Bell's Smitten

Bell's Smitten

Drawn from one of our oldest recipes, Smitten Ale began as part of a series of rye beers at our Eccentric Café. The combination of sharp citrus & resinous flavors from the hops with the earthy, rustic overtones of the rye malt contribution yield an interesting take on the American Pale Ale.
3.4
665 reviews
Comstock, United States

Community reviews

2.9 Poured from a bottle into a sample glass. Good lacing, thin head. Faint and indistinguishable nose (more from the bottle of hops, rye, and malts). Crisp with a hint of the rye/whiskey taste. Good low alcohol brew for a late spring/early summer beverage. Cheers!
3.4 Bottle (May 9, 2019 bottling). Head is initially average sized, frothy, white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain/seeds), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, herbs, flowers, resin). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation. Simple but pleasant. Clean bitterness and relatively low acidity makes for good quaffing. Not memorable or exciting, but there's no sloppy onion stink or other icky odors that infect so many American hoppy ales nowadays.
3.5 I found this to be a pretty solid beer. Nothing really great stands out, but smooth and tasty...balanced well...good representation of the style. Cloudy golden-yellow appearance with some sediment, so seems unfiltered. Reminds me of a hoppier/citrusy unfiltered version of their Oberon. Started out with a single to sample first. Not sure I would want a 6-pack this right now, but would be great spring/summer beer (although this is only seasonal for now I think).
3.1 Draft at taco Mac Charlotte. Pouts light brown with a white head. Leaves trace lacing in the glass. Some spartan rye and floral notes on the nose and tongue. Finished clean. Eh!
2.8 Bottle. Golden in color with a smallish head. Aroma and taste is a little on the spruce side.
2.8 Cloudy, golden pour with thin, white foam. Lots of rye in the nose with resiny hops following. Some fruit / floral notes appear after a moment. The taste is strongly hoppy on the piney end. There is some good spicy notes but this is a hoppy beer. Light to medium body and fizz.
3.8 CGBD. Hazed gold amber with a thin white head. Soft malt and citrus, a bit of fruit. Medium bodied, gentle rye send citrus. Gentle bitterness, light citrus.
3.8 16 oz can packaged at the end of 1/2017. Aroma: Resiny, floral, mango and tropical fruit combines with spicy notes. A little bready. Faint oxidation is detected after a few sips. Pours into IPA glass deep golden color with a 1" frothy off-white head with good retention. some lacing was observed. just about perfect clarity. Taste: light malty/bready flavors with pronounced spiciness (from rye) and significant earthy hop bitterness (well past PA levels...) Palate: body is medium light to medium with moderate carbonation. texture is somewhere between oily and creamy and subdued astringency makes a late appearance. Finishes long and dry with a persistent bitterness. Overall: Normally one of my favorite Rye IPA (that’s what it is, really) but this one is showing slight signs of oxidation about a month before the stated shelf life (on the can)
3.7 12oz bottle to tulip. Pours hazy orange, heavy sediment, white frothy head. Aroma of rye, honey, lemon, pine. Taste of same with spice finish. Mouthfeel is mod syrupy, good carb.
3.1 355 ml bottle. Bottled on 10.01.2017. Pours clear golden color with a small white head. Aroma is floral hoppy with mild herbal notes, grain, some faint lemon too. Flavor is a bit grainy and resinous, slick buttery palate, grassy bitterness, mild pale malt notes and citrus at the end, rye is barely noticeable. Nothing interesting on this one. 3423
2.6 Bottle. A- Rye, bread dough, subtle citrus. A- Golden orange color, hazy liquid, off white head. T- Rye, malt, grassy, black pepper, mild bitterness, subtle lemon. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, slightly sharp finish. O- Interesting stuff. Lots of rye malt and some peppery notes. A touch resinous and only a very little bit of citrus. Not bad, but maybe a tad too earthy for me.
3.8 Nice rye ale. Very quenchable. Slightly discernible rye characteristics which are awesome if you're into rye and/or whiskey.
4.5 Smitten Golden Rye Ale has a medium, off-white head, a hazy, orange-gold, highly carbonated appearance, with some glass lacing. Aroma is of spiced, white bread, yeast, sourdough, and grass. Taste is of spicy, white bread, sugar, grassy, strong hop bitterness, and some bread crust. Mouthfeel is medium and slick. Smitten finishes dry. RJT
3.7 BOD 1/10/17. Light amber pour with suspended particulate matter. Outstanding head volume and retention. World class lacing. Very good nose of light citrus (orange, with a touch of lemon) over a slightly bready base. Rye is present but not pronounced. Very light floral hop presence. Medium bodied with a smooth texture that has some oily aspects. The carbonation / body balance is quite outstanding. The middle provides a nice effervescent burst while the finish delivers a finely bubbled ride. The flavor profile is very good but lacks the complexity necessary for outstanding status. It begins with touch of rye then flows to a subtly sweet middle where orange takes over. Mid palate sweetness is bready more than biscuit. Bitterness rises from the middle on and achieves a mild status. Spruce is the dominate bitterness sensation with pine and zest being mere hints. Rye spiciness gives the bitterness its primary characteristic by shifting the pine and zest into spruce. A true rye flavor never develops. The finish is a slow slightly sweet and bitter fade with orange making another appearance.
3.8 Deep, amber color. . Big , off-white head . Aroma mostly of malt and pine . Balanced taste with malty backbone and decent hoppy bitterness. Some earthiness and spicy notes. Very enjoyable.
3.3 Not my style at all but this is passable! Cloud gold pour w/ a big white head & spotty lacing. The aroma is bready w/ a citrus undertone. The taste is somewhat complex which is cool for the style. The citrus hops make their presence known w/ the rye winning out in the end. Surprisingly quite drinkable & overall a decent beer!
3.1 Hazy light tea colored pour with white head and some lacing. Aroma is mostly hops with a slight citrus undertone. Nice mouth feel, coating well, with a soft flavor.
3.5 Little head and medium lacing. Rye/grain aroma. Hint of floral notes, with a crisp finish.
3.1 Bue à la pression. Blonde claire. Principalement su rue grain. Classique sans plus. Peu d’amertume.
3.5 Pencil shavings and lemongrass nose. Cloudy amber, medium head, abundant glass coating. Orange and lemongrass. Full body, soft carbonation.
2.9 Unexpectedly sweet, giving up a corn-laced pale malt front with a modest piney hop bitterness underneath. Grows dry towards the middle, a slight citric hoppiness underscoring an emerging spicy rye back end, yet the finish lightens up, bringing back the bright grainy sweetness against a lingering bitter fade. Not terrible, just bland and too friendly, even for a Spring beer.
3.1 12 oz. bottle. Pour was hazed golden, ring of white head. Aroma of citrus, pine, earthy. Taste was mild bitter, earthy, pine, citrus rind.
3.7 On tap at Bagger Dave’s. Hazy golden pour with a white head. Floral hops and pale malt in the aroma and taste.
3.4 Golden Amber with thin white foamy head; aroma is mild if any; flava is very flowery roses with soft sweet fruit notes of raspberry; feels medium with moderate fizz; finishes dry bitter and grainy
3.7 Light body smooth palate. Toast, black pepper and grass dominate. Pleasant session ale.
3.0 Dank mossy pop as you open the can and put the bright gold brew to a heavy foam. Lemony earthy herbal nose to a spicy peppery bitter bite on the front to a pithy finish. Not much in the way of tropical or sweet jammyness which is a change of pace.
3.1 Bottled 01/10/17. Pours semi hazy golden, white head. Aroma is lemon, rye, little pepper, some spice. Flavor is lemon, little asprin-y, rye is notable, floral. Fairly astringent. Forgettable.
3.4 $1.67 bottle from Trader Joe’s Charlottesville. Pours golden with a small off-white head. Aroma is lemon, toast, light earth. Flavor is bitter lemon, slightly lemon-pledey, grass, grain, and light floral hops.
3.7 Paid $7 for a 4-pack of 16floz cans with a packaging date of January 2, 2017. First can consumed (I’ve had about 3-4 pints on draft within the last year or so) from a pint glass on 01.02.2017. Deep gold in color and a sticky head leaves its mark on the glass. Pleasant, although mild aroma of hops completes the introduction. Flavor profile consists of lightly burnt toast, black pepper, and earthy. The body is medium and sharp bitterness leaves it mark on the palate. An all around solid beer. Bell’s appears to accomplish what they were seeking with this one. A good 2-3 pinter kind of beer.
3.6 Great earthy taste up front with a nice bitter finish. Exactly what I’m looking for in a pale ale,