Kalamazoo Royal Amber Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Kalamazoo Royal Amber AleKalamazoo Royal Amber Ale
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
84
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 8.7%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
21
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 15, 2015
Added:
Dec 08, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by barnzy78:
Photo of barnzy78
Rated by barnzy78 from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

Nov 27, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.27 by Stacey-Rae

Apr 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Aug 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Jan 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Nov 27, 2011
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the Beer Bistro in Chicago, a place that's pretty middle of the road and not at all known for their rare selections. Seeing this there was surprising, to say the least.

Pours almost a candy colored bright, cheery amber. Almost more red than it is amber, actually. Nice and hazy, like a popsicle. Big tight white head that sticks around.

Smells like a fruit bowl--big and juicy and really not what I was expecting but still nice. This mellows out at the beer warms and there's a very firm balance between toffee biscuit malts and fairly strong citrus hops. Goodness, what a profile from an amber.

Tastes a lot like it smells but not *quite* as perfectly balanced. The fruit nodes are a lot more pervasive and they kind of blot out the malt-hop interplay. Still, well balanced and tasty.

Very crisp and sweet, this is one hell of an easy drinking summer ale.
Jul 20, 2008
Photo of alexgash
Reviewed by alexgash from Connecticut

4.07/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. bottle.

Hazyish, yeast-flecked orange-amber body. Half inch of thick, creamy, beige head. Good lacing. Nose is caramel and toffee sweet with yeasty bread, and floral hops. Toasted malt and a hint of floral hop bitterness up front. Becomes very caramelly and bready, kind of like a caramel roll. Nice toasted biscuit and yeast flavors before a floral, slightly herbal, bitter hop finish. Medium-bodied with a creamy feel. Reminds me of something I've had many times here in Michigan...
Jul 10, 2008
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint.

Batch # 8388

A: Pours a nice looking hazy-copper color with a creamy/sticky, light-tan/light-orange colored head that recedes quickly and leaves droopy ropes of lace behind.

S: Aromas of toasted grain, lemony hops, toasted bread/fresh-baked biscuits, caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla.

T: See above. Toasted malt, citrus hops, caramel, and toasted bread make up the bulk of what's going on here. Nice sweet caramel flavors in the finish that are balanced by bitter citrus hops.

M: Starts relatively juicy and rounded and quickly turns spicy and astringent. Bitter citrus flavors play out and continue to develop in the finish.

D: Quite good. Very easy to drink and should make a very enjoyable BBQ/summer party beer.
Jul 01, 2008
Photo of tmitch75
Reviewed by tmitch75 from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I miss having access to Bell's beers in Chicago, so I am excited to try this out and see if it's the same.

Coppery orange color, ample cream-colored head that drops fast. Lots of little flecks in it, but I'd think it must be fresh since it's the first time I've seen this stuff anywhere.

Sweet smell, like cinnamon sugar, with a lightly floral element to it.

Bready and caramelly sweet with floral and lightly citric hops.

Medium body with good crispness.

A good sessioner, but I had higher expectations of a Bell's beer. That may be unfair as I could well have idealized their amber in the last year or so...

Tasted on 6/15/08.
Jun 30, 2008
Photo of Slynger
Reviewed by Slynger from Illinois

3.46/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Kalamazoo Royal Amber poured a hazy amber-orange fading to gold near the bottom of my glass. Medium lid of is a fine and fuzzy eggshell color and quickly slips to leave some slinky lace.

Nose is a bit light, but I detect a light pale malt sweetness along with some citrus fruitiness, toasted malts, and floral and earthy hops.

It's medium bodied with a soft and lightly creamy smoothness coming through with a lightly fluffy carbonation. The flavors come in mild and pleasant. There is a gentle pale malt and citrusy sweetness in excellent balance with lightly toasted biscuity malts. There is some light floral creaminess as well and a light, fresh, earthy hop bitterness.

This is a nice, pleasant, and drinkable Bell's import. Far from great, but I don't remember finding the original to be great either. Glad to have it in Illinois.
Jun 19, 2008
Photo of KBomb
Reviewed by KBomb from Minnesota

3.36/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle. Kalamazoo Amber was a dark copper, small head that quickly disappeared and minimal lacing. A slightly crisp hoppy aroma and a hint of sweetness. The taste was a little more bitter and hoppy, almost more like a Pale Ale rather than an American Amber. Liight mouthfeel and moderate carbonation that make it quite drinkable...

...still I was a little "thrown off" by this beer. I contend that this brew is different than Bell's Amber Ale. It lacked some of the malty sweetness, smoothness and balance of other ambers. It goes down easy and is a fine hoppy brew, but it wasn't my favorite.
Jun 14, 2008
Photo of spointon
Reviewed by spointon from Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I poured this one from a 12oz brown bottle featuring the Kalamazoo label but with obvious nods to the Bell's heritage. On the back of the label, it proclaims "Brewed for the fine people of the State of Illinois". Welcome to beer distibutor politics...

A= This beer poured an orange amber color with a thin white head that quickly disappeared. Lacing down the glass was minimal as well. There was a significant amount of particulates floating in this beer for the style - not really off-putting, just a bit different and unexpected for the style.

S= The aroma of this ale had a lot of caramel malt and earthy notes up front. Overall though, the aroma is very muted and underwhelming.

T= The taste follows the nose with a lot of caramel malty flavors. There is also a drier, citrusy hop character coming in near the end.

MF= The relatively low carbonation release and the medium body combine to make this beer a pleasant and easy beer to put down.

D= An all around easy to drink brew. I find it hard not to compare it to Fat Tire. Same style, probably a bit better. I will drink more of this if I find a good price...
May 14, 2008
Photo of nmyers
Reviewed by nmyers from Michigan

3.86/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This beer poured a nice reddish amber color with a thin tan head on it with minimal retention. The aroma of this beer has hints of caramel and malty notes. It also has hints of hops as well. The taste of this beer begins with a smooth caramel flavor with malty notes. It had smooth hop finish to it as well. This was a very smooth and easy to drink. It was probably the lightest and smoothest beer on-tap at the brewery.
Apr 05, 2008
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.97/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was on tap for $5 at the Taylor in Lombard. Much better choice than their house beers....

Served in a standard shaker, the beer is a red tinted gold with a beige head. It has very active carbonation.

The aroma is of slightly roasted malts hints of citrus. Fresh, simple and inviting.

The taste is of cereal and malts. Becomes slightly bitter late with nice citrus notes. Well balanced, it is an easy sipper. The mouth is slightly soft in spite of the carbonation.

Glad to see this available again in the Illinois market. It's like catching-up with an old friend.
Mar 04, 2008
Photo of kajerm
Reviewed by kajerm from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at Clark St. Ale House. The beer pours reddish amber with two fingers of fine white carbonation and lots of lacing.

The aroma is a mixed toffeeish and caramel malts with a slight background of piney hops.

The flavor opens up with bready, slighlty sweet malt flavors, which grow mid-palate. Hop bitterness comes in to round out the finish and hangs around a bit.

The mouthfeel is creamy and satisfying, a product of the maltiness of the beer.

Drinkability is great, especially because I feel like every sip is going to fund Larry Bell's lawsuit.

Bell's--I mean Kalamazoo Brewing Co.--it's great to have you back; now about that IPA...
Jan 04, 2008
Photo of scruffwhor
Reviewed by scruffwhor from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this on tap at Lunar. Am I out of the beerloop, is Bell's back in Illinois, or was this just a fluke. Either way, great to have a Bell's brew on tap again. Comes out a great medium amber with light, lethargic bubbling and no head. The aroma was a great mix of mild, crisp hops and slightly dry yet sweet hops. Tastes a little adjuncty and corny. But a firm malt bill comes through with refreshing and leasing hps to balance out the dry, very biscuity malts. Could be a bit easier to drink if the adjuncty flavors were a little less.
Dec 28, 2007
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at Silver Cloud Bar & Grill.

Hazy amber orange tone, good amount of offwhite foam. Aroma is a little average. Vague malt and cereal grain.

Aftertaste of cereal grain like puffed wheat. Perceptible level of hops give the mouthfeel a little zippiness. Light toasty malt seems to be the showcase here.
Adequate carbonation, and pleasant overall feel make this one an easy drinker. Approachable for non-craft drinkers, this will probably be fairly popular in Chicagoland area drinking establishments.
Dec 08, 2007
Photo of rhoadsrage
Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer pours a bold amber body with a spongy snow white head that last for a good bit and sticks to the glass. There is a gentle carbonation of big bubbles that glide to the surface.

S- The smell of fresh malt that is lightly toasted increases as the beer warms a bit but the smell of pine green hops with a note of pungency and a hint of orange is always present.

T- The taste starts with a soft fresh lightly toasted malt flavor. As it develops notes of sweet caramel and a faint biscuit dryness comes through. The malt flavor blends with a juicy orange note like that of jelly beans which is quickly over taken by the nice pine bitterness of hops. The hop bitterness lingers a bit after each sip with notes of the malt lingering in the background.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with just a light sweetness which is cleaned up by a tight little fizz that boost the hop bitterness nicely.

D- This is a well-built beer with nice depth to the malt and a good hops profile. It is not a big hop monster by any means just a good quaftable session beer with depth.
Dec 08, 2007
Photo of MillRat
Reviewed by MillRat from Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep, slightly hazy yellow with a fine white head. Aromas of citrusy hops and clean malt. Taste follow suit, medium-bodied with a slight sweetness. Yeast character is very subtle. This is a nicely crafted and accessible beer, one that has neither any detracting characteristics nor any outstanding unusual features, which is a nice lead-off for entering a market. It is quite quaffable and would be a great beer to carry you through a night at the tavern.
Dec 08, 2007
Kalamazoo Royal Amber Ale from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 21 ratings