Bells Cherry Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Amber color with a mild hue of rudy mixed in. Modest tan head that seems to have a hint of pink. Very fruity aromas. A cherry based fruit punch nose. The label indicates that this was brewed with cherry concentrate, seems like they left some pits in the punch. Has a real cherry of peach pit tartness quality. This does need more malt to keep the cherries in their place. To simple, like a light ale with cherries. Palate is light and somewhat biting. Perhaps this is rated lower as expectations were higher.

Have tried this a few times and still doesn’t do it for me. Only faint cherry detectable in aroma and flavor. Flavor seems to be a little off, almost like rotten fruit.

12 oz bottle pours a cloudy red with a short reddish white creamy head. Aroma is of sweet cherries. Flavor is much more on the tart side but still cherries. There is some malt behind this brew though and the cherries don’t completely dominate the flavor. Some yeast also comes through. Finishes with a nice sour aftertaste. On the palate this is rather light and not overpoweringly sweet or sour but just about right. I found this definitely tolerable for a fruit beer and not bad at all for finish to a nice meal.

Amber red color, tart and sour cherries in the nose and taste, although on the mild side. Finishes sour and dry.

Pours from a bottle to an opaque reddish amber. Good, slow disappearing head. Aroma reminds me of when I was 12 years old picking tart cherries on Mead’s Farm near Frankfort, Michigan. Tart, tangy flavor. A maltiness seeps in that doesn’t allow the cherries to overpower the ale. I could drink alot of this ale.

Color is dark amber with a strange red hue. Aroma is a largely fruity, candy like (read- Fake) cherry aroma, sweet aroma. Flavor is tangy and tart. Cherry flavors are a points tart and also candy (Kool-aid -ish). Unexpected light apricot presence. Full flavor and fruity finish. Strange beer, not in the class of some real good fruit beers out there.

Bottled. Thanks to pailhead. Pours a very cloudy reddish amber. Aroma is of caramel and malt with some fruitiness....but, surprisingly, not really of cherry. Hops barely present in the aroma. Flavor is sweet and fruity and yeasty, but again, the cherry is not really the dominant fruit flavor. More of a apple, orange, pineapple type fruit profile with cherry in the background. Decent amount of hop bitterness and a slight sour and dry finish. Body was fairly full and it went down easily with moderate carbonation. Not the best fruit beer out there.

(12oz botte, RBSG05) Hazed amber body, off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, sour cherry, caramel, orange. Taste is medium sweet, cherry, some sourness, light caramel. Light-medium body.