Bell's The Oracle Review

Name: Bell's The Oracle
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10%

For these next two reviews, I'll be taking a look at a couple of Imperial IPA offerings from Bell's Brewery. The first on my list is Bell's The Oracle, which is their interpretation of a West Coast-style Imperial IPA.

As for the name, I tried doing some research in hopes that I would find out the story behind the name, which there sometimes is. This time around my efforts turned up nothing, so my guess is that it's just a name conjured up by the marketing department.

The Oracle pours a fairly hazy dark orange color with a foamy white head with good retention. The lacing is very abundant here and the visible carbonation is mild.

The aroma has a strong resin hop scent with some grapefruit notes and some toffee/caramel maltiness in the background. I'm also picking up on some mild grapefruit notes but it isn't as apparent until the beer warms up just a little.

The flavor packs a very strong piney-resin hoppiness upfront that can only be described as "in-your-face." This hoppiness is followed up by some caramel maltiness & toffee sweetness. As for the aftertaste, it finishes with some piney hop bitterness and grapefruits.

Body is on the lighter side with a slight bit of thickness but nowhere close to being chewy. The carbonation is also light as well.

The Oracle is a pretty good beer. It's not the most complex tasting Imperial IPA out there but the sheer robust quality of the flavor more than makes up for it. I'm not 100% of the availability at this time so be sure to check this out while you still can!

Bell's The Oracle - 9/10