Bells Hopslam

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

Thanks to Beerman6686 for hooking me up with this in a trade. Pours an extremely clear amber with a small bubbly white head. Aroma is excellent; lots of sweet oranges, a bit of grapefruit, caramel malt, and some floral notes at the finish. Flavor is definitely even more impressive than the aroma. Thick, sugary start to the flavor, with lots of caramel. It then moves to an agressive floral, pine, and citrus hop flavor, with lots of alcohol tinge mixing with well placed carbonation to fully encapsulate the tongue. Very very nice, but I feel that the overall flavor of the Alesmith IPA I just rated was more complex. The alcohol is awesome, but it portrays the difference between single and double IPAs very aptly. Still a top notch brew.

Holy hell. This brew is a ruthless face puncher and is maybe the best of the style I’ve ever had. I can’t help but compare it to Dogfish Head 90 minute, it’s pretty similar to what I remember of that one but I think it’s actually better. A complicated, quirky standout brew in a style where to me many of the offerings just blend together. Exxcellent.

January, 2009 Bottle. Pours a clear amber with a fluffy white head. Big sweet aroma, citrus hops, a bit of pine, malt, and sugar. Very smooth taste, of malt, pine, flower, sugar, that picks up a nice rich hoppy bitterness. Hides the alcohol really well. Lingering sharp bitterness. Really great Double IPA.

Bottled (from Cracked Kettle). Deep orangeish golden colour, mediumsized white fluffy head. Aroma is huge fruity and floral hops along with rather sweet alcoholic notes as well as some slight notes of mild cookies and bisquits as well. Flavour is big time the same in a rather crisp and biting way. Flavour is really wellbalanced for being such a bomb, also hides the alcohol very well in the flavour.

One of my favorite, if not my favorite, beers of all time. (2008) Oh man... there is a market out there for silly hop-infested beers for the wacky hopheads out there, but when something like this is so perfectly and deliciously balanced, it deserves supreme credit! (2009) Got some of this years batch... simply AMAZING.

Bottle from the good folks of Hopcat. Pours a dark amber/orange with a big, creamy tan head. Leaves plenty of sticky lacing. Aroma is massive of citrus, floral hops and resin, some brown sugar and caramel balances it out nicely. Flavour is big, loads of grapefruit, pine and resin, very bitter, with some malt to hold the raging bitterness in check. Medium body, lively carbonated. Feels sticky and sugary, but in a good way. A good one.

A very dark orange golden color with a big creamy, frothy, off-white head emerges from the bottle when pouring. Aroma is a lot lighter than I was expecting but still a good strength. A perfect melding of citrus, pine and floral hops with a heavy undertone of sweetness from the caramel malt. Flavors are very smooth with a very piny hop note hitting first, followed up by an orange citrus and sweet caramel malt note, a grapefruit citrus moves in towards the end giving with a slightly acidic bit and finishes with a slight dryness that puckers the tongue. Density is fantastic with the brew, carbonation is a moderate rate Overall a fantastic brew with a great sweet malty presence and a full bouquet of hops that spans almost every range of flavors from hops.

Pours golden amber with a small off white head. Aroma is citrusy, piney hops with a little bit of tropical fruit. Flavor is big bitter citrusy hops with an amazing floral bouqet and fruity notes. Always a favorite.