Bells Hopslam

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

Draught at Flannigan’s. Poured in tulip glass with reasonably moderate head. Aroma strong of hops, grapefruit and a few other mild citrus tones. Taste of grapefruit with a bitter bite at the end. Slightly salty taste due to the high ibu profile. Very little alcohol bite. extremely well-balanced. By far one of the best IPA’s.

Bottle pour cloudy orange with a small white head. Very aromatic, herbal, citrus, and grassy. Flavor hops, hops, and the more hops. Aroma has much more character than the palate. Some hints of caramel, citrus, and pine. Alcohol is well hidden and not overly bitter.

Batch 8277, with a year on it, which I slightly preferred to the fresh batch consumed at the same time. Hazy orange pour. A moderate white head leaves a generous lacing. Floral honeyed aroma, hops and sweet fruits are balanced. Flavor is similar, hops are more floral than citric, sweet honey elements dominate, a bitterness like grapefruit zest is present, as are juicy-fruit and yeasty elements. On the palate, creaminess and a fieriness like crystallized ginger are perfectly harmonized.

bottle. puny white head that dissapated as I poured. aromas of huge citrus (grapefruit), some resin, and a touch of skunk (but not in an off-putting way) with some sweet malts. flavor is initially lightly bittersweet and finishes moderate to strong bitter. damn this is good. extra long finish duration. dry sticky mouthfeel. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I haven’t had an Imperial IPA this good in a long time.

12 oz bottle. drank 12 days after bottling. 100% delicious. 10% alcohol doesnt hurt.

Conspiracy theory: every year I forget to rate this beer, every year I wonder where all of my tax return money went; empty case boxes in my garage, hmmmmmm. Light golden color, short head, great lacing. Enticing fresh hoppy sweet citrus aroma, an amped up two-hearted with bonus grapefruit. Super thick and smooth palate. Starts off with a hit of bitterness and sweet malts (I think they put honey on the label just to confuse us), every sip ends dry with a bit of sugar sprinkled grapefruit. Yum.

12oz bottle. Pours dark orange with a medium white head that quickly dissipates. Excellent grapefruit/citrus aroma with pine and hops. Initial flavor of caramel malts and grapefruit with the sweetness of honey and alcohol. The finish is mostly hops with some pine. Very balanced and easily the most drinkable Double IPAs I’ve had. It’s a shame this is not available year-round. Essential when it’s available fresh.

This is truly a gorgeous beer! Be wary it weighs in at about 11%!!!