Bells Hopslam

Finally. A new Bells reaches the chain-trenches of Jax locally provided by Total Wine. Been waiting for this one for a while. Ages perhaps. Enough to dust off the ol’ cap-cracker and dig in. Popped this sucker, and immediately, was overwhelmed by wisp and wasps of honey due, and a bouquet of hops Garden of Eden style, served sunny-side-up. A further sniff and huff of the fragrant aroma and the fine folks at Method should certainly consider to market. Pours a lively gold and fuzzy hue. Taste bites even before the palate is wet. Hops, o’ glory of hops, fancy wedding bouquets of flowers, honeydew strong enough to fight off the imaginary hummingbirds that the 10% ABV provides me. Pine notes mix in like a love affair with the Alps, and a chewy gentry of warm, moist banana bread. Convergence of a syrupy like texture tends to slow down de addict’ like consumption, into a full 5 course, savored meal. If there was something to top their Two Hearted Ale, this is it, though perhaps a bit heavy to session on. But man, I was checkin some ol’ rave clips from 1992 and thought to myself....i’d fancy some...well never you mind. If you have to ask; you’ll never know!

Trade bottle received from crazynelson. Really nice beer, has a nicely floral and piney mix in the nose that brings with it a sweet kick. Shows the hops off in a lovely platform. Glad I got to try this highly sought after beer. From what I understand Hopslam is a pretty expensive beer. I wouldn’t drop $18 on a 6 pack...but then again there are a lot of AMAZING IIPA’s out in the Pacific NW.

$15 SIX PACK FROM TOTAL WINE, WORTH EVERY PENNY! MY NEW FAV. IPA IVE LIKED EVERYTHING FROM THE BELLS BREWERY SO FAR

Lightly hazy gold with a cream of beige head. Most high abv ipas are much darker, but this one sticks well to the pale quality. The aroma has tons of nice floral hops and plenty of sugary sweetness that follows. Caramel and maple sugar blend in and sort of pick up the floral notes. Smooth body boasts a nice bitter kick without going over the top and has a strong sweet backbone that comes just to the edge of being syrupy. More maple candy and a slight alcohol note comes through at the finish. This is a nice treat, but all the hops are in the nose, and I can’t help but think that if this were available year round that the novelty would wear off quickly.

On tap at Chumley’s I’ve been waiting for this one for a looong time. Poured a clear bright orange amber. My nostrils filled with the aromas of peach, grapefruit, and sweet citrusy hops. My tongue was caressed by sweet malts, grapefruit, juicy hops, and a bitter American hop aftertaste. The beer is creamy and refreshing in feel. Overall, this is very good beer, though not quite as glorious as the Elder Pliny and the villainous Dreadnaught.

12oz single from Total Wine, $4. A sixer was priced at $18, too high to interest me. Aroma on opening is a rush of sweet hops, piney and citric. Golden amber beer with a small head. Flavor is all about the hops, but with enough pale malt and honey sweetness to keep it from becoming oppressive. Full, sticky, honey-sweet pallete. The 10% ABV is completely obscured by the hop flavor and sweetness. The IPA bitterness is up front, and is overtaken by the sweetness at the end. Definitely a sipper, but fairly well balanced to be so extreme. This beer and possibly the Stone Ruination are on the ragged edge of extreme IPA’s. Kudos to Bells Brewery for producing a brew of this intensity. Enjoyable and interesting to try, but at these prices not something I would buy more than once or twice. The $9 per sixpack price the previous rater obtained would change my value view of this beer considerably.

Bottle. 6-pack for $8.99 from Hollywood Market. Pours a deep golden yellow, with a little white head, Smells a huge, hoppy, honey, citrus, sweet aroma. Taste is huge, complex, and full of citrus, hoppy IPA flavor. Each sip of this brew is more complex, thick, syrupy, and great. Nothing about this brew is light or subtle. This is in your face from sip to after taste and the flavor is distinct all the way through. Very good. Going to cellar one of the 6-packs I bought.

Bottle. Aroma: Strong pine and grapefruit hops aroma. Orange-yellow color with cream head. Slightly sweet orange-gropefruit-pine hops flavor - very light malt. Nicely balanced.