Bells Wheat Love Ale

This one is a light amber with a slight haze. The smallish head is fast fading. The aroma is an attractive floral honey and that is backed up by a sweet and pleasant fruitiness.

Pour was a hazy orange with no head at all. Aroma is yeasty but that’s about it. Good thing that is the only thing i have a problem with this brew. Flavor is nice! Stong yeast and banana flavor. Lots of cloves and pepper added make this a good wheat brew. Not like a barleywine as you know it. More like an Imperial Hefe if there is such a thing.

Batch 7155, bottle. Nice opague, golden pour. Notes of Belgian yeast emerge from the glass; fresh baked bread, clove, orange peel, nutmeg, lemon. Reminded me a bit of the Abbaye des Rocs Brune on the nose, and to some extent, the palate as well. On the palate, a great balance of flavors, with the wheat emerging strongly. Some similarities to a weizenbock in the sense that the wheat notes are so pronounced. Lots of banana bread like flavors and spices. Great mouthfeel and solid finish. Not my favorite style (I prefer a barleywine to a wheatwine), but this is well done. Larry Bell shows his skill and craftsmanship yet again.

From a distinctive 12oz. brown Bell’s bottle with batch number 7155 on the back label, packaged on 12/01/05. Made a good appearance, poured a hazy dirty golden with a nice sized foamy white head and a fair amount of ringed lacing. Had a yeasty aroma, Bell’s house strain and a Belgian type yeastiness with a buried wheat maltiness. Decent carbonation and a slick lite medium bodied mouth feel, good drinkability. Taste was a first yeasty followed by a mellow wheat maltiness and a dry, slightly bittersweet finish.

Thanks Illinismitty
12oz bottle; Yeast stands out as the aroma alnong with a banana like some Wits I’ve had. Couldy yellow body with good head. Head settled to a thin layer all through beer. Quality lacing. At first not much but the banana flavor. By the middle is a carmel texure to blend with the banana and seemed like a bubblegum at the finish. Banana aftertaste left on palate. Man this was good.

(01.23.06) 12 oz brown bottle purchased from DiCarlo’s, Mundelein, IL. 8% ABV. Hazy light orange hued ale having no discernable head. No discernable carbonation. Spicy (clove) and fruity aromas. Medium bodied ale that starts with sharpness, light malt sweetness and spicy clove/fruity flavors. Finishes dry with pleasant fruity aftertaste. A very good wheat barleywine, like an “imperial” hefeweizen.

Now knowing that this is a Belgian strong, I appreciate it in a different light than I did as what I thought was a wheat (along the lines of the rest of Bells wheat series). Full flavor and a noticable alcohol content (didn’t read the label, but it seemed WAY too much for a typical wheat). A strange one...perhaps needing a more accurate title?

Courtesy of OhioDad. <P> First my wife’s rating because I get in trouble if I drink a wheat beer without letting her have at least half, but preferably more. "Wow, I love it!" <P> Aroma is quite citrusy, but with lots of balancing yeast and bannana notes. Cloudy orange/yellow with a fairly small, one finger thick head. Hmm Imperial Wheat Ale. Basically. I’m waiting for an Imperial Mild with the trends they way they are. But this is a GOOD thing. Very thick and creamy with lots of yeasty/clove/bannana notes and hints of coriander and orange peel. It has a great feel to it and a very good flavor. A nicely done brew that shows you can play around with almost any style.