Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale

Sorry, Jacobe (Bell's regional rep), apparently I lied. I said I would wait to try Smitten until Hopslam season was over. Nathan brought this home tonight, and I can't wait to try it as a palate cleanser after all the stouts we've had this evening.

It pours a light orange color with an off-white head that doesn't linger. It leaves minimal lacing on the glass, but there is significant carbonation. I pick up some orange and citrusy tones in the nose, along with some malt, and some spice from the rye. The first sip yields a fantastic American pale ale, with solid hop presence and great malt backbone. The rye comes through at the end of the taste, lending a lovely spiciness to the brew.

This. Is. Fantastic.

It's not too heavy at all, a wonderful refreshment after the stout session earlier. The bubbles really tickle my tongue. It makes me long to see the first pale green shoots of spring growth. Even the label recalls summer fun and lazy days. Or, at the very least, She Loves Me, She Love Me Not. I definitely am smitten with you, Smitten.

I had heard some discussion where Bell's was trying to make a solid session beer. I don't know if I'd classify it as a session beer, at it clocks in at 6% ABV, but it's well worth drinking 2 or 3.

4.5/5 caps

-Jennie

I can't really add too much to Jennie's epic description. The pour is light orange, yes. The flavor is citrusy and spicy, yes. The fact that this is a session beer at 6% astounds me (all the other session beers I've had were 5% or lower). This is just an all around fantastic brew. Worth buying a six pack of this. Just now noticing the heavy amount of sediment in the glass.It looks like seeds and carbonation bubbles that aren't moving. Almost like that Orbit soda, if you remember that (the soda with little pellet things suspending in the liquid). I never had the opportunity to try that, because my dick brother lied to me and my mom and convinced us that it was an alcoholic beverage (I was maybe 10 when they took it off shelves here). Thanks, dick. But you know what, now I'm sitting here, contemplating suspending things in beer, that I can do now, without your buzz kill ways. I'm thinking about how to do a real life Skittle Brau (Simpsons where Homer asks Moe if he he "has any of that beer with the candy in it. I think it's called Skittle Brau"). I'm getting off the inital subject of this...

This is a great beer, and would be more enjoyable on a spring to summer day (like a Kolsch is), as opposed to this bitterly cold day with yet another snow storm rolling in (note, this past week, we hit 67 degrees, followed by 65 degrees, followed by 27 degrees and snow).

4.3/5 caps

-Nathan-