And the Valley Drinks: Bell's Amber Ale

Still celebrating Bell's Brewing finally making it to Louisiana finally, this time with another one of their flagships, the Amber Ale:

Amber Ale deftly balances a mixture of toasted grain & light caramel notes with a range of floral, citrus and herbal hop notes, capped by a clean bitterness. This balance of flavors makes Amber Ale quite versatile as a food pairing option, not to mention being rather tasty in its own right. Whether serving as a jumping point to other styles or as a familiar standby, Amber Ale is central to the Bell's portfolio.

This is much more of a traditional amber type of beer, compared to Abita Amber -- which is more similar to an Oktoberfest style of beer. Which is funny, since Abita has an Oktoberfest as well. But of course that's always the natural comparison, since if you're like me, Abita was probably the first non-light beer you ever really tried. Parish's South Coast Amber is a really good comparison.

Review

The aroma is fitting, with a nice, malty sweetness to it. And that's the first taste you get,, that lightly toasted, kind of caramel flavor. But it's never really sweet. Smooth, with a very even body to it. And there's a lightly hoppy close that kind of clenses the palate a bit. Refreshing. More than a light beer, but never heavy. It's a nice change of pace, if you're a South Coast or Abita Amber fan, but I don't know that I'd seek it out either, unless you just really want to try. Still, a quality, drinkable beer. 3.75 out of five stars.