Why are Bell's beers either World Class or really "average"?

You can bet these beers were tested and pilot batched and sold at the taproom and hit well enough that they decided to take them to the stage. Beyond that. Because these are also one off releases and are probably only brewed on their main system, and packaged ONCE. These beers are living up to the term; eccentric and as such, are not for everybody. Also, this series gives the brewers a break from the regular brew schedule and its monotony. Beer is fun. Remember?

 

Come on, you know that if a beer is not rated 95 or higher its just mediocre......

 

I don't want to argue with your opinion. You can like whatever you want. But saying Two Hearted - one of the most widely available craft beers in the country, with almost 12,000 people rating it world class - is "over hyped" just doesn't make sense. It's probably just a really good beer.

 

Would you prefer it microwaved, or should we wheel one in?

 

I've been a fan of craft beer for a few years now and at first I only liked barrel-aged, over roasted or super hoppy beers. I've found that my palate is tired of these beers now and I seem to appreciate a great well made beer which I think Bell's nails damn near every time. Amber is ridiculously good, their stouts are all killer, and if they put Oarsman in a can I wouldn't drink anything else all summer. Bell's brews to style, maybe to a fault by some, but damn near all of their beers are well-crafted and executed.

 

Consecrator definitely falls into that very good range. So did This Ones Goes to 11. With a few years Third Coast Old Ale can become an exceptional barleywine.

 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. With that said, no brewery is perfect.

 

I think you are not comparing the beers within their styles. Oberon is a very good American Pale Wheat Ale.

 

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

fixed.

j/k...I'd drink oarsman in a can too

 

Most is based on opinion, a trend thats been going on for a few years, we will get newer folks that get into craft beer strictly trying "whales" up front and get underwhelmed when they try a Brown ale, Amber ...etc, so they will use the rating system and sometimes it will recieve a 2.5-3.5 average. im not saying all newer craft beer drinkers do this, im just sayin ive seen that trend of a new CB drinker got into it because his or her buddy had something that was insanely chocolatey or Barrel aged/Hoppy and strictly look for those beers. im a younger guy(26) but ive been brewing and enjoying craft beer for 6 years now. i remember Having bells best brown, two hearted, oarsman.. and loving all those beers, and still do. i think bells best brown is one of the best browns (ha) out there. with all that being said, are all beers world class? no. but thats for you to figure out. Cheers!

 

I suspect you never noticed that Goose Island IPA is an English IPA. I wish they would make a west coast IPA, though with Elysian and 10 Barrel in the AB portfolio, I suspect we'll never see one out of Goose Island. The Rambler is pretty solid (and seasonal, so it can't really be a "go-to") and gets a spot in my fridge when it's out.

 

Nothing special. I doubt most people could tell the difference between this and other beers within its style...

 

I'd say Hopslam and Two Hearted are average as well. I never understood the hype of Hopslam, and there are better options available for the same price point as Two Hearted.

Still need to try Expedition and Black Note, so I can't offer an opinion on either.

 

I think it's like a lot of brewers out there; you can't please them all. I would agree though, Bell's does seem to be hot/cold.

 

I actually pretty much agree with the OP. I seek out Expedition, Hopslam, Two Hearted and maybe Kalamazoo Stout, other than that the rest of their beers to me are very average.

 

I would imagine that many of their main year-round beers have had the same recipe since 1983 when they opened. Tastes have changed and they've brewed many new beers since then, but the oldies have most likely stayed the same, and were more aligned with the beers and flavors around at the time. It's the same way I feel about most of the larger micros - their core lineup beers aren't always that great but their specials are usually awesome.

 

I would rather have a Gose or just a nice Lager or APA come summer time.

Having said that if Bells ever came to Oklahoma, there would be a lot of happy campers. I would still buy mine in Missouri as it would be about $2 sixer cheaper ( at least this is the case with pretty much every brewery in both states now ) & you could buy it cold ( a fact about 49 other states take for granted ).

 

amber and best brown are definitely not average; they may not be the most exciting style for many people on BA, but they are really good beers.