Bells Hopslam

bottle batch 8277 courtesy of ucusty. pours a hazy red amber color with a small off white head. streaky lacing trails are left on the glass. candied citrus aroma... lots of sugary grains with orange/citrus, grassy and bubblegum hops, vanilla and a vegetal earthiness. the flavor is more like a fresh barleywine than dipa (old bottle perhaps?). much more grainy sweetness than hops... grassy, light citrus, floral (dominating but not bitter) and light ashy notes. i get honey on the finish after the second bottle (thanks sparky27) along with that same ashiness. nice slick mouth feel that leaves no sticky residue... i need this REALLY fresh from the taps...

Thanks to eaglefan538 for the opportunity to sample. Pour was orange, good head and lacing. This is full out grapefruit assault, all over the nose and tongue. Huge hop bill left your mouth crying for assistance, but in a wonderfully giddy way. Rich, full, nice malt balance. Good beer from Bells again!

Lots of piney, resiny hops in the nose but also a sweet malt note, as well as some fruitiness, peach or apricot aromas. Nice deep golden, crystal clear, small white head doesn’t last long but leaves nice lacing. Nice balance of bitter hops and honeyed, caramel maltiness. OK, maybe balance isn’t exactly the word, you would have to be a hophead to enjoy this, but anyway the malt is there if you look for it. Light carbonation, medium heavy texture, very bitter finish. True to its name, true to style, but the flavor is a bit one dimensional to me. Heavy on bitter, but not much complexity. There are a few other IIPA’s I prefer for their taste. Still, very good beer overall.

Great-looking beer, with its lofty, lasting head and its hazy orange color. Appeared to be bottle conditioned. Very inviting nose -- sweet-smelling malts and sprucy hops. Mouthfeel was full, smooth and weighty -- very nice! Carbonation was spot on, too. Malts were were sweet and sticky (caramel, Sugar Daddy candy and honey) but they were tamed by a big, snappy bitterness. Some earthy-yeasty elements. Hops were bold and multi-dimensional (pine, grapefruit, bitter orange, grass). As a hophead, I really enjoyed this one, and it sure does live up to its name! Thanks, John!

Orange color with syrupy citrus smell. Strong, sweet taste fades to bitter, with notes of cloves, honey, grapefruit, lemon, and grass throughout. Kind of astringent in the end. Alcohol warms the aftertaste.

Yet another superb Bells brew that I’ll always be happy to nab when I can get the chance. Typical amber pour...whitish head. Great big...huge...citric hop aroma...a nice citrus blossom sweetness is evident. Smooth flavor....hops with a solid presence that never balances this one out---and that’s a good thing! Great lingering bitterness in the end.....just a great DIPA!

12 oz. bottle - thanks andrew!! pours deep orange with slight haze; white head around the edges and scattered in the middle; minor lacing; aromas are of very sweet hops and almost like soap; texture is on the thin side and bitterness abounds; not much malt to balance things out and becomes a little sweet, but this is certainly a bitter bastard

I had this stuff last year and did not rate it. If i had it take a guess I would’ve rated it a 3.9. This years batch is so well balaced it’s got me into a hop frenze. Awesome what can I say!!!!!!!