Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

UPDATED: JAN 21, 2011 Hops and Honey lace this exquisitely drinkable beer. Extra points for such a smooth drinking 10% balance out the somewhat hefty pricetag. A seasonal brew that I will look forward to every year. 2011 batch was not quite as good. Lacking the honey, and the flavor is not as good as the nose.

UPDATED: APR 12, 2007 Great IIPA. Powerful hop aroma and flavor, but well balanced. Nice orange and gold color Aroma was of cascade hops, some pine; citrus and floral. Sticky palate. Flavor was sweet/malty and first, but hops shine through. Great balance; very drinkable, well for me atleast. Fruit and citrus also present. Alcohol was not too present.

This beer had such a massive amount of citrus hops it felt like one of those vitamin C tablets you let desolve in your mouth. Massive orange pithy taste with an acidic citrus finish. Some nice tropical fruit notes develop as well, hints of mango and grapefruit. I’m amazed you don’t taste any excess alcohol on this one, I didn’t realize the ABV was so high. I’m not sure they could have found a way to put enough malt sweetness in this one to counter the citric burn, this one will really stick to your palate, so don’t plan on drinking much afterwards.

A biting, bitter, tongue bruiser of an ale. With a name like Hopslam, what did you expect? I couldn’t put it any plainer! Terribly hoppy brew in aroma and taste, did you every chew on raw hops? Green grapefruit rinds soaked in whiskey. Did you say there was carbonation in there? Where? One sided fer sure. Soapy preservative finish. I will never get slammed again.

(beer tasting @ Monty’s Krown - Rochester, NY: 5L mini-keg) Hazy gold pour with a soapy white head. Big hop aroma with tons of different floral and citrus notes. Smells absolutely amazing. Flavor is hoppy and sweet and flowery and peppery all at the same time. Smooth and sweet hop and honey combination in the middle with a very nice bitter and hoppy finish and aftertaste. Outstanding.

UPDATED: JAN 27, 2008 2007 version - Pours lightly hazy orange / amber with a large soapy white-ish head. The aroma has a citrus / floral hop blast with a sturdy malt backbone. Meidum / full body with a small amount of soft carbonation. Starts with the floral / citrus from the aroma, but also add a tropical aspect and noticeable caramel malt behind it. The finish brings in more of a pine / sharp citrus / earthy hops blend that has more of a bite. The alcohol warmth is noticable on the finish, but not in a bad way. Well done IIPA. (8/4/8/3/17 -4.0) <P> 2008 version - The aroma is a bit sweeter this year and has some dank hops as well. The body is a little stickier. The taste has the honey showing through a bit more and the hop presence is a bit harsher. Overall, this is still an excellent example of the style. I may have to pick up a bit more than I have since it won’t be around long. (9/4/8/4/18 - 4.3)

bottle - Pours copper with a medium head. This beer has a wonderful aroma of grapefruit and hops. The flavor is, of course, intensely hoppy, but it has lots of malts to hold it up as well. The citrus comes through nicely and you’d probably never guess it was 9.5% abv. All of these praises said, whatever kind of hops that was used doesn’t seem to be my favorite. It was a little unpleasant in the finish, so I’d have to say that I’ve enjoyed some other IIPAs more. Still, this is a very good beer.

Thanks to exiled for sharing this bottle. Pours golden with a large white head. The aroma is fruity, with peaches, mango and oranges. The flavor is fruity as well, with the above fruits as well as grapefruit and some pine. A very complex flavor. Medium bitterness, medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.