Bells Hopslam

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

Tallahassee, Fl. - Liquor Loft - 12 oz bottle - you gotta love a liquor store that sends you an e-mail when a new beer arrives! Medium copper pour, sticky, eggshell-white head with some sticky, clingy lacing. Fresh, bold, strong sprucey aroma, blasting at first with full resins. Mellows and warms after a while to a soft floral-like bouquet. Flavor presents so much more than a citrusy grapefruit bomb that is to be expected at 10%. The bitterness is there but balanced oh so well against a sweet caramelly, nutty back end with a touch of honey. Also detect some nectarines and white grapes. Thick, rich mouthfeel without being tongue-numbing. One of the most weel-balanced 10% abv beers I have ever consumed. Excellent Double IPA - Bells rings true again!

12 oz bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA. Poured a clear dark golden/light orange color. Head was white with good retention and lacing. Pungent hop aroma with grapefruit, pine resin, grass, and dried leaf elements. There is also a hint of white wine. The grapefruit nose dominates after warming up a bit. Distinct citrusy grapefruit flavor with relatively modest hop bitterness. There is also a touch of lemon and tangible alcohol, again making the beer somewhat reminiscent of white wine. This stuff must be unbelievable on tap.

12 oz bottle, batch 7690 via trade with someone---thank you mystery guest. Pour is perfectly beautifal orange with a stable fluffy one finger head. Aroma is hoppy with citrus notes and a good freshness. Big full bodied piney hop blast. Not quite a west coast DIPA, but not quite an East Coast DIPA, the midwest might have it here. This is great, and very tasty as I’d expected. The bottle has always bothered me though because the hops are so round they look like artichokes and I don’t really want artichoke beer, but Bell’s could probably make it taste good.

My top beer of 2007! Bottle from trade with kmweaver. Cloudy light orange-brown. Big fruity, juicy hop aroma with a hint of bubblegum. Flavour is perfect for everything it’s not. It’s not syrupy. It’s not a BW with lots of hops. The alcohol is very restrained. Just delicious fruity hop juice. Maybe it’s where my palate is but my tongue survived un-bruised.

No disappointment here, but no boundaries are pushed either. Immediately after pouring there is a great floral hop aroma. Much more aroma than most IPAs, and this one has a very pleasant combination of flowers and light herbal spiceiness. A gold colored beer with a thick and long lasting head, and definitely unfiltered. It is rare to see an IPA with so much sediment. Flavor is bitter hops but not unpleasantly bitter. There is a light hop burn, that is increased in its intensity by the alcohol. I am a little buzzed and I am surprised tot see this is as high in alcohol as 9.5% because it is very well hidden.

Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Hazy orange with a rich white head. Big and merciless hops aroma of pine-needles and grapefruit with sweet undertones of nectarines. Full-bodied with pungent flavour of grapefrui, orange-peels, pine-needles, hot pepper and alcohol. Grapefruit and alcohol in the bitter finish. An extreme and oh, so tasty beer.

Bottle, thanks Acknud! Wow what a beer. Pours a vibrant orange/amber color with a soft white head. Nice lacing. Aromas are hops, honey and more hops. Flavor is grapefruit, some honey, slight malt and more sour citrus. Bitter? Hell yes! But the honey balances this beer to perfection. I wish I had regular access to ALL Bell’s beers!!

Bottle (courtesy of nolankowal). Strong pine and grapefruit hops aroma. Cloudy orange-yellow color with small head. Slightly sweet orange-gropefruit-pine hops flavor - very light malt. Nicely balanced. Very nice and drinkable but I really don’t see that this is dramatically better or worse than most other I2PAs.