Bells Hopslam

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

bottle from ucusty, thanks dude! tutti fruitti aroma like children’s bubblegum, yet strangely not artificial. was this from the honey? sharply bitter, at first i don’t find it like these crazy over the top nw ipas, but as i continued to sip, the surrounding bitterness built up to a happy peak.

From a 12oz Bottle, Batch #7690. Pours a transparent honey peach color with a thin layer of wispy white head. Heavily hopped citrusy aromas of spruce boughs, white grapefruit, and some softer notes of clover honey. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel thats a bit on the heavy side for my preference in the style, but it doesn’t get syrupy by any means. Some lightly sweet honey caramel malts start out the palate before a dousing hop cleansing. Some strongly bitter pine and pulpy white grapefruit finish out the cleanly bitter final smack. The alcohol is very well hidden, leaving only the the fabulous hops reside left to sting the tongue. Thanks, Tom!

Vegetative astringent underhopped IPA that does not deserve to called a double. Herbal and piney nose with some pvc (phenolic) notes. Mildly sweet and vegetative palate (Columbus?). Astringent and metallic finish.

Intense hoppy aroma, very inviting. Tangerine, with some underlying grapefruit. More exotic fruits as well. Medium bodied, with some nice juicy malt character. Finish is just sweeter than dry. Flavor is not quite as pungent and intense as the aroma, but is full of tangerine more exotic fruits as the aroma. I like this, something new and exiting from Bells.

Cloudy light orange color with a white head. The aroma has the requisite grapefruit, citrus, and pine smells. The taste is smooth and creamy which adds to the uniqueness of this one. Bitter and slightly sugary. Very good brew.

12oz - batch 7690 - Aroma is juicy fresh floral hops, earthy citrus hops and alcohol. Pours orange with a small head and great lacing. Flavor is incredibly balanced for such a hop bomb. Lots of carmel follows the intense citrus and floral hops. Palate is sticky and tart. A very nice brew for the hop lover in all of us.

Brown bottle, 355 ml, batch 7806, via Philippe Boutin, savoured on November 13 2007; eye: burnt orange, lightly hazy, slight effervescence, creamy almond head, good lacing; nose: fresh hops, light pine, spices, light caramel, light soap; mouth: slight presence of the bubble gum that tasted like soap, lots of hops, grapefruit, good presence of caramelized malt, alcohol, some spices (including pepper and a bit of salt), finale in hops with a good presence of caramel, mild astringency, alcohol becomes more present as the beer warms up, lightly sweet, mildly bitter, slightly salty, medium to full body, slightly harsh texture, average carbonation; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 355 ml, lot 7806, via Philippe Boutin, savourée le 13 novembre 2007; œil : orangé brûlé, légèrement voilée, très légère effervescence, mousse crémeuse amande, bonne dentelle; nez : houblon frais, léger pin, épices, léger caramel, léger savon; bouche : ptite présence de gomme au savon, beaucoup de houblon, pamplemousse, bonne présence de malt caramélisé, alcool, quelques épices (dont le poivre et un peu de sel), finale en houblon avec une bonne présence de caramel, astringence moyenne, alcool devient plus présent lorsque le bière se réchauffe, légèrement sucrée, moyennement amère, très légèrement salée, corps moyen-corsé, texture légèrement rugueuse, carbonatation moyenne; en résumé : bien

I thought this beer was similar to Two Hearted, just a little bigger. The flavor was sweet,slightly hop dominated giving it a moderately sweet pineapple and apricot flavor. Moderate to low bitterness, no alcohol in the flavor at all. Well made beer. I think if you like Two Hearted, you gotta like this one.