Bells Hopslam

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

Batch 9470. An orange color beer with a nice head that dissipates. The aroma was very nice with a lot of grapefruit, honey, some pine, & a assortment of tropical fruits. The taste was fruity, piney, acidic, & the honey is just there enough to complement & balance it nicely. This is a very balanced yet hoppy DIPA that hides the alcohol extremely well.

Bottle. Pours a rather murky orange color with a medium-sized head that leaves some lacings. The color of the beer is surprisingly reminiscent of exotic fruit juice... And so is the smell. This is almost ridiculous, so much hops and exotic fruit aromas. Grapefruit, mango, passion fruit, you name it. Some notes of pine-needles and a honey-like smoothness that seems to blend everything together and round everything off to a fantastic hoppy juicy whole. This is one of the most impressive aromas I’ve ever come across in a beer. And the flavor is no disappointment either. I could easily describe this simply as hop juice. Grapefruit, mango, passion fruit, all kinds of exotic fruits come together in a beautiful combination that is really reminiscent of tropical fruit juice or nectar. The sweet and fresh malty backbone that isn’t as "caramelly" as most malt profiles in Double IPAs are, really adds to this. Perhaps a note of nettles and tobacco. The finish is smooth with a prominent bitterness (again, much more restrained than most Double IPAs), pine-needle hops, grass and more juicy hops. It’s rather full-bodied and very smooth for the style, but still dry enough in the finish. This one drinks dangerously easy. This is one of the coolest beers I’ve had the pleasure to drink. Can’t think of anything that taste like it. I mean, it’s actually hop juice.

Picked this up on a trade from SincereNC, your the man. Growing up in the mid-nineties in NorCal I always took for granted the amount of awesome beers available to me and my co-drinkers, (Bear Republic/ Sierra/ Lagunitas/ Russian River)but never really giving the rest of the country any thought about big hoppy, full bodied beers, I was so wrong. Is that bad when I pound a 10%er, because this was so perfectly balanced with the hops and the sweet finish that I was done lickety split. One of the best beers i’ve had in some time, thanks for screwing up my west coast bias.

bottle, pours light carmel with a medium white head. Aroma is strong pine and spruce tips. Flavor is so smooth, sweet bready malts and a nice pine hop finish with just a touch of alcohol. Very nice.

Pours amber with a thin white head. Aroma is very strong grapefruit and other citrus smells. Taste is very bitter. Huge hoppy taste with a honey finish. If you like hops this is the beer for you. No IPA has anything on Hopslam. Good stuff.

It earns its name -- this is one of the hoppiest beers around. It’s also quite possibly one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. It’s about as perfect as an IPA/Double IPA can get. Very floral. It’s bitter on first taste countered with a very smooth finish. If you can get your hands on it, don’t hesitate.

Amazing fruity bouquet of tangerines, grapefruits, cherries, and even limes. Clear amber, no head, good lacing. Medium to full body. Fruity hop flavor of grapefruit, with a palpable sweet malt base. Grapefruit peel and grape skins are left on the palate. Very enjoyable, but probably overpriced.

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours a medium golden color with a reasonably dense white head. The nose gives hints of the best of American hops. Citrus, pine, and a bit of danky character make prevalent appearances. The palate is, as one would expect, dominated by hop character. Resiny flavor actually outdoes pure bitterness, but the former is a tremendous melange of notes, and is quite pleasing. Malt character is pretty thoroughly shadowed, but there is a noticeable, if not specifically identifyable, background sweetness. Alcohol makes a very slight flavor appearance, but is not especially obvious, and serves to add depth more than anything else. The finish is clean and leaves a lingering hop character. Overall, a very well made imperial IPA.