Bells Hopslam

It will get you drunk!! I’m tellin ya, I’ve had 2 of these tonight, and i think I should cut myself off. The flavor, aroma, everything about this beer is impeccable. But the alcohol will get you!!

Bottle courtesy of the great miketd who tossed this baby in as a bonus -- thank you!

Pours a golden orange, glowing and beautiful, a nice near-white head that lasts pretty long for the ABV and retains powerful lacing along the sides of my tulip glass. The aroma of this beer is ridiculously nice. Hops all the way; fruity with lots of pear and pineapple, but also herbal the way I love it so, man I’m just out there in the experimental garden at the UM botanical gardens some summer in Ann Arbor, drinking deep those herb aromas. Heck, one sniff of this beer and suddenly I remember the whole route out there, out Geddes past Route 23 and left on Dixboro, past the housing developments that were already starting to mar the Michigan countryside.... Beautiful flavor. Perfect balance, no sticky over-roasted grain, just powerful fruity hop goodness, no palate ruinition, just tropical-fruit hops, steeped in honeydew, with slight hints of resin and a smooth mouthfeel that would leave you thinking 7% if it weren’t for out utter burst of flavor that could not be explained below the 10% that this actually musters.

Spendid beer; a worthy big brother to my all-time favorite Two Hearted. 9/4/8/4/17=4.2

Second visit, April ’09. Nowhere near as impressed this time. It’s alright, but basically a big sticky IIPA. I’d much rather have a two-hearted. I’d go about 8/4/7/4/14=3.7 this time. I’ll average the ratings.

[To Celebrate my 1500th rating - thanks for providing me with this Papsoe!] Hazy orange with huge off white long lasting head. Sweet fruity aroma with notes of melon, grapefruit and hops. Sweet flavor with loads of hops and notes of melon, grapefruit and carame. Soft mouthfeel and a very bitter end. Lovely!

Bottle. Malt, grapefruit and red berries in the aroma. tart flavor with grapefruit and red berries, pushing the firm oily hop character into the background. Soft, tasty, well balanced, still with a firm bitterness, especially in the aftertaste. Nice!

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter...Nice orange color w/ a one finger white head that lingered around and provided some film. The nose was fruity and hoppy. It smelled somewhat like white grape juice mixed with some citrus juice. Flavor was a terrific mix of caramel, citrus, and subtle spice....a little sweet a little bitter.The palate was oily, w/ a slightly bitter dry finish that quickly faded. AWESOME DIPA!

poured an orangish amber with about a larger head, that stayed as a film. Aroma was fresh fresh hops, like from the freezer in my garage, quite floram and spicy. Flavor was good, spicy, citrussy, with malt and alcohol really holding up. Well balanced IPA, but the flavor just wasn’t quite there, I enjoyed two-hearted more. mouthfeel was full and oily. A good beer, but I didn’t love it.

Bottle thanks to Drnk McDermott. Pours a cloudy orange with a frothy white head. The aroma was just great; some fruity and ripe hops. The taste was initially not really bitter, instead it was a smooth and tasty malt with some sweet citrus. The finish is dominated by a lasting bitter hops, but not brutally bitter. Some honey also. Just pure goodness.

Well, let’s see what all the hype is about- 12 oz. bottle (Batch 8277) poured into tulip. Poured transparent dark copper orange, thin white ring around the glass for a head, aroma of citrus and floral hops. Hits the mouth with a defined medium body, hops are present throughout the tasting and even after swallow, finish is complete, slightly bitter, and has a slight honey note (go figure that one), alcohol is not noticeable at all. Color me unimpressed- it’s contemporaries (DFH 120, Avery’s Maharaja, Stone’s Ruination) are unique in their own ways, Hopslam seems a bit run of the mill for a double IPA. Major let down- you can purchase 2 6er’s of Two Hearted for nearly the same price as 1 6er of Hopslam back in Michigan when in season. Do that instead kids, and quit hyping things up.