Bells Amber Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Poured a light amber with a thin white head with virtually no retention. The smell was very faint, hints of breads and malts. Great taste; earthy, bready, and lightly hoppy. Watery in the mouth, not very full, but a great carbonation level and a pleasant after taste. Very drinkable, wish I had bought a few more. Serving type: bottle

Aroma is not terribly strong, it has a little bit of biscuty malt aroma, with a little bit of hops and some yeast. Color is a light red amber color, with a fluffy white head that is very nice. The flavor is very nicley balanced with a candy like fruitiness with a biting hop bitterness as well. Palate is sharp but smooth.

12 oz. bottle, Batch number (8305, packaged on January 23, 2008) on the back label, sampled in a pint glass. L: Cloudy, with fine specks of sediment, appearance, slightly tarnished copper in color, like a barely circulated penny, with a pillowy off-white/pale beige head, good head retention with a fair amount of curtain-like lace hugging the glass. I think this is a great looking amber ale, just about everything I could ask for. S: Touches of toasted caramel and grain with a kiss of orange blossoms. Further whiffs bring out a subtle butter toffee and an oily leafiness. F&T: Firm feeling moderate body with a nice crispness in the finish. The ample carbonation keeps this from being overly creamy and the firmness holds up for entire duration. The malts and the hops mesh well together, a nice mix of sweet maltiness and sour citric hops. Toasted caramel, buttery toffee and a trace of graininess at end, blend with the orange and lemony hops, leading to a softly bitter, briskly crisp finale. Hints of caramelized sugar and spicy hops in the aftertaste gives this a desirable quenching dryness, I could easily spend an entire night consuming this amber ale, highly drinkable. One of my favorite annuals from Bell’s, a must try for anyone who can appreciate a good American Amber Ale.

Batch 8274, poured a very cloudy amber/copper with a thick, foamy head. It had a pretty strong malty and slightly floral smell. The taste is more of the same--a pretty strong malty flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Overall this one is a pretty drinkable beer. Not too bad at all.

UPDATED: JUL 14, 2008 12oz bottle. finally rating the beer that got me into craft beer. thanks Larry Bell! pours hazy chestnut with white creamy head. a mostly toffee malt aroma with a leathery hop cap. flavors have a bit spicy and leathery hop chewyness met by a strong caramel malt backbone. tasty amber for sure so i can see why this got me into better beer.3.5.

7/13/08, 12oz bottle, labeled "Big Porch Ale". I thought this would get a separate listing so I’ll post this rate in case it does some day. pours hazy and a bit glowing with off white head. toasted nutty aroma with minimal hop profile. flavor is toasted, caramel, and nutty. med body and a bit over carbonated. actually this reminds me of Fat Tire a bit. and after I compare this to my previous rating, I believe the beer is very similar but not Bells Amber. I want a separate listing! tasty beer. 3.5.

Pours a somewhat cloudy dark amber body with a full almond coloured head. Somewhat bready at first, midpalate the fruit comes out, ripe full cherries, along with a little nutty character. Finishes long and smooth, refreshing crisp taste.

probably the best amber out there in my opinion. good malty body and flavor, balanced out by a nice piney/floral hop presence.

This amber has a nice note of hops its not bells best but worthy of the name. Fruit flavor is a little weak but the fulfilling palate of hops makes up for it.

Very good ale...I enjoyed it from the first taste. Color is light copper with an average off-white head. The nose is immediately sweet, bready, and fruity. The taste starts out sweet with faint notes of yeast and sweet caramel malt and finishes with a quite bitter hoppiness. Throughout, the flavors of fruit remain, particularly acidic citrus, berry, and (though I don’t know if anyone else has said it, I swear I tasted) melon. A bit thick for an ale, but well carbonated so the palate and finish were excellent.

bottle at Flying Saucer in Charlotte. average creamy/fizzy off-white (mostly dissapating) head into cloudy amber body with small sediments present. decent lacing. aromas of moderate malts and light hops. flavor is bitter into sweet finish. pretty good amber.