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

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A good transition beer. Not a bold strong Bell's but a very decent brew, better than a national brand anything. Nice hops like a pale ale. Well malted. Very good after fish. I am a missionary in people dropping white wine altogether, particularly after fish when beer is an ancient companion.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 04:34:46 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden tangerine with quite a bit of suspended yeast. The head is off-white, soft yet dense, falls to a barely covering film and doesn't leave a whole lot of lace. The nose is a combination of sweet, biscuity malt and earthy hops.

The flavor is of bready caramel malt with a solid undercurrent of earthy-spicy hops. It's also a little fruity; spiced apple perhaps. The finish is long, bitterish and dry. Solid mouthfeel for the style.

Amber Ale is another tasty beer from Bell's. Although nowhere close to their best effort, its balance ensures that it will be enjoyed by malt lovers and by hop lovers alike. A good session ale that I wish was available in the Hawkeye state.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2004 23:15:44 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12oz bottle served cold, right out of the fridge and poured into a New York Harbor Pint Glass

A - Poured a very nice orange tinted amber with a large three finger high head of thick white foamy lace that towered over the top of the glass. Very nice retention let this one hang around for a good long while before it was able to finally settle down and relax into a small pillow of white lace across the top of the glass. Nice carbonation was apparent as chains of bubbles rippled up to the service from the bottom of the glass. There was also a decent amount of cloudiness or haze to it as well that was very easy to pick up, along with just the slightest amount of floating sediment, which eventually filtered its way out.

S - The aroma was surprisingly hoppy for an amber ale, which to be honest shocked me a bit. Usually you expect an amber ale to just be the usually malty ale, but this was thinking to shape up to be a different kinda of ale. The first whiff that came across was clearly a floral pine like hoppiness that cut right through the underlying, malty base. There were definitely some hints in there of earthy notes, cereal like grains and a touch of bready like notes in the back. Rather complex for a straight up amber ale, and really quite nice.

T- The flavor itself followed along with the aroma very closely. To be honest it was much more of a well balanced IPA like flavor then that of an amber, but still very very well. There was a first initial rush of hops that greeted you as soon as the first flavor hit your tongue, as this rolled past the sugary malted backbone started to come though. Hints of grain and bread along with some nice notes of orange and even a touch of tangerine started to come though. All of these were blended very well and gave this a staggeringly good balance. The finish was strong and bitter with a huge hop presence. Nice dried out pine flavor to cap it all off.

M - The feel was also just great. A light to medium bodied ale, it had a little more weight to it then I would have thought it would have. Great carbonation lasted throughout the entire session, never going flat and keeping it from feeling dull. No slickness or watered down flavor here.

D - This was almost a perfect session beer. The ABV was low and the flavors were very tonight and well put together. Great carbonation with a crisp, clean and refreshing feel to it. I really could have put down the entire sixer my self and not even looked back.

Overall this was a very good beer here from Bell's/ I had not really had much experience with their regular lineup, tending to stick more with the bigger seasonal offerings, but this may have changed my mine, really showing what they can pull off on a more mass produced level. This was very good and I would not hesitate to try it again on any condition.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 10:40:40 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sending this one, Jeff.

A: The pour is a clear amber color with a finger of light khaki head.

S: An alright aroma to this one. Some toasted malt and bread notes with a bit of floral and grassy hops. Light sweetness with the caramel and toffee notes coming through.

T: There is quite a bit of grassy hop flavor with just a bit of bitterness. Most of the flavor comes in the form of toffee, toasted bread, and caramel sweetness.

M: Medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation.

O: An okay amber ale, but not really any better than any number of amber ales I've had.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 04:55:47 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

A: Amber with a nice head and plenty of lacing.

S: Sweet amber malts with a tiny bit of hop presence.

T: Slightly buttery amber malt base. Very creamy.

M: Like the taste, excellent creaminess to this one. Most of the ambers I have had fall well into the category of thin or creamy, and this is definitely of the latter category. Utterly brilliant.

D: Excellent year-round offering from Bell's--for the most part, Larry and the crew can simply do no wrong.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2009 03:18:22 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a medium copper body with a small, white head. It's rather hazy, but then again, I didn't think to check the temperature setting on the hotel refrigerator (it was set to MAX). Let's give it some time to warm up and maybe clear up while I run some luggage down to the car. Yes, it did in fact clear up. Phew! That's a relief.

Smell: A fine aroma of caramel malts, with notes of citrus and candied sugar.

Taste: Initial flavor of toasted caramel with just the right amount of sweetness. Notes of juicy lemon. There's just enough hop bitterness to clear the palate from sip to sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Delicate, spritzy carbonation.

Drinkability: A nicely done, well-balanced amber ale. In fact, I've found the bulk of the Bell's line-up from top to bottom to be quite solid.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2007 02:29:29 | More by ChainGangGuy

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

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not a big fan of this style, but this is a really good beer. Bold, robust and malty. Good use of dark grains and malt. It's a liitle hoppier that most ambers, but it doesn't interfere with the sweetness or the body. Has more of a pronounced alcohol flavor and feel into the body and finish. Has some earthy / yeasty flavor along with hop flavoring. Less clean than I like, but still, good beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2005 14:25:09 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The flagship of Bells,pours a medium amber color with a nice medium sticky head,the aroma is is sweet with a good hop presence.A very nice balanced ale starts out malty sweet and fruity with a nice hop bitterness in the finish.A personal favorite and easy to find when Iam home in Michigan.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2003 00:28:46 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

I was actually a little surprised to find that I've never had this ordinary Bell's offering before. Go figure. I'm havin' now, then, I guess. It pours a clear russet-amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises thick caramel, grapefruit, orange peel, and flowers. The taste favors the orange over the grapefruit, but doesn't really deviate from the smell beyond that. The body is a light medium, with a light carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a very nice amber, nothing standoutish but tasty and drinkable regardless.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 21:13:58 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

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

I always seem to have unresolved questions for the Kalamazoo Brewing Company, and right now it's: what's the significance of the heron? Maybe it's the Michigan state bird, and I'm just an idiot...This was introduced to me as not only the "flagship" brew of Kalamazoo, but "the beer Larry drinks." Then I found out that when the K'zoo crew really get to partying, it's hard liquor...
Color is hazy orange, bordering on brown, and the head is a good inch thick, properly white. Aroma is sprucey, piney, full of hops, fruity, but mainly pineapple and citrus. There's a touch of tart, but it's mostly sweet.
On the palate, nothing but smooth, smooth, smooth. Malt looms large in this ale, but it's perfectly matched. Hops are tingly, tasty, and not quickly forgotten. I can see tossing back a million of these! Yum-a-licious!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2003 17:07:32 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry, yet malty scent with some floral hop notes. The taste is good. It has a dry, malty flavor that is bitter and toastey. It has a crisp finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a fine amber ale. It has it all; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2004 00:18:30 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Bell's pint glass. At the time of this review, this is the #45 American Amber / Red Ale on the beeradvocate best of lists.

Beer is red and really hazy with no head, low carbonation, no lacing.

Aroma is sweet with a mild earthiness to it. Smells like a malty beer.

Beer is medium in body and really malty on the forward, the finish is heavy and syrupy with a mild hop presence. The beer in the middle is a little heavy and still sweet with the malt. Overall it is a malty red, nothing too special but drinkable for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 04:47:18 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes

A - Poured out a golden color with flecks of ruby. It had a foamy, off-white, two-finger head that left some nice rings of lace.

S - It smelled fruity (orange and grapefruit?). It also smelled of caramel, toffee and some hops.

T - It was malty and biscuity with a good dose of caramel. Also, had some spicy hops.

M - It was very smooth and crisp. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - This is a great amber. Makes a great session brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2008 21:22:47 | More by zeff80

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

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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired via trade from bboven, so a big Thank You goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright orange/brown color, with a decent-sized white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramelized malts, citrus and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste is nicely balanced with sweet flavors of caramel and citrus up front. Then a decent hops bitterness comes in quickly. The malt character is hearty. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, this is a straight-forward beer with some good substance that is worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 01:59:05 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

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

This is a classic Amber Ale. The beer poured out with a nice reddish looking color with a pretty good looking head on top that isn't afraid to stick around for a little while. The smell of the beer is well balanced between the hops and malts. The taste of the beer was pretty good too, much like the nose. There are plenty of hops and malts working together to make this a nice drinkable beer. The mouthfeel isn't overwhelming at all it's drinkable and easy to have a few in a sitting if you want to. Overall this beer is worth trying I think.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 01:46:32 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.7/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cheers to BARLEYWINEO for this! Batch 7838

Pours a hazed light orange/peach tea-colored with 3+ fingers of pillowy sand colored head. Hazing never really cleared, average lacing above & average head retention

S: Caramel, doughy notes & a hint of cocoa with just a whiff of citrus hops at the finish

T: Nice bready caramel signature up front along a little citric (tangerine & lemon) hops. Grapefruitty hops & some grainyness as this warms. Finishes a touch dry& astringent , toasty & with just a bit of puckery grapefruit hops

MF: Medium-bodied, low carbonation & okay balance

Drinks pretty good, just didn't quite live up to the initial taste up front, not a bad amber though, just not a great one

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2007 01:58:57 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, batch 9685,

A: Pours an amber orange with a fizzy light white head, no lace. Minor floaties, not the most attractive brew.

S: Biscuity malt, hint of diacetyl, oranges, pastry bread. A pretty fruity nose at times almost Belgian.

T: Toasted malt, very grainy at first. Fairly bitter overall, has a bit of citrus complexity. Some berry notes. Semi-sweet on the finish.

M: Light-bodied, creamy. Spritzy, fizzy carbonation - somewhat soda-like, but not watery. Moderate aftertaste.

D: A solid amber ale, not overhopped and in this style I like that, more in the English bitter realm. We all know Bell's makes some amazing brews, but this a good staple to pay the bills.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 00:39:35 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Textbook amber ale, been drinking this for a decade or so, just now getting around to a review. Usually a go-to in bars where nothing better was available, how things have changed today...

Deep copper orange body, murky with yeast and unfiltered particles in suspension. Two fingers of foam settle down to one soon enough.

Smells like multigrain bread with a smear of peanut butter from the specialty malt. Some fruity yeast notes surface when swirled, pear and apple.

Flavor is malt driven, bready and sweet. Fairly tame and easygoing. Light astringency, some pear and apple fruitiness from the yeast. Vague residual bitterness in the background after a heartier gulp. Body is light, with mellow carbonation.

Not a bad introductory craft brew, it worked for me. Nowadays I usually reach for something else, but it's still a solid standby option.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 02:52:59 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Slighty hazy amber / orange color with a huge 3" head. Carbonation levels seemed a bit strong. The aroma was of caramel and yeast. The flavor was simple and pleasant as caramel, sweet fruitiness, and mild bitterness were well balanced. There was some light lacing that developed on the glass.

This was a light/medium bodied brew with a smooth crisp start and a smooth caramel finish. Caramel and fruit tones lasted briefly on the tongue. Extremely drinkable and a simple session beer that has some nice flavor you won't get bored with.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2004 00:06:49 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Pours deep amber with a one-finger creamy head that lasts. Creamy lacing sticks to the glass.

The smell is of toast, caramel, earthiness. Woody undertones.

The taste is sweet. Slightly roasted caramel mingles with butter. The smell of an undertone of wood lingers into the taste. Sweetness in the finish rounds it out.

The body is light to medium. A touch watery, but enough of a body to keep the flavor hanging on. Nice carbonation.

This is a nice, sessionable amber.

Thanks to dekker0 for including it in our trade!

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2007 04:37:46 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, a souvenir from a foray into Dearborn, Michigan last week.

This beer pours a hazy medium orange amber hue, with one finger of tight foamy pale beige head, which leaves some sparse streaky, wave crest lace around the glass as it fades away. It smells of thin caramel malt, mildly tart fruit, and a bit of yeast. The taste is quite in line, with a more pronounced caramel malt, edgy fruitiness, and floral, leafy hop character. The carbonation is average, and kind of fuzzy, the body medium weight, but with a flinty nature that takes away major smoothness points. It finishes bittersweet, fruity, and fairly clean.

An ok amber ale, the expected fruity sweetness turned on its head, opting for the acidic in lieu of the sugary complement.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 22:37:35 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The ale is an orange/amber color with a thin ring of head and a great deal of sediment.

S: The aroma is very biscuity with little hop bitterness.

T: The taste is a grainy malt that is underscored by a sweet honey flavor that is very subtle and soft. There is not a great deal of flavor here beyond the malts.

M: The mouthfeel is malty with a bit of hops, fitting in well with what I would expect.

D: The slight sweetness makes for a good drinkability here.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2006 13:00:17 | More by akorsak