Bells Oberon Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Wheat Ale
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Brewed and kegged one week ago, keg tapped 5 minutes ago. It's a hotly anticipated sign of spring in the Midwest, the arrival of the Bell's Oberon, and I'm ready for my first, fresh sip of the season. Color: a thick, opaque yellow/orange body. Tap Oberon is thick and cloudy at the top and the bottom of the keg, but it pours clear after a few a few pints are pulled. Head is nice and white, thick and lasting. Aroma is delicate, but brimming with zesty citrusy notes, spices, sea-foam. In a nutshell, the tingly orange flavor dominates Oberon's taste profile. Carbonation is low, yeasty component of this unfiltered brew is tasty, tasty, tasty and adds significantly to the supremely delicious and downable mouthfeel. As with many other Bell's products, the style is not presented clearly in the name or on the label. This used to be called Solsun, until a Mexican Brewery took umbrage. I believe they steal the name from Shakespeare's Fairy King in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It is described as "an American wheat ale with European ingedients", which still doesn't answer all the questions. Czech saaz hops are used, and imported (from where?)wheat malt, but no curacao zest or coriander are mentioned. That aside, it tastes more like a Belgian witbier than anything else, but, like many Kalamazoo offerings, it belongs in a class by itself. This beer plays very lightly on the palate, delivering zingy, spicy, and very fruity hops, with an utterly delicate, and thirst-quenching texture. Wheat isn't tasted as strongly as in other wheat beers, goes down very smooth, but still adds considerably to the texture. This is a beer that makes itself at home in the mouth, and makes one quite comfortable during it's stay. Long, delicious finish. Light body. So easy to drink! Everlasting finish! There are many tasty, thirst-quenching wheats out there, but only one Oberon. The fruitiness really pushes it forward! Supreme acheivement, and a beer I'll be enjoying all summer long!

Update 4/11/04. Pours cloudy yellow-orange with a medium off-white head and abundant sediment. Tangy, floral, yeasty aroma. Flavor is spicy and tangy with orange and other citrus, finishing slightly bitter. This year's batch is enjoyable, but I am adjusting my rating to more accurately represent the beer's current status.

Old rating: Here's a great summer beer. This one is thick and unfiltered, with a golden color and pungent, citrusy aroma. The flavor is strong, murky, and citrusy. Take this one to the front porch on a nice spring or summer day. And swill. Note: the 2003 incarnation has, to this point, been very disappointing. I will leave my rating intact, knowing how unique this brew once was. Major consistency problems this year.
Rating: 9 4 8 4 17

Bottle. Drinking a summer beer in near-freezing weather seems to be a good way to remove a small amount of inflation. Sweet yeast-and-citrus scent, hazy and particulate yellow-golden pour with a sticky white head. Spicy and vaguely fruity, tastes more like a Weizen or Wit than an AW, which to me is a massive plus. Dry wheaty aftertaste and a prickly, mildly spicy, medium body. Puckering tang. Balanced and rounded, I like this a lot. Sweet and lemony, soft mf. A quaffer for sure, and probably an excellent summer drink - makes me not hate the style so much! [3.1]

Fresh Oberon to spell the start of spring (batch 8345). Pour is sicklier than remembered. Taste is much dryer and wheatier than remembered. Lots of orange rind, too. Still don’t care for the malt/faint hop pairing, and, despite the obvious care and balance, which make it worth drinking, not a whole lot farther down the road than standard swill. Certainly, a summer quencher.[3.1]

12oz bottle. A great wheat ale! Poured a hazy golden yellow with a medium sized white head. Nose of citrus, European hops and yeast. light-medium in body and a very refreshing finish.

A very unusual beer. When I opened it I could not tell that it was a wheat. I had aromas of orange I thought. The taste was about the same. It tasted good but I was really confused as to the style. Very fruity aftertaste with more of a bitter than most wheats I’ve had. Carbonation and mouthfeel are good. Unusual in a very good sort of way. An almost thick drinker.

Soft, snowy white head and cloudy dark straw-colored body. Surprising aroma of butterscotch, biscuits, nuts, and yeast. Wheaty, butterscotch flavor with a tangy, tangerine quality. Light spiciness and well-integrated hops that are a subtle but substantial component. Long, woody finish. High diacetyl levels make this a highly unusual American wheat beer but it is unique and interesting. Later cleaner samples were much more refreshing and enjoyable.

cloudy gold with lots of sediment under a medium sized fizzy white head. looks like grapefruit juice. bright, crisp, zesty wheat aroma with touches of peach, lemon, and banana. flavor is bright with wheat but has some peachy fruit notes with some marshmallow sweetness to balance the biting tart acidity. touches of hops as well. light body and refreshing. quite possibly the ultimate american style wheat ale. wow.

Pale yellow in color, with a thin, white head that left copious lace down the side of the glass. There is a subtle wheat beer tang with hints of spice and banana. I don’t find this beer as refreshing as I like in a summer seasonal, but it is a good American wheat beer.