Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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UPDATED: FEB 5, 2009 Absolutely amazing. Nice floral hop aroma, with a great smooth taste and hoppy finish (as you’d expect). 10% ABV, and it really kicks you after a couple, but the beer does not have an alcoholy taste. I much prefer this to anything out there (including other Bell’s offerings). My favorite beer, hands down.

bottle, this beer smells like heaven. It is amazing smelling it smells like hoppy honey. Very good. The taste is honey with some hops, not as overpoweringly hoppy as I had expected. It works incredibly well. I would buy this again in a heartbeat

Since we can’t get this in MD a friend was kind enough to share a bottle he aquired. Poured into 4oz tasting glasses. A - lighter in color than expected. looked blonde to me and clear. white head with good lacing for the small glass i was drinking it from S - Simcoe hops, citrus and honey. sweet but not from the alcohol T - slightly sweet with a tingle of hops all along the tongue. really good. All hops but still nicely balanced. A hint of a bitter finish. M - medium +, carb was perfect D - nicely balanced for a beer with such a high ABV. You never taste the alcohol. really good. enough to send me into DC in search of it

This is a big American DIPA that does a fair job of hiding its 10% ABV. I much prefer this more balanced hophead’s delight over the more malty and higher IBU Avery Maharaja.

If you don’t like full flavor and aroma caused by huge hop additions, keep moving. This stuff pulls absolutely no punches! It is exactly what the name implies, but still remains very drinkable and smooth. Next to Two Hearted Ale, probably my favorite Bells product.

Source: 12 oz bottle from local retailer. Aroma: Has a rather lovely and potent smell of hops to it. Just based on the first smell I imagine this brew being quite bitter. If there are other smells in here, they aren’t particularly prominent to my nose…it’s mostly the hops. Appearance: A light golden color with a little bit of carbonation, accompanied by half a finger’s width of light white head. The beer itself is very clear. Taste: Quite a bit like it smelled like it would taste. The hop flavor is very intense. I was surprised that it was not quite as bitter as I expected it to be. I feel like I taste some lightly bitter citrus fruit on the aftertaste. Very enjoyable taste, overall. Palate: It has a light body to it, very crisp. Easy to drink quickly. The hops flavor has a bit of staying power. It’s the only thing you’ll be tasting in between sips. Overall: An exemplary brew. I did not used to be a fan of the style, in general. I now realize this was because I was drinking poor examples of the style. The price I paid for the 6-pack was well worth the cost.

Awesome beer. Great hoppy character, and the use of honey keeps this from being too bitter. Color, aroma, and flavor are all outstanding. The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 is that Bells is stingy, and doesn’t brew much.

Great beer! Served on tap in a snifter at bells. Light lacy head. Very aromatic. Hints of granny smith apples and grapefruit. Slightly bitter finish, but overall very smooth and easy to drink. Hopslam rules!

The only thing I dislike about this beer is its price tag. From start to finish, it is a big, bold, gooey concoction of hops, honey, and goodness. It is one of the seasonal beers I look forward to each and every year.

Bright in color and on taste. Very full citrus, grapefruit, flavor that provides a cleansing affect on the palate.