Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

I get the hype...i really do. I couldn’t believe the quality of the mouth feel for this gem. It was so creamy and smooth. PERFECT BALANCE. Beautiful aroma....grapefruit and citrus....pine. Great pour coming out a brown gold with small white head. I really enjoyed this beer.

Pours golden amber with a thin white head and some lacing. Aroma is big hops, clean and crisp. Grapefruit leading with some pine scents as well. Sweet malt scent is present as well. Taste, like the aroma, is a clean, crisp hop. Sharply carbonated but the honey lends it a smoothness. The hops are actually bigger in the taste than they are in the aroma. Grapefruit and pine. The honey flavor is subtle but noticeable and the malts are buttered toast. Leaves a nicely dry aftertaste. Excellent double IPA.

12 oz bottle. No idea why I haven’t rated this beer yet. It truly is a gem. This is probably the standard for which all of other dipas should be judged. Pours beautifully with thick, buttery, wispy cream head, sticky lacing, solid retention, and a bright, opaque, golden-burnt orange body. Florals right away in the aroma. More and more hops flow in right afterwards. Nutty citrus fruits, peaches, pears, tropical fruit, and light herbal grass. Then caramels, cereal and pale grains, and minor cookie round out the malt side of things. No booze noticeable at all in either aroma or feel. There’s great hoppy bite to the palate, but without any of it being out of balance. Thick, yet not overly chewy. Flavors compliment the aroma well. Tons of bittersweet fruits in the beginning with mango, pear, apples, melon, and then some heavier mild citrus coming on later. Caramel cookie, toast and pale cereal grains through the middle. A light nutty candy/honey sweetness toward the finish. The finish itself lingers very nicely with herbal grass, light pine, and more mango/pear/citrus. This beer makes me incredibly happy. Fantastic.

Fresh and intense hops. Golden color with a thin white head. For all the freshness and hops loaded into this, it is remarkably balanced. Just the correct amount of bite in the aftertaste. A true masterpiece.

Mostly clear golden color with an impressive layer of bubbly foam head that leaves behind streaky, sticky lacing all around the glass. Piney nose with some grapefruit and citrus undertones. Flavor is expectedly hoppy and bitter, but the bitterness is balanced out just enough by the malt backing and some subtle sweet fruit flavors that it doesn’t detract much from the drinkability. Mouthfeel is spot-on: an excellent blend of lively carbonation with just enough smoothness. The 10%ABV is remarkably well hidden, but nevertheless I wouldn’t recommend tipping back too many of these in one sitting. Unsurprisingly, hops are the clear & dominant aspect of this beer - they’re the first thing you smell, first thing you taste, and last thing you notice as it finishes with a somewhat dry bitterness. If you’re a hop lover you will not be disappointed. Delicious. One of my all-time favorites and something I have no hesitation recommending to anyone. Phenomenal. Already looking forward to next year’s release!

Aroma is filled with pine, grapefruit, resiny hops, honey sweetness. Pours a slightly hazy golden color, has a medium thickness white head that dissipates quickly. Flavor is caramel, honey, pine, and sticky hops up front. Some alcohol flavor, but it’s minimal compared to the fantastic hop flavors, good malt balance. Medium body with a somewhat sticky palate. Great brew.

Bottle poured into wine glass. Very pleasant aroma right off the top. Smells of grapefruit and honey. Light orange in color. Tastes of grapefruit, honey and unicorn tears. Just kidding about that last part. This stuff is delicious though. Palate - easy on the tongue with no bad aftertaste. It goes down the throat and warms the belly. This is one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Awesome.

I have been hunting for Hopslam since I missed it last January, and have been obsessed with trying it since I heard it once again arrived in Arizona. Needless to say, my expectations were probably aimed a little too high than if I had simply stumbled upon this brew. The aroma has all the usual trappings of a high gravity IPA, lots of citrusy hops, deep caramel/bready notes, and alcohol. Bitter hops up front with a clean finish, but as the beer warmed more hops presented themselves and lingered on the palate. Perfectly carbonated with a very dry finish (possibly due to the fermented honey). A premier standard of what an Imperial IPA is all about, though I don’t think there is anything truly special about this beer excluding its rarity.