Pale Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Pale AlePale Ale
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 14.66%
Reviews:
623
Ratings:
1,203
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 05, 2019
Added:
Dec 11, 2001
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  74
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cratez:
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Fresh 12oz bottle purchased at International Beverage in Grand Rapids.

Pours a light golden hue with one finger of white foam, lots of bubbly carbonation in the body, some chill haze, and strands of stringy lacing on the pint glass.

Smell is grainy pale malt, lemon zest, orange jujube and marmalade, toasted wheat, floral, earthy and herbal hops, and bread dough.

Flavour is citric, zesty and floral hops, grainy-bready malts, toasted wheat, faint mineral note, spicy, prickly and astringent bitterness with lemon juice on the cough. A strange little pale, as the IBUs seem pretty high for the style, and yet this tastes more like a blonde or wheat ale than an APA. Either way, it's a delicious session beer.

Mouthfeel is smooth, medium-bodied, slightly creamy, juicy and citric lemon peel bitterness lingers in the long, drying finish. A great, refreshing thirst quencher.

Overall, I could crush a sixer of this bright sunny brew in no time. I suspect it's underrated because it doesn't conform to the APA style guidelines. If they called it a blonde or "golden" ale, the reviews would probably skyrocket. In any case, Bell's Pale Ale is a scrumptious beer with eminent drinkability, and I'll be seeking it out in future.
Nov 27, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
From old, undated notes. Poured from the bottle.

Very malt forward, both in scent and taste.

Almost has a burnt chocolate smell in fact!

Lager-ish light golden color; pretty murky.

Nice lacing!

Thin mouthfeel; nice slight carbonation bite.

A bit of a corn-like flavor seeps in.

Nice enough on a summer day but not going to blow anyone away.
Jul 05, 2019
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.22/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
When I looked at the style information on this website, I looked to see if it went as an English pale ale. That really tells you where this review is headed doesn't it?

So, back in 2001 when I arrived in the Midwest, there were a few beers that could rock the hopwagon. For whatever reason, Bell's was putting all their hoppy eggs in the Two Hearted and Hopslam baskets. This shit was like an afterthought. Poured a honey like color that revealed a bit more malt than you standard pale ale or even ipa in this day and age. Was the malt toasted more, did they go Golden Promise, did they use the similar colored honey malt? All three? Who knows, but the bottom line, this beer was decidedly on the maltier side of balance compared to those hop monsters from the turn of the century in Kalamazoo.

So where did this beer find its niche? Well, it wasn't overly bitter, it did showcase a decent grain collection, get your loving imagery of the grain elevator and shit in the heartland and bam here you go. What was this hopped with? Liberty or something similarly tame? Either way, it was a pale ale that leaned away from the hops like its brothers.
Dec 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.3 by Foxman27 from Iowa

Mar 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.53 by BenHoppy from Michigan

Jan 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.35 by HopHEAD1522 from Michigan

Jul 14, 2017
 
Rated: 2.8 by Benjolovesbeer from Michigan

Nov 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by Jodio from Texas

Jul 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by RAFH from Michigan

Apr 12, 2016
 
Rated: 2.61 by Jackalope1977 from Michigan

Feb 22, 2016
 
Rated: 2.55 by BadFishNY from New York

Jan 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by rossracing from Illinois

Jan 29, 2016
Photo of TryThemAllOnce
Reviewed by TryThemAllOnce from California

2.39/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
12oz bottle, packaged date 9/92015 - (over 4 months ago... uh oh.) Poured into a snifter glass.

Never tried any products from Bell's until this one, apparently a poor choice. It does little in any area to impress, very quickly disappearing head, little aroma, a bit over-carbonated, and worst - just does not taste great or even interesting. One of my worst recent buys. Sad that there are 5 more bottles to not enjoy. Will someone take them away?
Jan 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Zylod from West Virginia

Dec 30, 2015
 
Rated: 2.47 by wells2123 from Tennessee

Nov 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.62 by SMH_NWI from Texas

Nov 18, 2015
Photo of 50marathons
Rated by 50marathons from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Nice clean hop flavor. Lemon and honey in the front.
Nov 15, 2015
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.59/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
{from notes}
A good looking pale ale with a hazy, yellow-golden body topped by a good head.

The aroma is, perhaps lightly mild for a APA and slightly more yeasty. The flavor is mildly fruity and spicy. The hops mainly come out in the finish and aftertaste.

Feel: a bit too light bodied but well set carbonation level.

O: very good.
Nov 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.77 by csv from Michigan

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.69 by Moondoggy68 from Ohio

Sep 23, 2015
Pale Ale from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 1203 ratings