Bell's Oberon Ale

When you are a fan of seasonal beer, you can find yourself looking for them on a schedule. Fall beers usually arrive in stores in mid August, winter beers in late October, spring beers in January and summer beers somewhere between the end of March and early April. While I usually start purchasing most seasonal beers as soon as I can, I have a tendency to stay away from summer beer until the end of May. It seems like a cruel joke to sip a beer with an image of a sun or a surfboard on the label when a winter coat is still my go-to jacket and there is still potential for ice on the ground. While the end of May might seem a bit late to have ice on the ground, I do live in Upstate NY and weather here changes quickly. With that being said, cold weather seems to finally be out, summer beers are finally in and it's time to start reviewing my first of the season.

From the Bell's Brewery in Comstock, Michigan, Bell's Oberon Ale is an American Wheat Ale that pours a cloudy light orange with a thin white head. The refreshing scent of coriander and citrus stand out in the aroma. Upon tasting the delicious flavor of wheat, orange and lemon were immediately noticeable before a clean spicy finish with a hint of candy sweetness.

Bell's Oberon Ale works well because it manages to be light bodied and full of flavor. It does a much better job at creating citrus flavors through its ingredients than some of the other summer ales and shandies that hide their mediocre beer behind overpowering fruit flavoring. On top of that, Oberon Ale has an almost undetectable 5.8% ABV which is a bit stronger then the usual summer ale. What is noticeable and in my opinion could be the main drawback of this beer is the sweetness. While enjoyable, over time I could easily see the sweetness becoming a bit overbearing. Other than that I can safely say this is one of the better summer beers I've had and it was well worth the wait.

Overall I give Bell's Oberon Ale an 4/5. It's light, refreshing and very easy to drink. I could easily see this beer in my refrigerator throughout the summer months.


Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!