Bells Hopslam

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

This is an absolute dream beer !! I wish we could get more IPA’s made like this. The aroma is a hop lover’s paradise with an amazing fruit bouquet shining through. The potency of this beer is well hidden behind all the hop goodness and citrus flavors. Not much head present in either draft or bottle I’ve noticed, but the flavor and smell take up this slack. Please put this on year round Larry !!

Bottle. Poured a pale honey color. Strong but not overpowering aroma of grapefruit. Big full flavor, definitely a DIPA but incredibly well-balanced and easy to drink. GREAT example of American hops. Medium bodied. With an ABV of 10%, the alcohol is barely noticeable. Possibly my new favorite IPA.

Light amber color, almost like honey.Not much head. Nose is sweet with a strong punch of piny citrus hops. Medium carbonation. rather thick on the palate. Great hop flavor, but a little too much sweetness from the added honey. The high alcohol contnet is noticable. A deliciously decadent beer.

Delicious well balanced India Pale Ale with an incredible nose. Smells like a canabis patch in the middle of a pine forest.

Draught @ Ballantine, Willoughby,OH Phenomenal beer with wonderful grapefruity hop flavor and aroma. You must try this beer.

Bottle. Pored a hazy amber-grapefruit color with a medium white head. Nose is wonderfully sweet with a nice apricot nectar, grapefruit kick to it. Wonderfully flavored! Hops are smooth and balanced. Nice grapefruit and pineapple flavors, a little spice too. Mouth is mildly carbonated, leaves a long bitter finish. Excellent beer even being a few months old. Can only get better fresh I’m sure!

pours a clear amber-honey color with a thick and creamy white head. outstanding aroma is very floral with lots of grapefruit, some pinapple, and a hint of cream soda. very hoppy flavor is spicy, full of grapefruit, slightly medicinal, and very dry and lingering in the finish. The mouthfeel is oily and resinous but the lack of co2 action on the tongue makes it seem a tad thin. pretty good but for the money i’ll take two hearted.

Bottle (batch 8907, Jan 6 bottling). Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, caramel), moderately hoppy (resin, apricot, grapefruit, flowers), with light notes of sugar, tangerine, cantaloupe, and alcohol. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately to heavily bitter. Medium to full body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Nice for what it is...some attractive estery qualities underneath the hops, but they’re kind of faint...the raw resinous hop smell is the most dominant aspect here. A bit abrasive in the mouth, although admittedly this is not trying to be elegant or classy. Overall very good, but there are more complex and enjoyable examples.