Bell's Winter White Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

dren

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy golden color with a thin head. Smells of orange, with some cloves and spice. Tastes just about the same. Well ballanced beer that finished a little dry. Would rank higher if the beer wasn't as dry at the end. This has been one of the better beers I have tried in a long time. The way Blue Moon should taste. All around great beer. I just wish it wasn't seasonal. One of Bell's best.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2004 18:01:08 | More by dren

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hazy pineapple yellow color, slightly greenish flat head of 1/4 of an inch. Wide and thin laces, lots of small dots as well. Yeasty aroma, straw, bird's nest soup, some anise. Prickly carbonation picks up the mouthfeel. Slightly spicy, gingery and orange with a vermouth feel edging in. Sweetest mid mouth, clovey esters, and then funels to a more lemony bitterness at the close. Medium dry aftertaste, thinnish and slightly metallic in feel, usually the way the style hits me. Pretty good beer, a bit too fluffy and licorice-tinged in the finish as Wits tend to get. Actually softer and sweeter right out of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2004 16:01:24 | More by ADR

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy, slightly lighter then lemon juice yellow in color, white cap lasting for a brief stay before tapering to a thin collar, not much in the realm of lacing sticks, drippings mostly running down to join the collar.

Aroma has a nice light clove spice enactment over a pleasing banana wheat bread sweetness and some of the usual witbier yeast.

Flavors are crisp and clean, not to much dancing on the tongue though, very calm, smooth, and tame. Which is actually kinda nice in that regard, but still lacks some omff. Wheat malt makes up a good portion of the taste keeping a fairly decent body. Light banana, even lighter lemon bits, clove is tame but present, more so midway to finish. Solid in smoothness but less so in a bit of its actual flavor character.

Feel is smooth and calming for a Wit, a bit out of character, but nice non-the-less, lighter bodied, crisp, malty, picks up a bunch towards the finish but nothing lasts. Creamed wheat leftovers on the palate with tiny smidges of the clove for the finish.

Super drinkable; quite smooth, and quite lovely in that respect too; one thing I've always found hard to like about Wit's is the drinkability. This is opposite of that impression, as this is quenchable for sure. A bit odd that it's a Winter seasonal cuz this would make for a great summer brew; and that's no foolin'. For me; a hard review to put numbers to. It seemingly could be better, but I like it alot, which I think the numbers might not show.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2004 03:55:31 | More by tavernjef

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy orangish-yellow color with a white head that dissipates to a ring. The aroma is yeasty, and has bananas and cloves, it has a bit of black pepper to it as well. The flavor is yeasty, and again it has a peppery clove and banana taste. It is somewhat like their Oberon, but a bit more fuller and maltier. It is medium in body and smooth drinking, with a drying finish. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2004 01:22:55 | More by BeerBuilder

clvand0

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light yellow color and is very cloudy. Tall white head that stays around for a while and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma was very citrusy, with hints of yeast spiciness and clove. The yeast and wheat play a very large part in the flavor - gives it a thick and spicy feel. Lots of orange and lemon flavors. Very nice body. This is a little strange for a wit, but I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2004 19:58:12 | More by clvand0

Brent

Kentucky

3.28/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very hazy, with an unusual appearance, a cross between orange and grapefruit juice. Something funky in the aroma that was a touch off-putting at first. Very much the classic spiced Belgian witbier, substantial yeast and spice flavors. According to the bottle, this is a wheat with seasonal spices - quite frankly I was a bit let down - not that there is anything wrong with the beer, just that I don't detect anything that particularly distinguishes this beer from the rest of the spiced wit pack. A nice-enough beer, but it seems a poor choice to tout as a winter seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2004 00:31:07 | More by Brent

winomark

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy yellow with a tiny bone white head. Lots of wheat and bananas all over the nose. Slightly sweet palate with spice, wheat and tropical tones on the palate. Light, but flavorful mouthfeel. Long, lingering finish. A pleasant beer. Bell always does a great job. Good to see this one bottled, finally. Try this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2004 04:44:58 | More by winomark

Sixpack595

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not sure how to categorize this beer. Murky yellow orange with very little head. Aroma is slightly fruity with a touch of spiciness sneaking past the heavy, earthy yeastiness. Sweet, peppery flavor with a lot of yeast evident. I see more of the yeast in this beer than the results of the yeast.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2004 08:06:02 | More by Sixpack595

Wildman

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a very cloudy yellow color and formed a small foamy snow white head that left trace lace as it subsided. A small but busy amount of carbonation is present. An aroma of hops, clove and yeast. A flavor of hops, clove with a slightly doughy aspect. The finish is sprite but a touch astrigent.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2004 01:21:11 | More by Wildman

Skidz

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 6584

Pours a cloudy light straw and sits even cloudier dull golden straw in the glass with a small white head.

Smells of wheat, bananas, orange, lemon and a touch of yeast. Full aroma really draws you in.

Tastes big and wheaty up front, you can just taste the grains. Orange peel and light hints of lemon come in and make up the majority of additional flavors; banana flavor is minimal, like dried banana slices if anything. Nice light, mildly bitter finish with good yeasty character.

Nice smooth and creamy feel with easy carbonation and an even nicer body. Keeps it real and makes me want to let it massage my mouth all night. Tasty brew all the way.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2004 21:50:15 | More by Skidz

ken3c

Michigan

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice big head but it tapers down to virtually nothing. Hazy gold.

Spicy, orange, bread aromas. Very pleasant.

First taste is a little harsh but further sips are nice and spicy with a rather abrupt finish.

Very carbonated, almost too much. It affects the taste. Light to medium body.

Quite refreshing and tasty. I'll have plenty more.

A little darker, spicier, hopier, and bubblier than most Wits.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2004 04:28:51 | More by ken3c

Jon

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sampled from a limited bottle run. This beer will be available on draft only this coming fall and winter. Hazy straw color with a fizzy white head. Some sediment is present in the pour. Looks more like a hefeweizen than a wit. Nose is doughy with notes of clove, curacao, banana and a less-than-desirable egg aroma which could be attributed to the yeast. Banana, orange rind, a faint hint of coriander, graininess and an earthy hop finish characterize the flavor of this ale. I don't know if it's the yeast strain or what, but this is still quite reminiscent of Oberon. Drinks quite well overall, this will be nice to drink on draught... but I'd prefer it in the summertime.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2003 01:33:21 | More by Jon

hotstuff

Indiana

2.17/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

The nose of this particular beer is banana. The body is cloudy and the hue is pale yellow. I observed some yeast with this beer. I definitely was not impressed by the taste of this beer. After about half-way through I had had enough and tried another of their beers. This definitely is not one of my favorite beers from this brewer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2003 16:34:32 | More by hotstuff