Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

bottle, batch 8913, honey colored pour with decent off white fading head, aromas of grapefruit and girl scout cookies, flavors of bitter resiny, sour grapefuit with a sweetly pineapple finish, well done

UPDATED: FEB 26, 2009 Lovely bright golden pour with long-lasting head and lacing. Aromatic bouquet includes a whack of honeydew and sundry fruity esters as well as rosemary and other aromatic herbs. Firm, gentle, silky body. Not a hop assault. Batch 8277. Smooth and delicious, no sharp edges, no tacky sweetness, not chewy, alcohol barely detectable. Inviting and deeply satisfying. Great beer, Thanks McBackus for the bottle.

UPDATED: FEB 18, 2010 In short: Solid crisp and sweet malt backbone assertive complex hop profile. When fresh this is the measuring stick of the style
How: Bottle 12oz, fresh, many times, always as fresh as possible
The look: Almost clear golden body topped by a medium white head with good retention
In long: Nose of grapefruit, citrus, pine-tree and caramel. Solid and crisp sweet malt backbone. Quite a bit of honey as well as some oily caramel. This thing has a ton of hops, it needs to with that malt profile. Perfect balance here and the malts are just as expressive as the hops. Interesting complex hops profile with flavours of citrus, grapefruit, pine-tree and more… Alcohol a little apparent but not distractive. A splendid IIPA from Kalamazoo, a city that is a lot more fun to pronounce than it is to visit.

[Batch 7806] Poured a lightly hazy, copper color with a medium sized, white head that left spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine, floral hops, melon, tangerine, caramel, light citrus, and honeydew. Taste of pine, toffee, resin, light dough, citrus fruits, mint leaf, and some cinnamon. Bracingly bitter, with moderate alcohol.

Clear golden color with a medium white head that evaporates very quickly and leaves amazing lacing. Wonderful aroma of fresh hop shoots and flowers, with a hint of black pepper. Flavor has a gradual crescendo of bitterness, but never goes over the top. Slight smoke in the finish. Good malt balance. Decent body. Great example of the style, very nice when it’s fresh on draught.

12oz. Bottle. Thanks to Mr Bendo: Aroma is all hops, citrus, grapefruit, and pine. Smells great. Poured orange in color with a great, big, slightly off-white, dense, rocky head that lasted. Great lacing. Tons of particles, big and small. Very cloudy. Sparkling. Flavor is very hoppy. Notes of grapefruit, pine, mint, and hops. Not sweet or sour. Surprisingly only medium to heavy bitterness. Huge hop presence hides the 9.5% ABV well. Medium body. Lively carbonation. Creamy texture. Long bitter finish. Very hoppy, but not as bitter as it could have been. Why call it Hopslam at only 70IBUs. This beer should be 140IBUs.

UPDATED: FEB 12, 2010 This brew is a hazy orange/amber color with a medium thick cream-colored head that dissipates slowly. Thick coating of lace on the entire glass. Huge grapefruity hops in the nose, along with a touch of sweet malt. Medium-bodied with a rich hoppy character that is full of zesty citrus and some pine, along with the nice sweet malt and honey that balances it all. The alcohol is well-hidden but you can tell it is there. Some sweet malt and fruit flavors are underneath as well. The finish is nicely bitter and lasting, retaining the citrusy hops feel. Not one of the "punch you in the face" IIPAs but a wonderfully balanced and delicious beer that I look forward to every year.

UPDATED: FEB 16, 2008 Draft at KClingers. Bright orange-yellow with a thin layer of white foam. Holy crap ... this is one of the biggest hop-fruit aromas I’ve ever experienced, almost orange-blossomy. Follows with the same flavors, big and oily, tart and tangy, like an orange soda on steroids. (#2649, 1/14/07) <<Rerated from a bottle, 2/16/08, ... same impressions! Wow!>>