Bells Hopslam

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

Re-rate 1/16/09. 12 oz bottle. Pours slightly hazy amber orange with a nice, fluffy off-white head. Aroma is heavy on grapefruit and floral aromas, with some mild honeylike sweetness. Flavor is great, very strong grapefruit hops, with floral hops and again a moderate sweetness supporting them. A bit of biscuity malts are present to underscore the hops, but this one is all about the hops. The alcohol can be sensed very subtly in the bitter finish. Still puts the other IIPAs I’ve had to shame, and as such it unfortunately makes finding a satisfying IIPA all the more difficult by comparison. I’ll have to agree with my earlier review, too, that the label illustration is pretty entertaining.

Pours ornagish color with white head. Big grapefruit aroma. Sweet malt backbone with a good dose of grapefruit hop flavor. Very well balanced and alcohol is not noticeable. Medium body with average carbonation and a chewy mouthfeel. A great DIPA.

Poured from a 12oz bottle. Pours a bright orangish-amber color with a medium head that dissapates fairly quickly. The aroma is rich with citrus, hops, and even a touch of honey (as the bottle says). The mouthfeel and palate are rather large without being overpowering for the flavor. The bittering hops are so prevalent in the taste, this beer lives up to its "tongue bruising" hype! There are also elements of citrus (lemon) and a touch of sweetness at the nose. The flavor is also incredibly balanced for such a huge specimen. Wow!!

Thanks to emacgee for this one. Foggy orange pour with a tall foamy head with a lot of retention. The aroma had several types of hops on the nose with some floral notes as well. An alcoholic tingle is felt on the initial with a thicker than normal mouthfeel. Hops play a large role in the taste but there are also hints of honey and citrus. Well balanced flavors provide for a sweet finish. Fantastic!

thanks ronsup great citrusy grapefruit flroal aroma very smooth with lots of hop bitterness doesnt get much better than this one well done bells.

Can Larry Bell live up to the hype again? 12oz. bottle purchased from Top Shelf Liquor in Allen Park. As soon as I pop the cap, the excellent aroma lets me know I’m in for something special. Appearance: Pours a nice golden orange hue. This is slightly hazy due to the yeast that I poured into my Bell’s snifter. Nice off-white head with nice lacing. Very inviting... Smell: What an excellent aroma. Starts with a slight hop burn follow by grapefruit, pine, and citrus. You can almost taste the hops...My fricking mouth is watering. Taste: Tastes just like the aroma. Nice hops up front with grapefruit, pine and citrus notes. Malts come to the party later on to add a beautiful balance to this masterpiece. Mouthfeel: Nice smooth mouthfeel. The hops hang around for a bit and coat the tongue and roof of my mouth. Drinkability: I could definitely put back a sixer of these, but I’d rather savor this bad ass Double IPA with one or two. Hoppy, malty, and exceptionally balanced. The first time I tried this, I had it next to Rouge I2PA and DFH 90 min. IPA. This was exceptional compared to the other two. The Rouge wasn’t too bad, but the 90 tasted like a malty barleywine. I used to think the 90 was a hop-bomb....not anymore. I would love to try this next to Dreadnaught...from memory, they are similar except for the fact the a 22oz of Dreadnaught was $9 and a sixer of Hopslam came out to be about $12. Once again, Larry and the Bell’s crew put out an excellent beer. If it’s not the best double IPA, then it’s definitely in the top five. This should be the new benchmark for the style. Hopefully Bell’s decide to make this a more regular offering. Pick this up if you see it...you will not be disappointed.

It will get you drunk!! I’m tellin ya, I’ve had 2 of these tonight, and i think I should cut myself off. The flavor, aroma, everything about this beer is impeccable. But the alcohol will get you!!

Poured a mellow amber color with a thick head. A strong hop aroma with a hint of honey. A strong but smooth hop flavor due to the taste of honey. Finishes very smooth for a high alcohol beer and lacks the unpleasant bitter aftertaste of some hoppy beers. An excellent beer for hop heads everywhere.