Lakeview Bitter
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Originally reviewed August 17 2007. On tap at the Eccentric Cafe. Aroma comes clean with a fresh malt biscuit and watered grain aroma, behind a bit of mineral salt, toast and ester notes. Pours in a pale amber gold, clothed in a soapy bath of off-white. Flavor comes in with nips of honeyed sweetness, rich wheat sugars, calming British yeast esters and a cue of full flavored hop balance. Nicely refreshing and dry, with an easy drinking finish. Smacks a touch in calm spice. Delicious all around and with a tooth of delectable alcohol.

On-tap at the Bell's Eccentric Cafe.

At first it struck me as a pale ale, but I can see the similarities to an ESB as it warms and the tasty malt profile comes out. The hops dominate with crisp citrus hops (I couldn't pull any specific flavors this time) with a touch of yeasty and malt sweetness. A perfect hoppy summer drink. I'd order another.

A decent, middle of the road bitter that is available only on tap at the Eccentric Cafe.

Decently carbonated, orange colouration, a lightly hoppy nose which runs more toward the citrus than the floral.

The flavour is a smooth drinking, malty front with a gentle grapefruit / grass bite on the finish. It's not hugely aggressive like some bitters are, but it's a nice quaffer style beer.

Mouth and drinkability, both also decent but not spectacular.

Bottom line: Worth trying if you're in the tap room and you're in the mood for something different.

On tap at Bell's Eccentric Cafe and I'm glad it was as I really enjoyed this one.

Nice shade of copper. A nice thick pearl white head sits atop and slowly fades into a sticky lace that ends in a ring around the glass.

Citrus hops all the way with a sweet malty sidekick to help fight crime. Grapefruit, orange and a hint of peach and apricot. Floral surroundings. Very nice!

Balance comes to mind upon first sip. Bittering hops with a slight buttery diacetyl cover the entire palate spectrum. A green quality with herbal notes hits on the far reaches of the mid-palate and from there tangy grapefruit and apricot flavors take over. Malty middle holds things in check. Spritzy carbonation keeps this beer light and very refreshing.

Had this on tap at Bell's, as it was the only one I didn't recognize. ABV listed at 6%.
It's a nice clear bright copper with a tiny tan head. Smells like hops and hints of sweet fruits. Taste is bitter but not intense, with good amounts of both malt and hops, and some spicy citrus balance. Nice for the style. Mouthfeel is quite good, it feels nice on the tongue. Drinkability is up there too. Interesting little experiment from Bell's, hope they keep trying out new styles.

Pours a medium copper with hints of amber and a small cream head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is fairly sugary sweet and corn syrupy. Light notes of honey with some citrus notes and some musk melon as well. Taste follows suit with some corn syrup like sweetness and a flash of melon and light citrus. This is quickly followed early in the taste by a fairly large peppery tingle on the tongue and a roast/toasty flavor. The pepperiness lingers into the somewhat dry aftertaste. Fairly sweet but not cloyingly so, the aroma and taste remind me of corn syrup but in no way does the beer taste or feel that way. There isn't too much actual bitterness, but a strong dance of pepper on the tongue to balance the sweetness. Easy to drink and went well with lunch at the cafe today.

Had this on tap this weekend at the Eccentric Cafe (I always go for the ones you don't see in bottles). Served in a plastic cup because that's all they had for that size. Brown and fizzy with a bubbly head that didn't last super long. Smelled hoppy (fuggles?) and a little malty. Taste was approprately bitter, a little grassy, and not too overwhelming in any way. Just like a good bitter should be, maybe they should bottle this one.