Bells Hopslam

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.

I must say, finally, a Double IPA with the balance and acidity of an IPA, only in a bigger version. This IS a Double IPA and not a Double Pale Ale like so many interpretations of this style. Dark gold in color with some yeast in suspension (hell no, I did not decant=waste yummy stuff). The yeast actually traps the light a bit and lightens the color. Tons of sweet, fruity malt with juniper berries, grapefruit juice, grass, some pine, honeydew melon, peach and a tonic water, quinine element. Flavor is tasty and not overdone. All of the aroma elements are in the flavor, there are actually textural components from the hops and yeast, there is some alcoholic warmth, a strong bitterness and acidity that is reminiscent of tonic water. The tonic water acidity comes in to the palate at the perfect time to intrigue the drinker into another drink. It cleans things up at the perfect moment to make this a huge beer but one that is incredibly drinkable as well. My first perfect score, and it is well deserved. I salivate just thinking about having one of these when I get home.

Lots of hop bitterness and citrus smell/taste. You start to enjoy it as soon as you pop the cap! The addition of honey in 2008 seems to have smoothed the flavor and hidden the alcohol. Just about perfect for hop lovers!

Bell’s Hopslam 12 oz bottle Packaged 10/06, slammed down 11/06 Medium pour in a tulip glass. Poured hazy amber with a large frothy somewhat lasting (thanks in part to a constant flow of myriad tiny bubbles) slightly off white head,with a think ring of lacing. Yeast suspends beautifully like Aurora Borealis. Smelt strongly of grapefruit, spruce, with moderate pepper, barnyard, essence of joy. Taste was upfront strong bitter ruby red grapefruit followed by a strong piny earthy bitterness on a never-ending finish. If you wait it out it turns grassy, then flowery. Palate was medium bodied, silky smooth and cream, softly carbonated, moderately astringent and light alcoholic warmth. Overall, everything is amazing about this beer, except maybe the flavor profile. It was so smooth and tasty for its strength it left me wondering where the complexity and promise for cellaring was. Also slightly tasted like pellet hops or hop concentrate, if there is such a thing. I want to love this more but it’s daftly simple for a double IPA and too perfectly balanced when young. I’m torn and confused, intrigued and mesmerized. Damn you Larry Bell, I finally have a double IPA crack my top tier. Excellent work for now, but lets see what you can do for me down the road for the next 5 years. Off to the oubliettes you go, Hopslam.

What can I say? I adore this beer. Had it from the bottle. Great rocky head. Glorious nose: Grapefruit, pineapple and orange-peel. In the mouth it was perfectly effervescent and ever so slightly oily. Pleasantly resinous and dare I say seductive? Massive hops well balanced against sweet malts. I don’t want to gush but I could drink this anytime.