Bells Big Head San Diego Style Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

12oz bottle, batch K8369, courtesy of FlandersNed (thanks, steve). pours a bright, hazy orange/amber with a thin, clingy, off white head and solid lacing. aroma is very nice with big citrus notes of orange, lemon, and grapefruit, floral hops, a touch of spice, alcohol, and light toffee malt sweetness. flavor is certainly big and quite delicious. citrus flavors of orange peel and lemon dominate with a big, toasty, earthy malt presence adding balance and notes of wood and caramel. palate is full bodied but smooth with a strong alcohol presence and a long, bitter, very dry finish. this one has aged nicely and while it still has many DIPA qualities, it’s drinking like a big barley wine and a good one at that.

Pours orange, little head. Citrusy and sweet aroma. Malty sweetness and hoppy sweetness compliment each other well. Very floral and citrusy.

Bottle shared with Mrbunn and my brother. Pours a dirty orange. Strong scent of grapefruit, caramel and pine trees. Has the caramel malt of Third Coast, the piney hops of Hopslam and the floral notes of Two Hearted. And like Hopslam, it does’nt quite blend well, but is nonetheless an outstanding beer, not to be taken lightly.

Bottle with special thanks to goldtwins. Pours an orangish amber with a pretty decent head and aromas that are straight hops. Citrus, spruce, floral, etc. with a little bit of malt peeking through. Flavor is loads of hop, loads of alcohol and loads of malt. This is great stuff, but not for the weak.

I didn’t realize it was the equivalent of 4 beers until I finished the last drop. A DIPA in a small 330 ml bottle, what a novelty. All hop, complete hop delivery. Reasonable carbonation, DIPA smell. Full reddish yellow, with lots of white lace.

Bottle: Amber pour with a finger of beige head. Sticky lacing. Mostly heavy citrus in the nose with some sweet and malty notes. Resin too. Flavor is tons of piney resin notes and citrus. Caramel and florals with heavy lingering bitters. Simply outstanding. Thanks cpferris.

k8369 bottle by way of ucusty... hazy burnt orange colored pour capped by a soft light tan head which leaves lots of fluffy spotty lace as it retreats. holy flower shop aroma!... loads of floral hops, grapefruit, grass, cooked orange skin, caramel, light resinous pine and spice with a bit of a boozy burn. the palate is sweet and buttery to start but turns mean and bitter as it finishes... there’s a noticeable ashiness in the flavor combined with notes of spice, rich caramel, pine, grapefruit skin, wood and an earthy sweetness similar to agave or pine sap honey. it finishes really floral and full of alcoholic vapors. there’s a long lingering aftertaste of bitter citrus pith which helps to maintain some sort of balance. the body is certainly full with a smooth luxurious mouth feel before the onslaught of dryness. it’s a bit too sticky for me to give it a five rating (but that’s far too common for the style) and i’d be hard pressed to drink any more than this... 8/4/7/4/14/3.7

Copper in color with a good sized off-white head. Aroma is of toffee, carmel, raisin, light hops and alcohol. Taste is moderately hoppy with some caramel and toast.