Bell’s Brewery- Oberon Ale: Ober-rated
Monday, April 12, 2010 at 6:21PM | by Jason 
As I sit aimlessly staring at FB one night I happened upon some notices & updates from Bell’s Brewery. Unbeknownst to me, “Oberon Day, March 29th” was fast approaching and I realized that I was unprepared and lacking an Oberon Ale to celebrate in the day. Luckily, Wes was coming out on April 3rd for the Stone Brewing Co’s festivities and was kind enough to bring me one to enjoy. So even though I am a few days late, this evening will be my own personal celebration of Bell’s Brewery’s Oberon Ale. Wes speaks very highly about Oberon and I get the impression that he lost his Craft Beer virginity to this very beer and it is understandable that his love runs deep. From what I have been able to gather, Oberon is as Michigan as the auto industry, Detroit Red Wings, Kiss, Eminem and Kid Rock (Wes' note: most people from Michigan hate Kid Rock!), which I’m not sure is saying much but I will reserve my opinion till my glass is empty.
Bell’s Brewery classifies this brew as an American Wheat Ale and their website describes Oberon Ale as, “An American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. Spicy and fruity, Oberon is the color and scent of a sunny afternoon.” I’m left a little underwhelmed on their description. From snooping around the internets, I found that this is also referred to as an American Pale Wheat Ale which can be described as an Americanized version of a Hefe Weizen. Bell’s Brewery has a feature on their website that allows you to look up the batch number on the very beer you hold in your hand, mine was born March 11th, 2010…how’s that for freshness!!
Oberon Ale pours a cloudy straw/hay color with a 1” whipped cream consistency off white head with slight citrus & yeasty/bready aromas and come in at 5.8% ABV.
Typically, I am not much of a fan of wheat beers but I have to say that Oberon Ale might have me rethinking my position on the style. For a summer seasonal it is surprisingly syrupy in feel , light in color, very carbonated, and not as drinkable as I would have imagined for a summer brew. Oberon has a very citrusy taste (lemon & orange zest) that borders on both grassy and earthy. That being said, there is nothing that really stands out about this beer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, it’s just not great or even really good. Two Hearted Ale is really good and Hopslam is GREAT which leaves Oberon Ale as just decent. If you are a big fan of the wheat beer brews out there then I could only imagine that you might hold a very different opinion…me on the other hand will stick to IPA’s & APA’s come summer.
ABV: 5.8%
Consumed: Imperial Pint
Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack
