Bells Hopslam

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

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.

12 oz. bottle; WOW. This is the best beer I’ve had in my 25 years of life so far. I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I cracked the cap off the bottle and took in the aroma. Smells like a combination of honey and floral hoppiness with a little citrus. Pours out a nearly opaque orange-amber with a very thin head. The lack of substantial head is the only reason I didn’t rate this beer a 5. The flavor represents a delicious combination of pefect hops and just enough sweet honey. I don’t quite understand how the ABV is 10%! Considering Hopslam is a double IPA, it predictably finishes bitter and the honey almost enables it to last much longer than most beers in it’s class. Buy it while it’s still in season!!! (till the end of Feb)

12 oz bottle. Pours coppery-orange with a thin off white head. Smells citrusy, a little peppery, some spruce, floral, and apple pie crust. Tastes like orange and lemon zest, sweet and tart, with lots of piney and grassy hops and herbs. The hops are alot more sweet than bitter in this beer. Hints of cinnamin or nutmeg in the finish. A very nice honey stickiness. The alcohol is very subtle and sneaky. Awesome beer.

Bottle@home Big thanks to Traquairlover for sending me a 6-pack of this much sought-after beer! Appearance: Golden orange with a big, white, head and lots of lacing. Aroma: Citric notes (lemon & grapefruit), caramel, Pine. Flavor: Citric notes, Honey, Caramel, Hint of exotic fruit, Pine, Hops. Palate: Lots of bitterness upfront but ends with a nice touch of sweetness from the honey and malt. Balanced to perfection. Alcohol is extremely well hidden. Not quite the fantastic beer i remembered it to be but still damn tasty. Extremely well balanced and quite sessionable despite it’s 10%. Yummy!

Pint draft at Elephant and Castle in New Cumberland, PA. Pours a clear amber-orange with an average off-white head that lasts throughout and leaves incredible lacing. Amazing floral and citrus aroma. The flavor is a big hop taste of grapefruit, floral, and pine. Well balanced by the biscuity sweetness of the malt. Very smooth. Full bodied. Medium-high carbonation. A finish that lingers and begs for another sip. For such a big beer, the alcohol is quite subdued and provides a gentle alcohol warming. Approach with caution, this one can really sneak up on you.

Amazing hop aroma. Got a 12oz bottle and drank it from that rather than a glass. Just the hops from the bottle smelled awesome. Its very bitter with a ton of hop flavor. You can notice the honey. Almost an attack on the tongue at first taste. Might be a tad hop harsh but very nice. Actually one of the few Bell’s I actually like.