Bells Wheat Love Ale

Barley wine? I think not, but still a really interesting brew. More of an imperial hefe, no? Strong banana, citrus(orange peel) fruity/yeasty profile with a nice alcohol burn on the palate and warming down below. Very nice cap to the wheat experiment. (By all means, blow yourself out on those IIIPA’s, Joe... meanwhile I’m over here holding a dry hanky for you when you see me quietly pacing myself through the BEER GOD homestretch, sipping my understated wheats! By the way, there’s no crying in baseball...or beer god heaven, OK?)

Orange slight yellow, big orange flavor slight lemon, very fruity with a subtle alcohol kick, wouldn’t really call it a barley wine, good tasting beer.

bottle - Pours a hazy orange with a slim head that has some legs. The aroma is very yeasty. It’s easy to drink but has a moderate to full mouthfeel that’s very nice. The flavor is pretty sweet. The alcohol is very well hidden. Bell’s once again did a nice job here.

Bottle poured a ligt caramel honey color with a thick creamy white head and lacing. Big wheat and yeast aroma. Flavor is rich and creamy. banana, yeast, spice and ripe fruits. Good stuff.

I thought this was a pretty good beer, but i’m shocked to see it’s listed as a barleywine because it didn’t taste much like one. i detected prominent wheat falvors, some yeasty, malty overtones and a bit excess carbonation. alcohol undetectable. good? yes. barleywine? no. different/worth $12 a 6-pack? definitely not.

I will certainly agree with the argument that this should not be considered a barley wine. The wheat character comes out way too strong for me too think barley wine at all...perhaps a new style should be named? Anyways, aside from the fact it doesn’t match the style, this beer does have a lot of great things going for it. Pours a hazy bright yellow-orange color with a decent white head. Getting bannana, clove, and spice in the nose. The flavor holds the bannana and clove with a carmelized sugar note coming out. Malty,sweet, dry and light on the tounge and a quick dry finish. This is almost like the bastard child of a hefeweizen and a barley wine if anything else. A very good beer with no real home.

A barley wine? Hmm, maybe sometimes it is better to rate to the beer rather than rate to the style. This is what I will attempt to do. The beer pour clear honey color, until the yeast enters the glass and the appearance transformsto murky, honey color with a retained egg white colored head. The aroma is very inviting and expansive with big yeast and wheat notes, also some banana. Flavor is big and to me seems to be like a Hefe-weizen on steroids. Big wheat, yeast notes along with a more moderate banana clove flavor and just a tad of alcohol burn. A good beer, yes. A barley wine, no.

The aroma consists of yeast, wheat, and citrus fragrances. This sediment filled maize colored solution sits under a thick white head. This beer enters the mouth crisp and clean. The taste is of sweet biscuits with mild fruit hints mingled in. This beer fades smoothly leaving a nice nutty taste lingering.