Bell's - Amber Ale

Today is my wifes birthday!  I wanted to make sure it was a great one so I went out of my way and did a few special things for her that I normally wouldn't do.  I ordered some flowers to arrive for her at our house in the middle of the day, a bouquet of calla lilies which are her favorite.  I also made a reservation at a new Italian place called Parma thats only a short jaunt down the highway from our house.  It was amazing.  Highly recommended.

There were, of course, a few gifts involved as well.  One was the movie Tangled.  We went to go see it in theaters and she loved it so I thought it was an appropriate gift since it was just released yesterday.  Plus the horse in the movie is friggen hilarious.  I also got her a necklace of a bejeweled robot.  It sounded cooler then what it actually turned out to be.  I thought it was going to be this nice, petite necklace that she could wear it around and flaunt her nerdy side.  What it ended up being was giant piece of bling.  Think massive rapper necklace except not $57,000.  She decided it would work better as a key chain... I guess thats better than returning it!

So happy birthday to my wife and thank you to her for letting me write a review on her birthday!

Tonights brew is Bell's Amber.  I picked this up in another pick-a-six pack just last week.  According to Bell's website this is their flagship beer which surprised me.  Everywhere I go, at least in downtown Minneapolis, I see Bells Two Hearted.  In this area I think thats their flagship beer.  Everybody here knows Bells by their Two Hearted, not their Amber.  Maybe after this review I will think differently.

As I poured this into my pint glass I notice a big ol' load of sediment flowing throughout the beer.  Its not entirely surprising since this has happened with other Bells bottles Ive had.  Once I let it settle, we were ready to roll.  Brilliantly clear with a light amber hue.  An egg-white colored head persists in a thin layer after settling.  A sweet malt and toasty aroma are the first flavors I smell.  Some hops are present in the background.  The flavor follows through nicely from where the aroma left off.  A crisp and sweet/bready maltiness is accentuated by the carbonation.  Slight bitterness creates a clean finish.  No alcohol present from the 5.8% ABV.

Overall 4.0/6.0 - A good example of an American Amber.  Its the last example listed within the BJCP style guidelines which says something.  But for me, I wasnt all that impressed.  This is probably one thats much better on tap.  The sediment was a bit of a drag and prevented me from enjoying the entire pint.  The flavors were nice and the overall brew was easy to drink.  Once it warmed the flavors were much bolder.  If its on tap grab a few for yourself and your buddies.  If you see it in a six pack, maybe you should continue searching for another Amber.