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

Cherry AleCherry Ale
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
77
Avg:
3.31 | pDev: 20.24%
Reviews:
52
Ratings:
56
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 27, 2016
Added:
Nov 06, 2004
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by proc:
Photo of proc
Reviewed by proc from Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The color of this beer struck me as it poured out due to its red hue. O.K., I know, its a cherry beer, but whether or not it was "red" due to the cherries or me just thinking it should be red, I don't know. Anyhow, after a slight head, it settled into the glass with its nice amber glow. Mild aroma of yeasty, bread dough and light fruit. The taste is interesting with a slight sweetness at the beginning giving way to a tartness that is not ovewhelming but continues all the way through the swallow giving it a great mouthfeel. The cherry taste is not cloying, nor not to tart and is very well balanced.

An interesting beer.
Jun 25, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by krome from Illinois

Aug 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

Jul 05, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by bradfordjohnson from Kentucky

Sep 05, 2012
 
Rated: 2.75 by antoines15 from Indiana

May 01, 2012
Photo of kbutler1
Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle with a batch # of 6898. A very old bottle indeed! Bottle popped open with very little carbonation. Poured an opaque reddish brown hue with zero head. The aroma is fruity but not overly so. Tart fruit and then a very 1 sided fruity wheat flavor. The bottle is very old so I don't really know what to expect out of this. Bitter flat aftertaste. Tasty for being old/flat but not too bad, would have loved to taste this one in its heyday! Medium mouthfeel
Sep 24, 2010
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.37/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Batch 6898 shared by kbutler1

Poured into Bells tulip.

Pours no head. Color is a murky raspberry red.

Aroma: Cherry concentrate and wheat. Pretty straight forward

Taste: Dry, but tart cherries. Wheat. Sweetness. The cherries seemed to have held up fine. A very straightforward beer.

Mouthfeel: Light tartness, smooth, refreshing. Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Ends clean with cherries.

Overall, this is more of a dessert beer. The cherries held up. Not overly tat, but enjoyable. Decent drinkability. A little sweet.
Sep 12, 2010
Photo of jujubeast6000
Reviewed by jujubeast6000 from Texas

1.96/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Reviewed 9/29/2006 (12oz tap @ Kalamazoo brewery):

Dark red, color, clearish/cloudy, almost no head (bartender may wanted to give me more beer for my $), white, lasting. Sweet cherry aroma, but not much. Cherry taste, nutty, fresh, not too tart, some fizz Not much flavor. A little disappointed.
Jan 24, 2009
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Sample at the Bell's tasting at Brews Cafe on 3/6/08: The beer pours a luminous red color with a medium thin off-white head that dissipates steadily. Spotty lacing. Aroma of tart cherries and wheat. Medium, clean body with dark cherry and bready malt flavors. The finish is fruity with lingering cherry aftertaste. Might suffer from the recent New Glarus Fruit beers I have had, but not bad overall.
Nov 24, 2008
Photo of nmyers
Reviewed by nmyers from Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
With a bright ruby red color and a very strong cherry aroma this beer lives up to its name. It also has very light carbonation and a very thin light red head on it with minimal retention. The taste of this beer was a little tart at first, but finished off sweet with a little bit of a lingering cherry after taste. This was a very drinkable beer, but I couldn't have more than a couple in a night.
Apr 05, 2008
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
What can I say, it looks like cherry juice with a steady flow of bubbles rising up the glass. A pink this yet high rising head fades quickly.

Cherry and malt with vibrant acidity. Malt is really chunk and exuberant in the nose.

Good carbonation, tart cherry flavors, thick malt with very good balance. Smooth and easy to drink. The lack of residual sugar and prickly carbonation really make this a easy drinking refreshner of a beer.
Mar 07, 2008
Photo of OStrungT
Reviewed by OStrungT from California

3.67/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
This beer pours a murky orangish brown color with almost no head. There is a little head floating in the middle of the glass. It is tan. It leaves a surprising amount of laces.

This beer smells like apple juice. A slight cherry aroma is present, but mostly I smell apple juice. It smells slightly tart.

This beer tastes just like it smells. Apple juice like. A slight cherry flavor is present. It tastes sweet, and slightly tart.

This beer leaves a ciderlike aftertaste. It is low in carbonation.

This beer might be a good session beer. I assume it is low in alcohol, and the flavor is nice, and mild.

Overall: Thanks Faro for this beer. I love Bells, and I love fruit beers. This one, is not my favorite from Bells, or from the style. However, I am happy to have had the chance to try it.
Nov 17, 2007
Photo of KC8LTL
Reviewed by KC8LTL from Michigan

3.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I had no idea what to expect for a Cherry Ale since this is hardly a well-defined style or even something I would normally drink. However, I was at Bell’s and wanted to try something off the wall that they had.

When I got it from the bartender, I saw a red-tinged amber liquid with about a half inch of off-white head which stuck around enough to seem like beer. Smell had a distinct and inviting cherry smell, and the taste was dominated by tart cherries. I am a bit of a hophead I guess, so bitter tart cherry does not bother me, even if a bit unusual in a beer. There is enough of a malt backbone to tell it is there and to support the cherries, but by far the dominant flavor is of the cherries. Rather light body. If you can enjoy the tart cherries, it is quite drinkable, even if it is hardly something I would reach for if thirsty.
Sep 23, 2007
Photo of TechMyst
Reviewed by TechMyst from Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
CONTAINER VOLUME: 8oz

CONTAINER TYPE: glass

FRESH: y

PURCHASED @: Irish Rose

COST: n/a

HEAD: none

LACE: minimal

COLOR: yellow w/ red tint

AROMA: sweet cherry

MOUTHFEEL: medium

PALATE: adjusts quickly

COMMENTS: Had on draft at Irish Rose in Rockford. Beautiful to the sight and smell. Quality brew. I believe this is 6% ABV...

CONDITIONS:
MOWING/WORKING ON CAR- n
WITH FRIENDS- y
SIPPING- y
GET MY BUZZ ON- y
Sep 13, 2006
Photo of CharlesDarwin
Reviewed by CharlesDarwin from Rhode Island

2.5/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Originally reviewed July 27, 2005. 12 Oz Bottle. Clear, red tinged amber, with a nice creamy, foamy off-white head. Sourish standard ale aroma, tinged with slightly rotten cherries. Super sour and very tart flavor, with a heavy coppery metallic flavor stinging my mouth. Some light creamy notes. Gross, this beer is not drinkable. Palate is dry and metallic. I’m not impressed.
Aug 11, 2006
Photo of sullysbeer
Reviewed by sullysbeer from Michigan

2.05/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Aroma: Malty Sweet Tart, Bares Traces of Cherry Juice, Slight Metallic Aroma

Appearance: Murky Orangeish Red with an Off White Head

Flavor: Sweet Maltyness Up front Followed by an Intense Cherry Tartness that Fights with the Caramel Malts and Finishes with a Very Light Hop Bitterness. Slightly Metallic or Blood Like Flavor

Mouthfeel: Medium Bodied, Buttery Mouthfeel

Overall Impression: Very Smooth. Not as Refreshing as I Thought it was going to be. The Metallic/Blood like Flavor didn't do much for me on this one. For sure try this one as it is a Bell's Beer. I probably won't pick this one up again.
May 30, 2006
Photo of gmcfarre
Reviewed by gmcfarre from Colorado

2.51/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Batch 6898 - Poured into half pint glass
According to the website, it was packaged on June 6, 2005, making it almost a year old. I bought it a week ago, so most of its life was spent on the store shelf.

A - Pours a cloudy light brown/orange color with no real hint of the red I was expecting. Head is minimal, perhaps lost during the aging process. Lacing is basically non-existent as well.

S - Honestly, the tartness of the cherries makes this brew smell a lot like apple juice. Ok, upon closer inspection, I get a hint of the cherries, but my thoughts immediately leapt to apple juice when I poured the thing. There is a thin malt presence, but the fruit takes center stage.

T - Tart is the operative word here, with a bit of sweetness and very little else going on. When something is this tart its hard for other tastes to compete.

M - Mouthfeel is dominated by what seems to be a tingly carbonation feeling, but the lack of head makes me question this. Perhaps it is the tartness that is confusing. Going down it has a bit of a bite on the back of your tongue, but no bitterness to speak of.

D - You almost have to sip this one because of the tartness. I wouldn't have more than one of these at a time, although I probably won't have another in the first place.
May 23, 2006
Photo of Blakaeris
Reviewed by Blakaeris from Iowa

2.51/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours cherry-copper color with very little head and minimal lacing.

Smell is dominated by cherries, but not overly tart. Maltiness comes through with a touch of vanilla.

Taste is rather tart cherry up front, but it blends to a sour finish. Sweet with brown sugar. It has a cider character to it that I'm not thrilled with.

Mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied.

Bell's can make some great beers. But this one isn't one of them. As far as fruit beers go, this one is OK. Nothing to get excited about.
Apr 22, 2006
Photo of Crosling
Reviewed by Crosling from Colorado

2.31/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Red tinted magenta. Nice color. Subtle aroma, with a light yeast presence (dough, barnyard), cherries mainly (though non-vibrant) and a light hint of pancake batter and alcohol. Light body with an oily texture. Salty cherry flavor, with clashing tartness and sweetness. Terrifyingly bad.
Apr 13, 2006
Photo of jj21
Reviewed by jj21 from Wisconsin

3.97/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle
Cloudy, deep red color. Quickly disappearing head. Tart Cherry aroma (Duh) is very pungent. Tart Red Cherry and Black currant and Wheat flavor. Crisp, light and tart mouthfeel is refreshing. Almost lemony Too tart to have a lot but tasty.
Mar 07, 2006
Cherry Ale from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 56 ratings