Bells Hopslam

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

Golden-orange in colour with a thin but lingering off-white coloured head, good lacing. The aroma is quite hoppy with lots of orange citrus, grapefruit, pine, highly sweet with a bit of alcohol. The flavour is juicy with lots of hops, high bitterness, orange zest, some pine but at the same time just a bit thin. Thin but bitter mouthfeel, medium body, medium/high carbonation. Finishes dry, lengthy and hoppy.

The more that I drank this the more thirsty I became. Very chewy but I can’t help but feel that this was a bit too thin. I much prefer the stouts that Bells produces.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with miketd, thanks Mike.
Opened on April 20, 2008
Batch #8277.

Clean, golden/amber pour with a rich and foamy pale orange head. A lot of citrus hops, predominantly grapefruit on the nose. Sweet aromas, like other soft fruits or floral scents. A huge hops flavour, a lot of evergreen taste that doesn’t come out so much in the smell. Citrus notes, and a dash of sweetness, presumably from the honey comes through. Thick and slick... quite an oily consistency that leaves its residue like a thin film before slipping into a clean finish. Makes it very easy to drink, but the alcohol is amazingly well hidden, so restraint needs to be exercised to avoid getting clobbered by it. Respect it, and it will treat you very well.

Bottle batch 8283. Citrus and pine aroma and taste. This was a bit sweet for my liking, but still a great IIPA. I think a fresher bottle would be much better as this one was 8-9 months old. Hope to re-rate with a fresh one.

On tap. A very good, near great, beer. Complex flavor that is made for the hop fanatic. Nice lace a nd great aroma. A slight bit too sweet with a just a tad too much alcohol overriding the intense flavor. Still an exceptional beer that one must have when available.

Simply the best beer I’ve had in some time. Gorgeous copper color with a tall soapy head. Clingy lacing with an aroma of hops and grapefruit. Taste is fabulously well-balanced-hops, citrus, and a touch of alcohol.

I’ve had this a few times before without yet reviewing it, but I finally popped open my last one from past January ’08 (Batch 8283). This is the holy grail of beer! Poured a dark amber-golden with medium clarity and medium to heavy carbonation with a slight white head. The hops are apparent at quite a distance, and once you actually put your nose in it, you’ve reached the motherland. On the tip of the tongue, the bitter hops are already being absorbed, and upon swallowing, the piney flavor melds with the monster hops to the most pleasurable blend imaginable. It’s medium to heavy bodied and a true hop-SLAM, yet goes down smooth and remains extremely drinkable. This seasonal is one to definitely one to stock up on to enjoy sparingly at special moments throughout the year! Thank you, Bell’s!

Bottle. Pours an orangeish amber, with a thick white head. Aroma of honey and assertive hops. The flavor is a delicious blend of citrusy hops (very strong; the name "Hopslam" is well deserved), with a honey sweetness unlike the typical maltiness of many imperial IPAs. The 10% alcohol is also prominent, but not in a bad way. This is my favorite beer - highly recommended that you snatch a couple six-packs of it during the brief part of the year that it’s available (though not if you shop at any of the stores that I will be going to!).

Nice golden-copper pour with golden-hued head. Aroma is sweet and citrusy with tons of bitterness smoothed over with caramel malt and honey. Some light fruitiness in there as well, maybe cherry and peach, and a slight alcohol astringency. I have an inkling that the hoppiness would be damn near overpowering were it not for the abundance of honey, which brings out some sweet fruitiness and light herbal tea undertones without sacrificing the huge pine and citrus hops. Finish just lasts and lasts; you can taste it on your tongue for minutes after your last sip. Outstanding.