Bells Hopslam

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

finally we meet. a clear orange beer under a medium sized creamy white head. aroma has floral notes with citrus notes and tropical pineapple notes. an excellent mix of floral and citrus in aroma and flavor. somehow its light bodied and really smooth for the abv. perfect palate-wise.

2007 version - Pours lightly hazy orange / amber with a large soapy white-ish head. The aroma has a citrus / floral hop blast with a sturdy malt backbone. Meidum / full body with a small amount of soft carbonation. Starts with the floral / citrus from the aroma, but also add a tropical aspect and noticeable caramel malt behind it. The finish brings in more of a pine / sharp citrus / earthy hops blend that has more of a bite. The alcohol warmth is noticable on the finish, but not in a bad way. Well done IIPA. (8/4/8/3/17 -4.0) <P> 2008 version - The aroma is a bit sweeter this year and has some dank hops as well. The body is a little stickier. The taste has the honey showing through a bit more and the hop presence is a bit harsher. Overall, this is still an excellent example of the style. I may have to pick up a bit more than I have since it won’t be around long. (9/4/8/4/18 - 4.3)

batch 7690, 12 oz bottle from my SS. Pours with a huge, creamy off-white head that rides over a hazy, medium orange body. Moderate bready malt aroma punctuated by a juicy, pineapple-mango hop aroma. The flavor balance goes heavily to the bitter side with this IIPA. Pineapple mango hop flavor that finishes and bitter. I’d like a bit more dryness with a IIPA that has this amount of bitterness.

bottle - Pours copper with a medium head. This beer has a wonderful aroma of grapefruit and hops. The flavor is, of course, intensely hoppy, but it has lots of malts to hold it up as well. The citrus comes through nicely and you’d probably never guess it was 9.5% abv. All of these praises said, whatever kind of hops that was used doesn’t seem to be my favorite. It was a little unpleasant in the finish, so I’d have to say that I’ve enjoyed some other IIPAs more. Still, this is a very good beer.

Bottle: Poured a orange clear color with a off white head. Aroma is nice grapefruit citrus and hops. Taste is citrus with a balance of hops and malts. I expected something more harsh, but this is very nice IIPA.

One of three from a trade - Thanks shigadeyo! I probably should have gotten a six. This is a fabulous IPA, the kind that makes you want just one more sip after you’ve already discovered the bottom of the bottle. Grapefruit and pineapple and pine and fruit and cramel and nuts. Whohoo!

12oz. bottle, batch #7741. Aroma is suitably dominated by hops, these bringing a fresh and strongly fruity, piney, citric and lightly floral character, and with mere suggestions of honeyish and lightly toasty malt sweetness underneath. Medium golden color with amber highlights and a rapidly thinning head. Strikingly bitter, resinous hop flavor profile, immense pine, juicy grapefruit, lemon and spice throughout with a malt presence that is more felt than tasted, although there is a small amount of sugary maltiness to find late. Oily, prickly mouthfeel with a medium-full body. Finishes very long and lingering, seeming to show off a much fuller spectrum of hop attributes as the beer is allowed to warm sufficiently. Alcohol is nicely hidden here. Fittingly named as it will serve nearly anyone’s hop fix.

Thanks to Rusty Diamond for this puppy! Poured a bright orange-amber with a small sudsy whitish head. Lots of grainy, resinous and sweet notes. Like many big hoppy beers, but strangely balanced by the honey and bland of malts and hops. Still quite bitter, but a nice imperial IPA. Much love!