Bells Hopslam

Original rate: Big hazy amber. Aroma is minty, highly orangey with some ganja. Bitter body, with lots of great herbal hop notes. Well-balanced. 8-4-8-4-17 = 4.1

Subsequent rate: Hazy golden-amber and what looks like low carbonation. Aroma is minty, slightly herbal, with hints of wood and caramel. Soft body with a slight bit of stickiness. Bitterness is moderate but tempered by a honeyish sweetness. Chewy crystal malts, a hint of herbalness and mandarin. Decent, but there’s a lot of these in the PNW. 7-4-8-4-14 = 3.7

Shared with HogTownHarry, Harrys bottle (Thanks Harry!) Light tea colour body, slight off white head. Some alcohol in the nose, pineapple, hops and candyfloss, mmm. Flavour... goodness me! Sticky, maple syrup and slightly acidic quite ’earthy’ too! What a cracking beer. The alcohol isn’t overly evident in the flavour, long bitter finish.

Draft @ the brewpub. Clear amber with a frothy tan head, nice lacing. Big floral and grapefruit hop aromas with a light sweetness. Medium body. Great hop juice bittersweet flavors are citrus floral and spruce sap with some pale malt and honey thrown in for good measure. Big hop flavors plus a sweetness without being sticky makes for a great Ipa here.

In my opinion this is the best imperial IPA on the market. Pours a nice orange-gold color and the smell of citrus fruits hits you in the face. Very bitter, but not in a bad way. It is almost scary how good this beer is!

Light amber colored with a creamy tan head. Fruity aroma of pears, mandarin oranges, and grapefruit. Aggressive citrusy hops presence is balanced by a sweet, almost honey-like malt flavor. Grapefruit rind sticks in the back of the throat in the finish. Just the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the hops, the sweetness never gets cloying, the hops take center stage, but never completely overpower. Full, creamy body, with the perfect amount of carbonation. Dangerously drinkable.

Bottle shared with Ronald and Carita in Finland. Hazy golden with ’standard’ lychee and grapefruit US hop nose. A bit of soap? Nice interplay between malt and hops - with hops winning out. Bit of pear and a salty bitingly bitter finish. Cunningly hidden alcohol.

Pours a hazy golden Smells rather hoppy with notes of citrus Tastes hoppy, with citrus, and a little bit of something that I couldn’t place. Finishes excellent. Overall, a wonderful beer. Big bold and high in alcohol (a great 10%), its a good thing I only got one that nite, seeings how I had to drive that nite! Good brew, keep ’em coming Bells!

Pours a golden orange color with a frothy white head, which mostly dissipates and leaves some light lacing. Aroma is of course overwhelmingly hoppy, with heavy citrus (mainly grapefruit). Taste is biting hops, tart citrus ,and pine. Mouthfeel is creamy, with a lot of fizz. Not quite my thing, a bit much on the hops, but for what it is, it’s a great beer. Update: re-rating due to more experience and acquisition of a taste for hoppy beers.