Bells Hopslam

12 oz. bottle; WOW. This is the best beer I’ve had in my 25 years of life so far. I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I cracked the cap off the bottle and took in the aroma. Smells like a combination of honey and floral hoppiness with a little citrus. Pours out a nearly opaque orange-amber with a very thin head. The lack of substantial head is the only reason I didn’t rate this beer a 5. The flavor represents a delicious combination of pefect hops and just enough sweet honey. I don’t quite understand how the ABV is 10%! Considering Hopslam is a double IPA, it predictably finishes bitter and the honey almost enables it to last much longer than most beers in it’s class. Buy it while it’s still in season!!! (till the end of Feb)

12 oz bottle. Pours coppery-orange with a thin off white head. Smells citrusy, a little peppery, some spruce, floral, and apple pie crust. Tastes like orange and lemon zest, sweet and tart, with lots of piney and grassy hops and herbs. The hops are alot more sweet than bitter in this beer. Hints of cinnamin or nutmeg in the finish. A very nice honey stickiness. The alcohol is very subtle and sneaky. Awesome beer.

Bottle@home Big thanks to Traquairlover for sending me a 6-pack of this much sought-after beer! Appearance: Golden orange with a big, white, head and lots of lacing. Aroma: Citric notes (lemon & grapefruit), caramel, Pine. Flavor: Citric notes, Honey, Caramel, Hint of exotic fruit, Pine, Hops. Palate: Lots of bitterness upfront but ends with a nice touch of sweetness from the honey and malt. Balanced to perfection. Alcohol is extremely well hidden. Not quite the fantastic beer i remembered it to be but still damn tasty. Extremely well balanced and quite sessionable despite it’s 10%. Yummy!

Pint draft at Elephant and Castle in New Cumberland, PA. Pours a clear amber-orange with an average off-white head that lasts throughout and leaves incredible lacing. Amazing floral and citrus aroma. The flavor is a big hop taste of grapefruit, floral, and pine. Well balanced by the biscuity sweetness of the malt. Very smooth. Full bodied. Medium-high carbonation. A finish that lingers and begs for another sip. For such a big beer, the alcohol is quite subdued and provides a gentle alcohol warming. Approach with caution, this one can really sneak up on you.

Amazing hop aroma. Got a 12oz bottle and drank it from that rather than a glass. Just the hops from the bottle smelled awesome. Its very bitter with a ton of hop flavor. You can notice the honey. Almost an attack on the tongue at first taste. Might be a tad hop harsh but very nice. Actually one of the few Bell’s I actually like.

If you went out and picked fresh hops, took them home, and put them in your juice machine like Jack Lalaine, you wouldn’t get a better hop delivery system. It’s like you pour a bottle and you’ve created a citrus-y pine forest microclimate. The Kansas City metro got 35 cases this year, and I only got one (case). Sorry to everyone else who didn’t get one... I’ll be camped outside the store next year waiting for the shipment.

Bottle. I finally was able to rate a fresh bottle, the one I had last year was easily 6 or 7 months old, so I didn’t think it was fair to rate it. Pours a clear amber, beautiful off-white head that stayed around and left some of the most unusual lacing I have ever seen, each sip left a very distinct ring as the glass was drank, it was beautiful. Aroma is great combination of pine, citrus and high quality "bud" in the background. Flavor is tangerine, peach, grapefruit, slightly sweet. Wow !!! This one lives up to the hype big time !!! Thanks to Chris at Rooz Brews for getting me a case, even though he only got two in total.

12 oz bottle. Finally Champaign carries Bells. Pours a brown copper color with a finger high white head. The smell is what gets me though. Tons of hops and a citrusy (maybe lemon) bitte to the nose that just makes me want to keep smelling it. And the taste is just as good as the smell. Full-bodied and a great taste that just makes you want to never stop with it. Might be my new favorite beer.