Bell's Oracle

Squee! Lookee what I have!!! Look who won herself another special raffle-only brew from Savor Market. This is Bell's newest addition to their annual seasonal lineup, and I do believe this is the second year it's been around. It's a double IPA brewed West Coast style, weighing in at 10% ABV and I'm assuming somewhere around a bajillion IBUs. It has received fantastic reviews. I'm so excited to have this in my hot little paws! I've been hounding Bell's for awhile to send some to Ohio, not that I really believe they pay attention to my wheedling and cajoling. And since I can't get my Hopslam until January, this will definitely suffice.

Yes, I know. I should have poured this into snifters. But as I don't have a Bell's snifter, and I do have several Bell's pint glasses, I was going for photogenic. Just be glad I'm not drinking it straight from the bottle. It pours a medium golden color with a fair amount of off-white head that left beautiful lacing on my glass and faded away pretty quickly. The aroma of this is really intriguing: grapefruit, orange, caramel, pine, and maybe a tinge of pineapple. Taking a sip, I realize I need 5 minutes alone. Oh hell, this is fanfuckingtastic. Before I gulp it all down in one big Bellgasm, let's see if I can walk you through the wonder that is dancing across my taste buds right now. Hell, I love them so much right now that they might be my taste best buds, because they're just that happy. There's an initial blast of grapefruit, then pine, then it kind of softens out to a more floral flavor, sweetened by the caramel malts, then at the tail end another blast of pine. The alcohol bite hits late in the game. It's not overly resinous, and sweet enough to leave a little sticky feeling in the mouth. It's simply amazing.

It's also completely different from both Hopslam and Two Hearted. It lacks the honey and is a little hoppier than Hopslam, and it's a lot sweeter than Two Hearted, with different hop characteristics. My dad just wandered out for a moment, waking from sleep to determine what he wanted to do. I gave him a sip, and he waggled the eyebrows several times and said, "It's good." Then he went back to bed. Good thing, because I wasn't letting him have another sip. In fact, I'm wondering if I could possibly sneak into the kitchen and drink some of Nathan's before he notices... he's working on an epic painting and mumbling to himself. He'll never know. Insert diabolical grin here.

Special thanks to Rin at Savor Market. Not only was she the one to sell me the Oracle, she is one of my favorite people to beer geek out with. Her knowledge of beer is unsurpassable. And clearly, the 10% is starting to hit me, as I'm rambling and making up words. But really, Rin, thanks.

5/5 caps. I'm tempted to push this one higher than our self-imposed ceiling.

-Jennie

Oh, I'd know, Jennie. I know whenever there are someone else's lip prints on my pint glass. And I wasn't mumbling to myself, I was cursing myself for sticking my hand in wet paint while trying to get some intricate details in. So, as I delve into this, with an ever-present eye on my beer pilchard of a cohort, I turn on some Ambulance LTD, one of the greatest bands who never had the recognition they deserve, another sad story of a band who got fucked over by a record label.

I think She-who-contemplates-beer-theft described the pour perfectly. There's a small amount of the head still lingering at this point, almost like a poignant reminder of what it once was, still clinging for life at the top of this golden elixir. The aroma on this is probably the reason Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Since it's warmed up, it has some alcohol in the aroma that adds a certain element to blend perfectly with the orange, grapefruit and pine. There are hints of caramel that are faint by this point, but still detectable, even with the sheer pungency of awestruck beauty brought on by the hops.

Onto the part that I've been longing for. The taste. Sweet Hopsus! Thou hast blessed my buds of taste with such a gift from you. Hopsus be praised! There's a STRONG hop presence known instantly. There is a Hop Party on my tongue right now. Grapefruit and Pine invite themselves in, bringing friends of Caramel and Floral. Caramel and Floral kind of stand off in the corner, while Grapefruit decides to head home with them. After the trio leaves, Pine decides to be the center of attention and knocks over the antique lamp that's been in the family for generations. He storms off, leaving his bitterness. You decide to call in your friend Alcohol to help you clean up, but he only sticks around for a second at the end of the party and dips out. Yeah, that creative writing just happened.

This is good, nay, DAMN good. Buy, when you find this, instantly. Do not have second thoughts, just be warned that this beer will make you feel good and bring about good fortune in your life.

5/5 caps

-Nathan-