Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

This beer is awesome! High alcohol doesn’t have to taste like it. floral and easy.

Bell’s Hopslam has a huge, white head, but the color was paler than I had expected. The hop aromas hit me as soon as I opened the bottle. The aroma is chock full of the familiar hoppy flavors of grapefruit and pine. The flavor is very interesting. The hops are definitely there, and huge, but the addition to honey adds a sweet finish. It’s dry, the hops linger longer than the honey, and you won’t find better lacing. Bell’s Hopslam does have a ton of hops, but I wouldn’t say it’s as overpowering as I expected. Despite the 10% ABV, that isn’t overpowering, either. Considering how much is going on, it’s amazingly well balanced.

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2012 Had this beer again, yea i was a little worried that since ive had a 1000 beers since then I wouldve had something better. NOPE! FUCKING AMAZING! perfect aroma, I can’t give it a 5 just because i will never give anything a 5 ever, if I did give 5’s though, this is a 5. Perfect intense aroma,excellent malt balance to the hops and the finish is perfect. A slight welcoming bitterness.

2nd best hoppy beer i have drank after Pilsner Urquell. Tastes like eating hops. Best hoppy American beer I’ve had.

I’m no expert, but I drink a lot of IPAs and they are my favorite. I’ve never tried the Russian River IPAs though, which I understand are excellent. That said, Bell’s Hopslam is hands down the best beer I have ever had. I’ve had other IPAs that were similar in price, that were just "good" (in my opinion), so I was a little skeptical at the $17 per 6 pack price and thought "Ok, I’ll try it". Needless to say, my beer spending went up for a while as a result (I say a while, since Hopslam is seasonal). Hopslam is worth the price. If your local beer store sells by the bottle, and when Hopslam is available, I highly recommend trying it. Due to the high alcohol content and the great taste and smell, it’s the first beer I’ve really sipped, or drank more like a wine. Usually I drink it out of some glasses I have that are more like a brandy snifter. You don’t chug this beer, you actually savor it, if you ask me. The only other beer I’ve had that I actually raved about (although Ive only had it once) was Poppaskull, which I’m not sure is an IPA. Just throwing that out there for reference.

Appearance - This beer was a medium tan and fairly opaque. Not much head on the pour. At most you would get a finger of head with an aggressive pour. Not very viscous and no stickage to the sides of the glass as you swirled it. Smell - Heavy citrus notes. Grapefruit was most prevalent with orange and floral notes coming in a distant second. Quite a sweet smelling beer as well. Taste - Wow. I thought Quadrupels were my favorite beer. The bottle describes the taste as "bitter and biting"; thank God that wasn’t true. This could not have been more smooth and pleasant. Heavy grapefruit and orange notes with some retro-nasal breathing. Overall one of the best tastes I have had. Went down dry and leaving you ready for the next sip. Mouthfeel - Not heavy at all. Medium-bodied with some substance. Not much carbonation to speak of. This is so smooth you could chug it (but I wouldn’t because it needs to be savored). Overall - Very, very good beer. Love the citrus notes in the beer. A lot of care went into brewing this. Probably the top 2 of all of the beers I have had.

On tap at smokehouse bar and bottled. My favorite seasonal beer. Worth the price for a 6, stock up this will sell out fast. Aroma is sensational and floral, notes of grass, citrus, earthy leaves. Beautiful color complements a medium thick frothy head. First taste leaves you smacking your lips. High drinkability, alchohol is not overwhelming. Thicker and more satisfying than a Two Hearted but similar floral presence. Finishes clean with a lingering honey and bark aftertaste. A truly special beer. Tap supersedes bottle in this case.

12 oz. bottle from a snifter. Pours a beautifully crystal orangish-amber color with a nice, white head that leaves good lacing. Aroma absolutely oozes grapefruit. It has almost a citrus rind quality to it. Taste is amazing. Huge grapefruit citrus taste with a mild, but balanced malt backbone. A bit of sweetness in the aftertaste, probably the honey, balances the huge hops quite well. What a beer!