Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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UPDATED: DEC 30, 2006 Bottle, poured orange amber, looked like orange pop, very hoppy fragrance, citrus & some flowers, malty, a white head, lots of pineapple, some pine needles, Hopslam is the Big Brother to Two Hearted Ale, one of the scents reminded me of walking through a Pine tree forest in Canada off the shores of Lake Superior, thick chewy ale, taste of malt, biting hops, lots of pine needles, like a pine needle soup, lots of orange & grapefuit, on the tongue, when drinking this Hopslam, I am going up and down a wild roller coaster of hops, leaping and bounding over a mountains of hops, woo hoo!

Unfiltered peach in color. Thin but fully sustained pure-white foam. Hefty hop aromas of cantaloupe, tangerine, mango, and pinesap. Sharp hints of green onion. Delicate honeyed malt sweetness. Vivacious bottle-conditioned carbonation expands on the palate. Body is dense and oily from the get-go, with not a whole lot of brightness to go along with it. Quickly becomes astringently syrupy and borderline cloying, due to the concentration of resinous hops. Sweetness wanes slowly as there’s just enough acidity to lift some of the sappy weight. Crisp, crackery malts generate some cleanliness by imparting a dusty dryness along with fluffy touches of fresh biscuits, as do fresh mangoes and some shimmering citrus qualities, but an unpleasant sweetness and sogginess persists. Finishes remarkably balanced, with plenty of succulent hop flavors gently caressing then deflecting the spicy and grassy hops. Soggy/overripe tangerine notes increase at higher temperatures, but the mango remains relentless and salvages some of the essential brightness. Overall, the aroma could use a bit more cleanliness and more hoppy brightness. The flavor is also on the sweet side, which causes the hops to come across as being slightly muddled. And with the exception of some chewy yeast and slightly tacky textures, the level of attenuation is so close to perfection...just not quite there. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but very close. A few very-minor adjustments would make this a real standout. A solid effort from a great brewery.

Thanks Santa. Pours out a very attractive copper color with a nice lacing head. Aroma is of citrus and some grassy notes. Very nice flavor starts with some citrus hops with some sweet notes to add some balance. Very well balanced beer that was as drinkable as a mild ale, I honestly thought this wasn’t a double IPA until I looked at the ABV.

UPDATED: JUN 5, 2007 Number 600. 12 ounce bottle poured in to a snifter. Texas orange with a short lived creamy color head. Very clear. Orange pith, wet grass, simple syrup, honey, maybe maple are in the nose. Lots of tongue coatig grapefruit and tropical hop flavor the finishes with a pleasant bitterness. Flavor lasted from front to back for several seconds. It keeps going and going. Thin and light on the palate, a sixer of this could go down in no time. My new favorite Bells? It certainly doesn’t beat out Expo, even though its more drinkable. Your night my last longer with Two Hearted. I think Hopslam beats it out though.

12 oz bottle. Massive head, thick golden/orange color...serious lacing and a very nice aroma. Hopslam is a very apropot name for this beer. Strong citrus flavors... grapefruit, orange peels, really bitter... Detected hints of tomato vines, and a little bit of honey. Extremely smooth finish. The alcohol is hidden well. Is this better than 3Fs Dreadnaught? Probably not... but it’s very close. Don’t drink this "fridge cold"... let is warm up a bit to really max out the aroma and flavors. Bells rocks!

UPDATED: JAN 28, 2011 12oz bottle from a trade with Stoutlover72. Thanks Garrett! I figured I’d try this while fresh, and the aroma was huge - serious hop bitterness (mmmm), with a noticeable citrus element. Very fine stuff, if a shade below some of the more widely acclaimed IIPAs.

12 oz bottle from Bello Vino in Ann Arbor, MI (late December 2006 -- last 6-pack!) consumed from a Corsendonk Christmas Ale glass a bit below cellar temperature. Hazy, soft orange-amber in color with a small-bubbled lasting off-white head that forms a trace of lacing.....apricots are the first fruit to hit the nose, followed shortly by sweet grapefruit, caramel and a touch of cinnamon, orangepeel and honey rounding out the medley of dessert treats after several sniffs, certainly well-done if fairly predictable.....I get virtually no alcohol apparent on the tongue, very dangerous as this is juicy and redolent of lightly fermenting fruits, perhaps infused with light maple syrup and honey, hop bitterness surprisingly restrained (well, not so considering the brewery perhaps but I would have expected more for it to be called an IIPA) although a fairly strong impact is made at the end when intense citric tartness and powerful hop oils finally do threaten to overwhelm the palate, but never do as it remains juicy and fresh and quaffable to the very end. Somewhat hard, prickly carbonation works well against the overall soft fruitiness of the beer. While I don’t find this amazing it is certainly one of the easiest to drink and most likeable of 9% beers I’ve had, and that’s saying something.

Wonderful aroma of lively hops and citrus. Body is moderate amber color, clear and a bit bubbly. Flavors are fairly well balanced between the sweet malts base and the strong hop presence. Finish is clean, if not a tad dry.

12 oz bottle. It must be Christmas, because the instant I opened this, I new it was a winner. Pours a hazy orange with an oily frothy head. The aroma has a huge citrus scent, followed by piney and flower notes. Flavor is the same intense citrus and floral, yet very smooth. Very nice balance between the bitterness and sweetness, I hardly noticed the high alchol content. Awesome 2IPA!

Bottle. A hazed golden amber color with a white head. Grapefruit and peach, flowers and spices in the aroma. Honey and citrus, pine, grapefruit, and pineapple in the flavor. Dry and semi-sweet, with a bitter laced finish. This seemed just a little too sweet and unbalanced.