Bells Hopslam

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

Bottle massive huge thanks to badgerben. Aroma is pine grapefruit, lychee tangarine, orange character, peach and apricot, bursting with tasty hops. Taste is similar the honey is evedent reall hoppy fruity charcater but balanced and super tasty. I can easy nderstand how all you american chaps get a 6 pack of this and find yourself in a bad way. Iv got another 5 to get me going, yee haaaaaaa!!!!!!!

Bottle... Murky golden ale with lots of sediment and a mid-sized, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. Smells like pink grapefruit; maybe a hint floral as well. It’s just shy of heavily bitter. A southern California IPA for sure. The high abv is completely hidden in and behind all those beautiful hops. Medium-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Lengthy, bitter, bone-dry finish. Thanks to the parents-in-law for bringing me a sixer down from Detwah!

Batch 8277 sampled a few times within two months of its release: Has a bigger fresh piny grapefruity hoppy nose than I remember from the first release. Sweet pale and caramel malts provide good balance to the sticky bittering hop resin and crisp, slightly warming bittersweet finish. A very nice double IPA that I wish I had a few more bottles of.

First bottled release sampled on 11/22/06 (8,3,7,4,14): Pours a transparent golden bronze with a thin, lightly-lacing white head. Aroma boast a lot of fresh grapefruity and piny hops along with a touch of toasty pale malt. Body starts with some sweet caramel before being overrun by resiny sticky citrus bittering hops. Plenty of hops in this and a good amount of malt that hides the alcohol well, but it’s still not as balanced as some other double IPAs.

Slightly hazy orange beer, with yellow-orange tinted fluffy head. End of bottle opaque. Very citrussy nose, with fresh lemon, orange and grapefruit; very fine, flowery, fruity and juicy. Perfect. Well - otherwise said, hops. Hoppy taste (well, you guessed that) with citrus and (less) resiny. Finish is more hopbitterness, slightly burning. One almost imagines drinking added hopoil. Very oily, near syrupy but not cloying MF. Very good, aromatic aftertaste despite the near-metallic bitterness. Very nice, top IIPA, Kalamazoo worthy. Big thanks, David (and Liza).

Cloudy light orange colour with a small white head. Hoopy fruity aroma with notes of grape and some malty sweetness. Hoppy, peach fruity flavor along a light malty sweetness. Dry finish.

My Bottom Line:
A bursting hop perfume shields the nostrils and tastebuds from most of life’s inanities. Resinous miracles, citrusy authenticity, and wooden wisdom ride the lean biscuity maltiness for a highly invigorating Imperial IPA.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the clear honeyed golden.
-The hop profile is definitely reminiscent of Dreadnaught’s, which I adore, but its malt character is drier and less developed, focusing on quenching, whereas Dreadnaught would be chewy and crunchy (in my book).
-Its bubbly presence helps alleviate the bracing wooden, resinous hop bitterness.

Bottle; no date. Thx Eric!!