt. Reminds me of fresh sugar cookies - nice & doughy. Very clean smelling.

Now I know why Bell's claims this to be their 'flagship' beer. Perfect balance of malty sweet and just the right touch of prickly hops. Oh so fresh... A faint spiceness evokes from the rich and sweet carmel liquid also.

Mouthfeel is perfect for this style. Soft, gentle and tiny bubbles caress the tongue making this light-medium bodied ale's flavor linger on past the swallow. Just enough dryness in the finish to insure this sweet nectar doesn't build-up and become cloying.

Drinkability is outrageously high. Beer drinkers from beginners to veteran would most likely agree it's hard to put down. It's got something for everyone.

Overall a splendid example of a style that's been butchered and pimped for over 15 years. This is a model interpretation of an easy drinking, yet refined and calculated amber ale. Fill up an aluminum wash tub with this and fire up the coals, it's summertime baby. This is how we do it in Michigan!

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2005 23:06:35 | More by malty

BobLuvBeer

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Nice heavy amber color. Lots of sediment in glass, which is very appealing. Plenty of carbonation visible. Pours with medium head. Fruity, green apple aroma. Mildly sweet, with a thick/burnt toast combination to the taste. Slightly bitter. Malt over rides hops, but the hops which do come through are pleasantly received. Rest deliciously on the palate. The balance of malts and hops linger and fade away evenly, which entices you to another drink. Finishes with a hint of citrus, with a mix of straw. Overall, one of the most balanced, well tasting brews available.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2003 04:41:35 | More by BobLuvBeer

BarrelBrother

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The first time I tired this beer it caught my attention. Bell says it's a "cask conditioned" amber which was unusual and demanded an additional tasting session! I was surprised with the cloudiness of the brew, almost weiss cloudy, but the taste! Slightly sweet initally with carmel overtones and a subtle spicy flavor that I really enjoyed. Hmmm, nice aroma, with a hint of fruitiness. Nice creamy head that made the experience even better. The aftertaste was clean, refreshing with a slight bitter finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and ejnoyable. I have moved this brew high on my list to a regular staple at the house for get togethers and have gotten many outstanding comments about this beer from guests. As the old TV commercial used to say, "Try it, you'll like it!" I totally agree!

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2004 03:52:59 | More by BarrelBrother

jasongootjes

Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance - The beer was a golden amber color, as the name suggests. It had an off white head that left a lace through out the glass.

Smell - Very succulent smell. The aroma hitting my nose caused a sensation through out my body.

Taste - The beer has an excellent taste. It was almost sweet but at the same time bitter. Very good taste overall.

I could drink this beer all day. The taste smell and sensation that rushed, not only through my mouth, but through my whole body was absolutely delightful.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2005 04:14:06 | More by jasongootjes

meatdouglas

Missouri

4.72/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bought a 6 pack from a local grocer

appearance: orange/amber slightly cloudy color.
large creamish tan head that lasted, with massive amounts of lacing through out the glass.

smell: nice smell, not too strong. more hops come through at first than malts. it's smell is good, a bit unexpected...but in a good way.

taste: sweet but not too sweet malty flavor with subtle floral and citrus mixed with a slight hoppy bitterness coming through near the finish. creamy sweet taste increases a little while it warms. nice lasting aftertaste. awesome taste, probably my favorite readily available amber ale yet.

MF&D: lasting carbonation, light to medium bodied and extremely smooth. Very drinkable, crisp and clean with an awesome aftertaste that left me craving more. which i guess would make it a great session beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2008 18:58:09 | More by meatdouglas

Offa

California

4.72/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a balanced, very tasty and drinkable ale, light but full of character with subtle complexity.

It's amber, and unlike most many "amber" ales, it really is almost truly amber in colour,a bit hazy with sediment floating in it, with a very big pale tan head that slowly shrinks to a lasting foamy top and leaves nice rings of lace down the glass.

The aroma is somewhat mild but very nice, very malty with caramelly fruit and bread, juice, some citrusy hops and a leafy hint.

The taste is similar, mostly malty with some hops to round it out and balance it nicely. It's caramelly, doughy, and toasty with lightly toasted bread and light, caramelly malty sweetness balanced with mostly citrusy hops that have a light leafiness. The citrus has a clear hint of grapefruit but this is just barely prominent. It also has a light juiciness and hint of yeastiness. It has a slightly creamy feel but a crisp finish. It is light, but has complexity, good, lasting flavour, nice balance, and a defintie English quality overall. It is highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 05:06:22 | More by Offa

WeezyBoPeep

Florida

4.8/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

A: Dark orange with two fingers of tan head with an assortment of different sized bubbles. Unfiltered floaties throughout. Top half of beer super cloudy from swirled sediment poured in.

S: Honey, apples, light citrus, floral hops and notes of vanilla. Smells fantastic.

T: Taste is even better than the smell. A creamy mouthfeel is supported well by a refreshing caramel and vanilla body with a great hop presence but not at all "piney." Very slight malty bitters in the aftertaste but overall a clean finish.

D: My advice is get at least a sixer. Never overwhelms.

Value: Amazing. I paid just over ten bucks for a six pack. This is one of the best ales I have ever tasted and for what I paid it was a total steal.

Highly recommended for those times when you wanna drink some awesome beer that you don't need to put too much thought into.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 05:51:09 | More by WeezyBoPeep

vivalanation734

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A. This is one beautiful beer. Pours a hazy dark copper/amber with a fluffy off white head.

S. Sweet caramel malts and a light fruitiness (orange peel and some dark fruit)

T. A superb amber ale. Nice sweet malty backbone with a light bitter finish. Hints of caramel, orange peel, brown sugar, and a nice yeastiness.

M. nice medium body with a good MF.

D. Easily a sessionanble amber ale with some great flavor. Definitely gonna pick up a 6er real quick.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 02:29:56 | More by vivalanation734

Kenadien

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +26%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A nice perfect example of what a good quality ale should taste like.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2001 19:54:15 | More by Kenadien

Beerlover

Minnesota

4.88/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

appearance is good, color is off for an amber, more of a hazy golden yellowish color instead of an amber reddish brown. unfiltered. Smell is balanced, more on the malty side with minimal hops aroma and some carmelyness.

taste...is amazing! wow! this is the first beer thats really surprised (in a good way) me in a while! initially its pretty sweet, almost to the point that you'd think it was going overtake the beer, but then after a second or two the sweetness completly dissapaits and you get some caramely malts and a very easy to drink smooth well rounded balaced beer. there is also this carbonated tingling... that is unexplainable but great, never expierienced that before but loved it! Move over alaskan and full sail this is my new favorite amber! Sessionable!

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 05:00:31 | More by Beerlover

maltusaurelius

District of Columbia

5/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours an orange tinged amber with a two fingered fluffy beige head that leaves a moderate lacing on the glass. Sweet caramel malts on the nose with a spicy floral hop aroma coming through as well.

Taste follows, medium sweet body with caramel accents in the malts, accompanied by an assertive hop bitterness. Very well balanced.

Mouthfeel is lively and crisp. Very drinkable, and would pair well with a wide variety of foods.

Confession time: I'm from west Michigan (Grand Rapids to be specific) and this was the first local craft brewed beer available in my town. I drank a lot of it in the early to mid 90s - it was my go-to beer back then. This is the first time I've had it in years, and the taste is tinged with nostalgia - to me it's like coming home in a bottle. So my review may be a bit biased.

Bell's was one of the first craft brewers in the U.S. and the first in the Midwest (at least they claim to be), and this beer helped define the American Amber style. I think still one of the best. Like I said I haven't had it in years, but having tasted it again it will be a staple from now on. Truly exemplary.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2009 00:54:03 | More by maltusaurelius