Bells Hopslam

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

Poured a lemon-yellowish gold into a pint glass. Inch thick creamy head that slowly settled. Great aroma. Very citrusy/grapefruity with some cut grass. Also a slight sweetness in the aroma. Taste was great as well. Bitter hoppiness nicely balanced by a complementary malty sweetness. This beer tastes good! Mouthfeel is very smooth. The hops hit first but you get a nicely cleaned palate after each sip. Overall, this beer goes down far too easily for its high ABV. Be careful! This is also on the expensive side (I paid $3 for a 12 oz bottle) but I wasn’t disappointed. A little expensive to drink all the time, but was a very nice treat!

Big thanks to Matt for this one. Pours a hazy golden color with a white fluffy head. Aroma of hops, citrus, and pine. Big hop flavor with some hints of pint and citrus. Very good.

Bottle. Yikes that’s one citrusy nose. It smell like it’s just packed full of oranges and grapefruits. Not a lot of a head, but it lasts a pretty long time and hangs above the clear, copper brew. This beer tastes fantastic...citrus, pine, and lots of perfectly balanced bitterness. Surprisingly clean for a 10%. Great stuff.

Updated 2/19/07, fresh Batch 2277. This was everything I remembered and then some. When fresh, it seems less buttery, with the honey really playing a smoothing role over the intense hop profile. Great beer!

Original rating 9/6/07, over six months old. Pours a cloudy, orange-amber color with some sediment. Small, off-white head eventually settles to a thin film with a prominent rim. Excellent spider-web lacing coats the glass. The aroma is beautiful, showing intense citrus and piney, resinous hops over a buttery toffee background. It literally smells like a freshly squeezed Florida navel orange was infused with melted toffee and hops. The flavor just expands upon the world-class aroma. Citrus hops explode into the mouth like a tsunami, while ample caramel and toffee malts follow behind to quickly and carefully put the taste buds back into check. Long, pleasing, citrus hoppy finish. The body is on the heavy side of medium and is somewhat sticky, though I am more than willing to overlook this minor flaw. What an absolutely fantastic beer! One of the best IPA’s in the world, without question. I love Bells Brewery!

Bottle. Batch 8277. Pours a sparkling murky cloudy pinkish amber. Lots of head, and a crazy amount of lacing. Aroma is spectacular; grapefruits and citrus out the ass. Hoppy as hell, incredibly vacuous and worthy of its own praise. Crazy good. Flavor is delectable: spicy hops and pleasant citrus interwoven with honey and ginger. Thick and syrupy, but with a nice watery and easy finish. Way too drinkable at 10%, but I feel overall it’s not as striking of an IPA as Bells own Two Hearted Ale.

01/26/2008 re-rate

On draft at Melllow Mushroom Brandon. Tannish amber. Opaque. Lots of lacing, small white head. Smells like tangy piney hops and citrus. Flavor is piney hops, with grapefruit and oranges. Lacks bitterness from ultra-hoppy IPA’s. Very drinkable.

Pours a golden color under a small off white head that settles down to a good film over the top. Aroma is interesting. A lot of grapefruit smell with a slightly sweet note that is really good. The obligatory hops piney notes, but mainly a good sweet/sour grapefruit that I really like. Taste is surprisingly mild, not the assault of hops that you come to expect from a West Coast IPA which is a definate change. Very sweet, grapefruity notes with a sweet almost sugary backing to it. A faint alcohol taste to remember it by, but mainly I get a very piney aftertaste that sits on the back of your tongue. Very good, definately deserves it’s billing.

Bottle, The Den, Kalamazoo. Dark orange colour, off-white head. A pine-hop bomb from the aroma along with grapefruits. Flavour of bitter pine and flowery hops, with sweet malts. Starts very bitter and ends balanced with a long bitter-sweet freshness. Amazing beer.

A: A cloudy orange color lighter than most DIPAS. There was no head which is contrary other reviews. S: There is alot of citrus hops and a sweetness coming from the glass. I can tell this one will be nice. T: Wonderful. It is a perfect match of citrus hops and honey sweetness in my opinion. The fact that it is nearly 10% ABV is hidden nicely. Some other brewers could learn something from this one. M: A perfect match of medium body with full carbonation. The hops sting my tounge with each drink. D: I see why they put it in a 12 ounce, a bomber of this one may get you drunk.