Oberon Ale

Oberon Ale by Bell's Brewery

Trying another wheat ale, I think I might like this style of beer. The ale that I am trying today is from Bell's Brewery. Bell's Brewery is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is the second beer by Bell's that I have had on this blog, first being Bell's Winter White Ale. I am curious to see how Oberon tastes and to see if I might become a fan of this brewery. This brewery was founded in 1986 and has grown into a very successful brewery that has a national presence on the beer market. In 1986, they produced 4,185 gallons and last year, 2014, the produced 961,000 gallons of beer. The beer I will be sampling today is Oberon Ale, which is an American Pale Wheat Ale. Oberon was formerly known as Solsun if you had it before they changed the name. This ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.8% and an IBU of 23. In terms of IBU this is not that hoppy. Quick little note about Oberon, this ale according to Beeradvocate, is in the top 12 of American Pale Wheat Ales. Now it is time to dive into tasting this beer and figuring out how to describe the beer. 

Head of Oberon and color of Oberon Ale

The head of Oberon is thick and foamy, which is usually present in most wheat ales. Looking at the head of the beer, I ventured downward to check out the color and complexion of the beer. One thing that I noticed was the cloudy complexion of the beer, it had a hazy about the beer. After that I tried to look at the beer's appearance and the color of the beer I was able to pick out was a light golden orange. I then tried my first whiff to smell the aroma and I think that it is very interesting. Complexity is another word I might use when talking about the aroma of Oberon. To anyone new to beer you would smell a wheaty aroma, which does not really tell you that much except that it is a wheat beer. I think the complexity comes in the aromas that are subtle. Like for instance I think there is a subtle spice aroma and with in the spiced aroma, I pick up a citrus hint or fruity notes. I think that the spiced aroma is being brought out by the use of the Saaz hop in this beer, which is known to add spice to a beer that is also usually blended with fruity notes to cut the spiciness down. Beers that I have seen use the Saaz hop have typically been paired with some type of fruity taste or aroma to combat the spiciness of this style of hop.  

Now to figure out the taste and body of this beer from Bell's Brewery. In terms of talking about the body of Oberon, I would have to say it is medium to light body for this beer. If I had to describe the taste of the beer I would have to say it is delicious. First sip, I picked up a orange note that is followed by a pale ale curve. There is a crispness to this beer that finishes with a refreshing taste. The thing that I find interesting is after you get past the orange note in the first sip, this ale gives you a spiced hop finish that is refreshing. I think the way that Bell's paired the Saaz hop and the citrus note, blended so well.  I do think out of the American Pale Wheat Ales that I have had recently this might be the best one I have had yet. 

Oberon Ale by Bell's Brewery

If you are looking for a wheat ale that has a hop bite to the beer than this might be the beer that you want to try. Bell's did a good job blending the Saaz Hop and the citrus flavors together, which helped make this a refreshing beer. I might have to try some other beers by Bell's to see, if I might be adding them into one of my favorite breweries. Oberon is a seasonal beer by Bell's and this beer is available until Labor Day, so get it while you can. I know that I might be having a few when I go to the beach on the fourth of July.