Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Pours a hazy golden amber with an average off white head. Aroma of very fresh hops, earthy, grapefruit, orange and hints of alcohol. Flavor of bitter grapefruit, pine, alchol and lemon.

Bottle: Straw colored, moderate white frothy head, loads of small bits about, spotty lacing.   Fairly cloudy otherwise.   Citrus and pine nose.   The citrus comes out on the tongue, but the malts seem not big enough.   This is more of a 1½ IPA.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Solid, well built, but just not what I expected for an Imperial IPA.   Wished it was a bit maltier to combat the "hopslam".   Otherwise still enjoyable.   ABV is well hidden tho, which is a plus.   Thanks again Ben for sharing this one with me.

Bottle from The Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam. Amber with a small, creamy head. Potent citrussy hop nose. Very bitter, grapefruit hop galore, hints of softening honey notes. A great IIPA, no doubt.

UPDATED: JAN 20, 2008 My top beer of 2007! Bottle from trade with kmweaver. Cloudy light orange-brown. Big fruity, juicy hop aroma with a hint of bubblegum. Flavour is perfect for everything it’s not. It’s not syrupy. It’s not a BW with lots of hops. The alcohol is very restrained. Just delicious fruity hop juice. Maybe it’s where my palate is but my tongue survived un-bruised.

Bottle. Courtesy of Alan at Coastal Wine. Amber body with a delicate white head. Nose is juicy, wet hops. Lots of pine and citrus notes. Soft caramel backbone and chewy malt notes. Taste is blissful! Lots of citrus notes, caramel, chewy, sweet malts. Juicy hops and pine round this out. Body is creamy and slick with some oiliness and mild carbonation. Finishes with more hops, pine, citrus and sweet malts. Very nice!

UPDATED: FEB 11, 2012 Rerate Had on tap for the first time - so much better - juicy fruit goodness even more delicious Original 4.3 Tallahassee, Fl. - Liquor Loft - 12 oz bottle - you gotta love a liquor store that sends you an e-mail when a new beer arrives! Medium copper pour, sticky, eggshell-white head with some sticky, clingy lacing. Fresh, bold, strong sprucey aroma, blasting at first with full resins. Mellows and warms after a while to a soft floral-like bouquet. Flavor presents so much more than a citrusy grapefruit bomb that is to be expected at 10%. The bitterness is there but balanced oh so well against a sweet caramelly, nutty back end with a touch of honey. Also detect some nectarines and white grapes. Thick, rich mouthfeel without being tongue-numbing. One of the most weel-balanced 10% abv beers I have ever consumed. Excellent Double IPA - Bells rings true again!

UPDATED: JAN 30, 2010 Batch 9470 about 1 month old. Pours a deep orange with a nice head that has thick oily bubbles resting atop. They hang around a while. Nose is predominantly of honey, grapefruit oils, pineapple, mango, and toasted caramel malt. Pretty complex for a hop bomb. The hops are still nice in the taste despite running jokes about this beer fading the instant it is bottled. I think the balance between the malt and hops are nice. Taste of sweet citrus, verg mild bitterness, honey and some citrus oils. The longer is sweetly delicious and oily. Overall a very good DIPA. No alcohol in this one is detectable at all.

Cloudy greenish yellow, decent sized white head. Very perfumy, flowery, piney hop aroma. Seriously, I mean I could wear this a cologne. Great aroma. Big thick palate. As expected, a huge hop profile, very fresh, very flowery. Mostly pine, woodsy, with a touch of grapefruit. Understated malt flavors give some contrast and keep it from being a total hop monster. Thanks to Silphium and Secret Santa, both of whom sent me this gem.