Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

there’s this hybrid marijuana called Skunky Gum---its half Skunk and half Bubblegum. The stank of that weed is precious, and distinct from all other weeds. For those of you who don’t know, pot is like beer--educated folks know what they’ze doin’. This beer tastes like skunkygum mixed with honey. Anyone who likes this beer should consider smoking that type of weed. They should also try Bell’s India Red Ale if they get the chance. There’s some of that same unique flavor. If you haven’t drank this you don’t really know what beer can do. Pretty sure fools are getting high off of the hops, btw.

The best thing about this beer is the aroma, it has a perfect hoppy smell with a wonderful matching flavor. For the strength of this beer it is very easy to drink with very little to no alcohol flavors. Everything about this beer was perfectly balanced and a must have beer for any hop lover.

It poured a crystal clear, bright and sparkling honey-golden-amber color with virtually no visible carbonation. I managed to build a 3-finger head through a vigorous pour, but once it settled, it held a creamy 2-finger white head of fluffy soap bubbles with excellent retention. There was quite a surprising amount of lace that lined the glass in intricate sheets while a thick island of large soapy bubbles mingled with a thin covering of minuscule bubbles that covered the rest of the liquid. My nose was immediately vanquished by the aromas as I poured the beer from the bottle into the tumbler. As soon as I opened the bottle there was an enormous explosion (and I cannot stress how huge this was) of floral, grassy and citrus hops that bombarded my nostrils. The subsequent mushroom cloud offered a rich body of zesty grapefruit, sour orange, tart pineapple and even light melon notes near the edges. All of the hoppy-ness was beautifully rounded out with softer florals, fresh cut grass, and a sweet honey slathered over faint biscuity malts. Somewhere along the process of whiffing all this beer, some hints of pine managed to peek through, but they were far from consistent and stayed fairly well hidden. Overall, the scent was remarkably fresh and green - like walking through a botanical garden on a dry spring day. Even with all of huge aromas and the amount of hops that come out in the nose, nothing in the smell was overwhelming or burned. It may very well be on the best smelling beers I’ve ever had the pleasure of sniffing. Once it was finally in my mouth (though, honestly, this was the third Hopslam I’ve had since it was released), there was a very bitter, tart, but crazy smooth wave of resiny pine flavor - or at least more than what was in the nose, though the zesty orange, grapefruit and even some lemon were definitely alive and kicking. Rather than being sharp and biting, like one might expect from a Double IPA packed with 6 different hop varietals, all of the hops were smoothed out fantastically with the sweet honey and light bready malts. Again, nothing was overwhelming or completely took out the other flavors; everything worked together perfectly, and in doing so, any trace of alcohol that might be expected from a beer with 10% ABV (holy wow) is obliterated. Due to the fact that the alcohol is so well hidden, Hopslam is very, very easy to drink, though being as smooth as it is and so well-rounded doesn’t hurt either. I did find that when the drink first hit my lips, it started off dry, but by the time I swallowed, it almost felt slick across my tongue, ending only slightly dry and with a very light bitterness that gradually died away before the next sip. Holding a medium mouthfeel with light carbonation kept it from being spicy, and even though I found it difficult to pick out the alcohol, it definitely started hitting my brain after half the glass.

Super citrusy! Absolutely no herbly notes to me, and the better for it. Awesome fresh

Amber in color with soap-sud foam. Aroma packs a punch - some piney hops but mostly grapefruit. Flavor is grapefruit hop flavor and bitterness that sticks. Some caramel sweetness just peeking through at the end. Most excellent. Not better than Dreadnaught, but about equal in overall impact. Just a bit different.

wow, that is hoppy. :) Pours a dark amber with a nice head, great carbonation. Smells like a whole lot of hops with a little sweet topping. Tastes extremely hoppy, with a noticeable honey-sweet flavor. Nice density to this beer. Finishes with a sticky hops floral aftertaste. If you want to know what this beer tastes like, bury your face in 2 handfuls of hops and breathe in deeply - plus a little honey taste.

Truly one of the best DIPA I’ve ever had. No need to go into a lengthy review...just one sip and you’ll "get it"

Great imperial ipa. nice honey notes. great hoppy aroma. superbly balanced...great finish. no bitterness. i wish it was just a little less sweet.