Bells Oberon Ale

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

8/05/2006: I’ve had this in bottles, but most recently I had it on draught. Darker orange in color, very cloudy, moderatly carbonated. Tastes and smells like wheat, a little sweet, good orange/apricot flavor. The draught version seems more mellow or something since it doesn’t seem to have a hop bite to it. Another great Bell’s beer! 22 oz draught, $4.95 at the Winking Lizard Tavern (Crosswoods). Rating 7 3 8 3 15 = 3.6.

4/02/2007: I had a couple pints of this on draught at Fries Cafe (Cincinnati, Ohio) during the Bell’s Oberon Release Party... Bell’s Oberaon has a cloudy orange color with a foamy off-white head. The aroma and flavor contain wheat malt, orange, and a hint of corriander. This beer has a medium body and the mouthfeel is nearly creamy. Bell’s Oberon is a pretty good American Wheat, but it seems to be getting more and more like Blue Moon Belgian Wit everytime I have it. Actually, I used to hate this beer the first time I had it (it used to be quite sour and loaded with spices), but now it’s drinkable... Rating: 7 3 7 4 14 = 3.5.

Bottle. Spicy wheat that tingles in your mouth; crispy and dry flavor

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!

Thanks to Indra for this one! Medium gold, hazy, decent head. Nose of wheat. Flavor is primarily wheat and a touch of lemon. Good body. Faint floral bitterness on finish. Pleasant, especially for the style.

07.17.04 12oz bottle, trade from jsquire. Pours a muddied oak color; very little head. the beer is crisp and wheaty. Backyard weedy. There is a touch of citrus sourness to it and a later hint at bitterness. An interesting take on American wheat. Thanks Jeff.

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 pour with lots of white head. A very wheaty nose and a body that follows suit.

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]