Bell's Oberon Ale Review - A Summertime Wheat Microbrew

I've honestly tried Bell's Oberon Ale a few times before, but never had the gumption to actually sit down and write even the quickest review on my personal opionions of this american wheat ale micro brew. Well, no time better than the present I always say. And with summer pretty much officially here now, there's no putting it off.

I kind of like the colorful goofy looking Mr. Sun logo on the label first off. With colors of bright orange, yellow and blue, the bottle labeling design definitely drew my attention to Bell's Oberon out of the hundreds of microbrews in my local mix and match six pack shop.

Pouring the 12 ounce brown bottle into an unchilled teardrop shaped glass, I found a tawny bright burning of orange and light rust. A slight haze was present but nothing entirely out of ordinary for a wheat beer. A mild 1 finger head coated the surface for a couple brief minutes and rapidly dissipated into lilly pads of splotchy froth.

Smell was very faint, a slight fruity touch to it but not "banana" strong as you find in so many wheat style ales. It gave off a faint spiciness that was a little tough to place.

Sipping this beer for the first ten minutes or so, I experienced that slight fruitness in flavor as well. I'd describe it actually as a sweeter, syrupy fruit that only got heavier as the beer warmed in the glass. There was a bready feel to it but again, this was not the common breadiness found in many wheat style beers. I think overall, the spice that I can't quite place in the background really makes this microbrew very unique in my book. I honestly do not typically find wheat beers to be my preference or favorite but I found myself really starting to enjoy Bell's Oberon Ale especially as the beer warmed.

If you like American Wheat Ales by nature, then this beer is certainly not going to disappoint you if you're trying it for the first time. If you hate wheat ales but love craft beers and microbrews, in the spirit of the art of microbrewing, I'd still recommend you at least give Oberon Ale a fair shot in broadening your microbrew horizons. You just might like it, and maybe alot as I did. Of all the wheat ales I've tried, and I confess it's not been hundreds, Bell's Oberon Ale is, without a doubt my favorite and one I would not hesitate in picking up a six pack of.

I would not recommend added an orange slice to Oberon Ale as the beer can definitely hold it's own in flavor and bite by it's lonesome. No need for props or garnishes here. One thing of note is that Bell's Oberon Ale does rate somewhere in the 6% "alcohol content by volume" range, which is may be just a bit stronger than you'd want sitting on the back porch in 90 degrees drinking beer all afternoon after mowing the lawn. Just don't get carried away (no matter how delicious and refreshing it is) and please be responsible. If it's got to be a wheat ale for summertime consumption, for me, I'm going to go straight to Bell's Oberon Ale if I have anything to say about it. A winner micro brew by any beer style standards. Go Bell's!

You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!