Bells Hopslam

This is some really good stuff, didn’t realize it was 10%. Pours a golden orange with a thin white head. Aroma of grapefruit mainly. The flavor is actually quite balanced and I thought easily drinkable. Nice amount of citrus hops and the sweet honey mixes well with it. Very good beer from Bells, one of my favorites.

Beautiful golden orange and amber color. Aroma of just picked grapefruit and wildflower honey. Somehow the strong hop taste balances and completes the slightly sweat citrus flavor. Definitely my favorite IPA, up there with my very favorite brews.

12 oz. bottle. Crystal clear, golden color. Thin white head. Aroma of citrus hops. Flavor is sweet and hoppy. Nice bittersweet finish. Alcohol warms up as the beer opens up.

12 oz. bottle courtesy of Acknud. Pours a clear amber color with a small white head & spotty lacing. Nose is pine cone & flowers. When I first received this bottle I was a little nervous. With a name like Hopslam I expected it to be overwhelmingly hoppy ( I’m not a hophead ). Actually it’s quite good. Hop flavor isnt over the top & there’s a fair amount of malty sweetness. Alcohol is tucked away in the background. I didn’t realize I was drinking a 10% brew until I went to rate it. Like I said, quite good.

Draft at Oldsmar Tap House. Pours a slightly cloudy, deep amber with a pillowy white head. Aroma full of flowery hops and sweet, doughy malts. Flavor is fairly hoppy with plenty of citrus and pine character, but this appears to be drowned out by the massive malt bill and ensuing high alcohol content. Honestly, there’s not much here for a hophead to get excited about. The sweetness is the over-the-top character here. Pretty good, but I was a bit disappointed.

overall impressive beer for high ABV but not over the top bitter. Pours an oramge color with a thick soft head. Blend of much hops, sweetness, and alcohol. Went down smoothly and quickly. Good full mouthfeel for an IPA.

Pours a golden color under a small off white head that settles down to a good film over the top. Aroma is interesting. A lot of grapefruit smell with a slightly sweet note that is really good. The obligatory hops piney notes, but mainly a good sweet/sour grapefruit that I really like. Taste is surprisingly mild, not the assault of hops that you come to expect from a West Coast IPA which is a definate change. Very sweet, grapefruity notes with a sweet almost sugary backing to it. A faint alcohol taste to remember it by, but mainly I get a very piney aftertaste that sits on the back of your tongue. Very good, definately deserves it’s billing.

Many thanks to Acknud for sending along this tasty treat. Pours from the botttle a slightly hazy, but bright orange/copper color under a creamy 1/2" beige head. Retention is strong throughout the glass with just a few streaks of lacing noted. The intial aromas were big-time essence of Juicy Fruit gum and freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice. This was nicely supported with smells of sun-drenched fresh pine needles, lemon zest, tangerine and some faint sweet honey/floral notes. The 10% alcohol shows up faintly in the aroma serving to amplify the above. The aromas were basically all about the hops, but who’s complaining? Fantastic! Palate was very smooth, silky, creamy with a nicely subtle carbonation. Flavor was extremely well balanced here between the hops, malts and honey. Yeah, it was definitely dominated by the hops; lots of citrus rind, honey drenched grapefruit and pine. But the late palate delivers a subtle, but balancing presence of orange blossom honey and light crystal malt sweetness. Finishes with a firm hop resin bitterness and a warming alcohol presence. A very easy-drinking big DIPA. As the last swallow is consumed all you can think of is "I’d love to do another!" A must try for ALL hopheads!