Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

What a piece of art. Pours to a partially cloudy, mid-toned amber with a lasting, beige head. The nose is an intoxicating (no pun intended) medley of bright hops, spring flowers and a little citrus. Upon tasting, you’re hit with hops and honey. The bitterness sets in for just a second, then thick honey takes over putting the hops in the back seat. After a while of drinking, you can feel the back of your tongue giving a standing ovation to performance of this perfectly balanced beer. Amazing.

pours a nice yellow with lacy white head. honey sweetness upfront with nice citrus and grapefruit through out. no real change through the finish. great drinker and high alcohol

World’s best IPA? I’ll need another Dreadnaught before determining that one. Anyways, this one’s all intensely crisp citrus and grapefruit. Follows through with a pleasant, lingering sweetness. Oh so balanced all the way through. I am enjoying the hell out of these while they’re still nice and fresh. Phenomenal.

Just in Wednesday, January 14th, 2009. I have been waiting for this years’ offering because it is one of the best doubles that I have had. Now maybe it’s my imagination, but it seems to be slightly different from last year offering. After I had my first, I was so impressed that my hophead brother in law and I popped open a bottle of Dreadnaught just to compare. We truly thought it had more character in all the right places and was actually better than Dreadnaught, which up until now had been my favorite all time. This beer is so far above Yulesmith and at $18 a six pack is a great value. On a per/oz. basis, it is half the cost of Dreadnaught. This year it seems more balanced, slightly sweeter in a very subtle way. It’s 8 AM and I’m craving one now. If you’re a hophead, this is liquid gold.

Bottle. Pours orange with a thick head. Smells of citrus fruits and major amounts of hops. The taste is a hop masterpiece that is dry and enjoyable. This one is about/ as smooth as 10% can be. The best DIPA I’ve had.

UPDATED: FEB 26, 2010 12oz bottle. Tropical fruit hop aroma and taste, shadowing pleasingly most of the malty sweetness (with soapy notes in the aroma). Aggressive hopping that is also resinous and citrusy. Long dry aftertaste and a bit tongue-tingling. It also won a small DIPA blindtest (against 90 minutes and Hop Stoopid); my friend and I agreed on that. Very mango-and-grapefruit hoppiness and very crisp. It could be the beer I love the most, I don’t know, I’ll have to check that out...

UPDATED: JAN 12, 2010 Bottled only 20 days ago!!!Pours a crystal clear golden amber with a slightly orange tinge, and a large sudsy white head that lasts forever. Less lacing than I would have expected. The aroma is very earthy, almost musty hops, with some grapefruit, definitely Simcoe esque. There is also a distinct warm sweetness from the honey. The flavor is wonderful. A rush of sugary sweet malt quickly fades away into Simcoe citrus and Alphas galore. Slight pine also noted. The mouthfeel seems light, with a frothy palate, and mellow but abundant carbonation. This is amazingly well balanced, unique, and has little to no detectable alcohol. One of the best IIPA’s on the planet imo, not because of an extreme amount of hops, but because of balance, complementary flavors, and mind blowing drinkability.

From bottle at the Capital Ale House in Richmond, VA. Beer buyer broke it our from her special "vault". Pours a hazy orange-yellow color with strong, positive floral and citrus aromas. Specifying different aromas is not my strong suit, so I’ll just leave it at pleasantly hoppy. Fantastic flavor with the perfect bitterness that completely covers the high alcohol content. This is my favorite brew and January can’t get here soon enough. Already planning a trip back to Bell’s in Kalamazoo!