Bell's Venus Review

Name: Bell's Venus
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 7.5%

Today I have the second beer in the Bell's Planet Series, which are a series of 7 beers based off of Gustav Holst's The Planets orchestral suite. The first one I reviewed was Mars: The Bringer of War, which was an aggressively hopped Imperial IPA, much like its musical counterpart which was aggressive as well.

The beer we are taking a look at is Venus: The Bringer of Peace, which is a Blonde Ale brewed with Apricot Juice, Honey, Cardamom (ginger) and vanilla beans. Also, I have provided the musical counterpart for this beer.

Venus pours a bright hazy orange color with a thin filmy head. The lacing retention is somewhat sparse and the visible carbonation is mild.

The aroma is somewhat of a delight. On the front end of the nose, I'm picking up on some strong ginger and vanilla notes, which are backed by some apricot & honey sweetness, and what I believe to be some citrus hoppiness.

The flavor switches it up a bit, as there is some citrus and apricot fruitiness upfront while the ginger and vanilla aspects make up the second part of the flavor before ending on with a lingering vanilla and light honey aftertaste. There's also a light coriander-like tanginess in the flavor that lingers mostly in the aftertaste

The body is pretty moderate in weight with some light carbonation, which makes this an easy drinker.

Venus matches its musical counterpart well with a complex & dazzling flavor and yet manages to come across as non-aggressive. Like the orchestral piece, it's a flavor that lingers on long after being finished. Be sure to check this out should you get the opportunity to do so.

And in case you were wondering, I did listen to the musical piece while drinking this.

Bell's Venus - 9.25/10