Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

UPDATED: JAN 29, 2008 I have been seeking this for awhile, and Shigadeyo grabbed me a six pack. Thanks Craig! Pours hazy amber with a white head. Sweet grapefruity hop aroma with a tad amount of alcohol in the background. Initial flavor of pale malts, lemon, apricot, and grapefruit that transitions to some mild grassy and pepper hop bite. Nice amount of sweetness. Juicy and semi dry finish with a pleasant lingering bitterness. Alcohol slighlty detectable. Nice beer. In fact, I just brought home a 12 pack from my travels to keep in the fridge.
Batch 8278. This years batch does not disappoint. It seems a tad drier on the finish, but otherwise still has this addictive quality to it. It is also very easy to drink. This is very unique in the world of IIPA’s. I am going to up the rating, because the more I drink this, the more I like it.

Bottle. Aggressive pour yields a medium white frothy head that disappears quickly leaving some lacing and a golden honey colored liquid. The arome backs up the advertising. The flavor does as well. The only thing keeping me from rating this higher is perhaps the need for a little more malt. This is an excellent brew nonetheless and I will be grabbing a six tomorrow.

Orange color with a minimal soapy head. Aroma is oranges, pine, candi yams, and perfume. The flavor is rather bitter with some caramel, pine, oranges, brown sugar. Overall this is a good beer.

Thanks Santa. Cloudy orange, thin white head. Nose is huge grapefruit & resin, some light tropical notes, a bit of light toasted malt. Flavor is bitter but not overly so. Veryu piney, grapefruit rind, fruits, some light maltiness. Strongly bitter finish is the only place that the alcohol reveals itself. Absolutely stunning creamy body. How do I make a homebrew with this mouthfeel?

Whewww! Got one of the last six packs, thanks Solan. Was going to wait to have one, but I think I will put off work and test drive this beast. Pours out a nice deep amber with a frothy white head. Aroma is very strong citrus, grapefruit, floral, honey,and pine. An amazing explosion of taste upon the first sip. The hops are incredibly dominant (duh!) and has an almost grapefruit dry/bitter taste. My wife almost spit it out and said it tasted just like grapefruit juice (well i like grapefruit juice!). After a few sips you start to get hint of malt and honey, but it is a struggle for them to be noticed. Be careful of the subtle 10% alcohol, it is well hidden. Finishes pretty nice, with only a mild bitterness left on the tongue, which you would expect. Overall, an intense experience of slamming hops for people who like to abuse themselves in such a manner. I might like to see a touch more of the honey or malt poke through, but otherwise, wonderful.

UPDATED: JAN 14, 2011 Pours orange with a smell head, some lacing. Smells similar to two-hearted ale, very hoppy. Floral hops, citrus hops, pine hops. Its all about hops. Flavor is amazing. Very hoppy and bitter, but it is well-balanced with caramel malt. Mouthfeel is big and malty. Overall, this sets the standard for the style. An unbelievable brew. Re-rate: fresh, its even better.

Unfiltered peach in color. Thin but fully sustained pure-white foam. Hefty hop aromas of cantaloupe, tangerine, mango, and pinesap. Sharp hints of green onion. Delicate honeyed malt sweetness. Vivacious bottle-conditioned carbonation expands on the palate. Body is dense and oily from the get-go, with not a whole lot of brightness to go along with it. Quickly becomes astringently syrupy and borderline cloying, due to the concentration of resinous hops. Sweetness wanes slowly as there’s just enough acidity to lift some of the sappy weight. Crisp, crackery malts generate some cleanliness by imparting a dusty dryness along with fluffy touches of fresh biscuits, as do fresh mangoes and some shimmering citrus qualities, but an unpleasant sweetness and sogginess persists. Finishes remarkably balanced, with plenty of succulent hop flavors gently caressing then deflecting the spicy and grassy hops. Soggy/overripe tangerine notes increase at higher temperatures, but the mango remains relentless and salvages some of the essential brightness. Overall, the aroma could use a bit more cleanliness and more hoppy brightness. The flavor is also on the sweet side, which causes the hops to come across as being slightly muddled. And with the exception of some chewy yeast and slightly tacky textures, the level of attenuation is so close to perfection...just not quite there. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but very close. A few very-minor adjustments would make this a real standout. A solid effort from a great brewery.

UPDATED: MAY 6, 2009 draft @ redlight redlight. Very strong piney and citrus aromas, aroma is dominated by sweet resin. Pours golden amber with a dense white head, looks great. Sweet citrus and pine resins, bitter hop flavor, definitely balanced for the amount of hop flavors, its not extremely bitter but excellent hop flavors. re-rate cask @ redlight redlight. Wow sticky pine resin on the nose with citrus peel. Pours cloudy golden blonde with a thick white head. Sweet honey malts with huge grapefruit flavor with piney resin, the aftertaste is all pine resin. On cask the mouthfeel is very smooth, there’s extremely low carbonation.