Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

UPDATED: JAN 22, 2011 Bottle thanks to MrChopin. Batch 8277. Hazy dark orange pour with a finger of white foam. Butterscotch and caramel malt aromas with hints of citrus and honey, big grapefruit citrus hop aroma. Taste is sweet, honey, crystal malt and a nice bitter finish of citrus and grapefruit hops. This bottle is a year old and a bit maltier than I expect new stuff is but still fantastic. Re-rate from a fresh 2011 mini-keg. The color is a lighter shade than I remember, more of an orange-yellow with a nice whitish foam. The aroma is heavily dominated by citrusy hops and some florals that might come from the honey. The malt is subdued here in the fresh version, enough to support but not enough to describe anything except a light malt character. The taste is very nice, more floral, citrus, and lightly spicy hops make the substantial bitter finish very pleasant, again the malt is enough to support but not stand out. A very good beer, pricy, but good. Original rating 7:4:7:4:16

This is just a wonderful drinking experience. Nice looking golden orange color. Aroma is not big and offers floral and citrus. Perfectly balanced with plenty of sweetness to even out the tart hops. Caramel, grass, floral, citrus flavors. So nice in the mouth, too. Well done Bells!

I have tried this a few times, but this bottle thanks to wnoble. Clear light amber pour, small off-white head. Citrus, tropical fruit, light biscuit, bitter hops, and honey sweetness but still quite dry for being brewed with honey. Very good IIPA, but it’s very hard to beat fresh San Diego IPAs.

(Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. on 2009-04-12) Amber and lightly hazy. Small white head. Lots of hops, grapefruit and grass in very strong aroma. Full bodied and dry palate with medium carbonation. Hops, grass, malts, grapefruit, fruitiness, light sweetness, bitterness and more hops in taste. Lot of hops, some bitterness and malts in aftertaste.

UPDATED: FEB 1, 2011 4/18/8 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... 2/1/11...grapefruit,pine and wood dominate this fresh bottle. On tap, this is amplified. Draft carbonation makes it so easy to put away. 8/4/8/4/18

12 oz. bottle courtesy of a trade with Sephiroth. Pours a cloudy orange gold with a thin white head that faded to a white film after two sips and left a very thin coating of lace after each sip. Very pleasant floral aroma with some notes of citrus as well. I was very happy not to get hit with the usual grapefruit and pine aromas of some uber-hopped beers. The flavor was well balanced between sweet caramel malt and bitter citrusy hops. Sharply bitter, but thankfully not acrid. The alcohol was very well hidden. Well done.

UPDATED: FEB 17, 2010 re-rate 17Feb2010 This bottle poured a clear golden color and I’m really impressed on how the honey balances the hops. rating moved fm 3.8 to 4.1 -------& to tever for this beer. It pours an opaque honey color. And, to the shock of no one, the flavor and aroma are.... Hoppy. but there is some balance to this beer, it’s not just a hop assault.

UPDATED: JAN 25, 2009 Gonna go ahead and rerate this. Fresh as shit batch 8912. Pours a clean translucent honey colored brew with a two finger creamy offwhite head. The pour alone looks like this beer is a simple malt canvas on which a gorgeous work of hop is painted. The nose is punching me in the face, resinous, grapefruit, all kinds of fruit and citrus, mildly piney and spicy, almost sweet. The flavor is dominated by hops, resinous, citrusy, pink grapefruit meat, fruity, very subdued hop bitterness, all hop flavor. Palate is full and coating with a soft bitterness. Simply fantastic.