Wellington Arkell Best Bitter

A refreshing beer described as the "most
flavourful light beer brewed in Ontario."

3.1

166 reviews

Guelph, Canada

Community reviews

4.0 Welly comes through again, great beer @ 4 % ABV. Great colour, a nice happy finish. Tastes great and you can have a second one cause it is "light" All beer should be this good

3.0 473 mL can from the LCBO. Horrors a dark amber with a modest head that dissipates fairly quickly. Modest lacing. Very mild aroma. On the tongue well-balanced some hops a nice long pleasant finish with a hint of bitterness. Overall, a really excellent light beer and wine I would definitely order again.

2.8 This is a golden coloured beer with some hints of red it. The head is thin, and disappears quickly. The aroma is weak malt, a little hop, and some piney scents. The flavour has malt up front, and finishes with a citrusy hoppy kick.

2.3 Pours clear dark yellow, average frothy head. Resiny citrus aroma with hints of corn adjunct. Metallic off-flavour, mildly bitter. Bleh. Maybe it was an off-bottle.

3.2 473ml can from the LCBO. Memories of living in Guelph. This isn't the best bitter I've ever had, but it is definitely the best light beer

2.7 Copper pour with a thin lace. Honey malt aroma. Thin body. Fresh texture with a slight sweetness overall.

3.8 bottle 4%. Poured clear copper with a decent creamy off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt. Mouthfeel is crisp, medium-light body, finishes clean and dry. Nice bready malt beer, caramel flavour with a honey sweetness. Not overly hoppy, a real good balance. YUM!

3.1 473ml can. Pours a clear burnt caramel colour with a one finger off-white head. The nose is mostly caramel, with light floral notes, and light cereal. The taste is slightly watery with some light dark malt notes, caramel, a nice clean hard water note, and again the light floral hops. It’s not terribly interesting, but it’s solid. I’d buy it again.

2.2 Aroma is light with fragrance of pea soup. Palette is watery and taste is not very strong. Not much of a finish or aftertaste. Beer is easy to drink and just okay.

3.1 Canette 473ml. De couleur dorée-ambrée et très légèrement voilée. Nez de grains de malt sucrés et légèrement rôtis, léger de caramel doux et léger de houblon herbeux aux notes florales ainsi que des petites notes fruitées (agrumes). Moyenne-mince en bouche avec un pétillement moyen ainsi qu’une texture très légèrement huileuse. Goût de grains de malt sucrés et légèrement rôtis avec des notes fruitées (agrumes) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un moyen goût de caramel aux notes terreuses avec des notes de pain et quelques traces de butterscotch puis en finale l’on retrouve une légère amertume de houblon hebreux aux notes florales.

2.5 poured a orangey-amber colour with slight off white head that quickly faded. Mainly bready and caramel malts in the aroma. Medium, unctuous body with average carbonation. Sweet at first but becoming slightly bitter for the finish. Nothing too exciting here.

4.1 All of Wellington’s beers are best via cask and probably none more than Arkell. Chestnut brown this is bright clear and obviously tighly filtered but there’s an awesome sparkle about it and a unified light bitter edge which makes this a real treat. Could knock the crap out of quite a few traditional English Bitters without a doubt.

3.1 Poured medium golden colour with small head. Medium malt aroma. Same for taste. Very good, but nothing memorable. Had little aftertaste.

1.6 2 finger head. Orangy ambery. Carbinated. Smell is light sweetness and light hoppyness. Taste is a light sweetness from I guess malt & a light agressive hop bitterness. Sit’s on the heavy side a bit. Not a bad beer but not a great beer,just average to me. Diff label on my bottle & 4% Cheer’s!!!

2.2 Pours brilliant light amber, quickly diminishing head. Heavy malt aroma, little or no hop aroma, smells of mostly caramel and chocolate malt. Low hop bitterness for a bitter. I would categorize this as an English Mild rather than a best bitter. It’s alright.

3.5 Pours a dark amber with a small white ring. Aroma is earthy wood malt with wood and honey hop. Taste is a nice punchy earth hop bitterness with low wood and toffee malts.

3.0 Cask at The Queen and Beaver Public House, Toronto Hazy amber color, with sparse head. Light malt aroma and malt flavor; the mouthfeel is light; it has a light fruity touch and very light yeast; the bitterness is below the average. Easy to drink, but a bit simple.

2.7 473mL can. Orange/copper colour, small head, lively carbonation. Generic "beer" smell, some grassy hops and grain. Taste is a little like whole wheat bread, light caramel, light bitterness. Body is a little thin but smooth. Overall, fairly generic and inoffensive. Pretty good for 3.5%.

2.3 Altogether an OK beer. Nothing spectacular, although I like the new can designs from Wellington. Pours an amber gold with quickly receding thin foamy head. Aroma is fairly sweet and not too strong. Tastes of malt and only very mild bitterness with slight citrus aftertaste. Worth a try, but don’t expect your taste buds to be blown away.

3.4 used to drink a lot of this a while back. Pour is dark gold with a thin head. aroma is a bit earthy, fruit cake, caramel/toffee. flavour is a plumy dark fruit. earthy, caramel maltiness, some hints of over cooked sugar. Bready malt finish.

3.1 473ml can 4.0% ABV I tried this beer on February 2, 2012 after purchasing a Wellington 4-pack from my local LCBO outlet. The beer pours a translucent golden red colour with a thin white head. The aroma is sweet malt, caramel, and light fruits. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. The flavour is toasted caramel, bread, and a weak hoppish finish.

3.7 473 mL can. Love this beer on cask at the Woolwich Arrow, decided to buy a can. Aromas of apple, grass and light cereal notes. Great copper color with a white head. Pleasantly sweet and remarkably dry. Light on the palate with lively carbonation, a cleansing bitter finish of apples and hay. Good in a can, great on draught.

2.7 Aroma has a little caramel sweet malt to it, but nothing overly indulgent here. Taste is metallic, tinny. A vague bitterness appropriate for the style ’bitter.’Decent head retention - it looks alight with a dark amber. Ends in some sourness. Tall can.

3.3 Had this in the taster’s pack and it was definitely the best of the four. So Wellington can make good ales and this is proof. How many beers in Ontario are this tasty with such a low alcohol content? Nothing to hide behind, good balance of the bitter and the sweet. It doesn’t give your a senses a wild ride from start to finish but it’s a nice sessionable bitter.

3.3 April 24 2012. 473ml can poured into pint glass. Nice clear amber honey colour with minimal white head that falls quickly to a ring. Sticky, blotchy lacing. Aroma is sweet apples and acidic hops. Taste is more subtle and sweet fruit combines naturally with acidic alcohol taste and earthy finish. In fact although I wouldn’t say it is very sweet at all, the flavour outlasts both alcohol and bitter taste making it very easy to drink. Palate is complex but smooth and easy drinking. Another great Welly!

4.2 463ml can (1 of Welly Pub Pack). Poured into pint glass. Enormous, white cotton head! Sticks around awhile too. Lace is good. Eye catching amber colour (Lovibond 9). Smells terrific - like spring rain. Actually it does... Floral notes and citrus. Tastes as good as this review is going so far... Great! Lightly sweet and bitter in equal balance. Somewhat watery and flatter carbonation. Can't say enough nice things about this brew! I'm in love! Easy drinking!

3.7 Originally rated June 2004. Second Wellington beer tested tonight. Good, it’s quite different from the "Special Pale Ale". Light amber in colour with a small disappearing head. I can smell green apples. Tastes mildly bitter, not as much as expected, and with hints of those apples. Pretty damn good.

2.9 341ml bottle pours light brown color with 2 finger head that disappears quite quickly and leaves some spotty lacing. Aroma is floral and citrus with a hint of caramel. Taste is light malty sweetness with caramel and a light citrus hop bitterness. Light in body and moderate in carbonation. A decent bitter that I could drink again.

2.5 Beer Fest, Toronto: Red-brown beer. Weak aromas of fruit and malt. Long bitter end. Light enough. Just good enough.

3.0 Bottle. Reddish brown colour. Moderately sweet flavour. Not a huge aroma here. Okay.