Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Served from a 12 ounce bottle into a Belgium fishbowl goblet. Golden amber in color, average head recedes quickly. Lots of bubbly effervescence. I get 100% hoppy citrus grapefruit in the aroma, like a big glass of freshly squeeze grapefruit juice. More citrus grapefruit in the taste, with some malty backing. Very long citrusy and pine finish lingers in the mouth. Well carbonated, medium bodied, nice dry finish. Goes down too smooth for a 10% beer. Little to no alcohol taste -- would go equally as well paired with a main course or on it’s own as a stand-alone beverage.

bottle, pours very beautiful golden orange with light haze, mellow offwhite creamy head, and lots of bubbles. Aroma is insanely hoppy. It’s like smelling the juices of a pile of hops... Tastes exceptionally floral hop’d and there’s a lot more grain malt sweetness than I expected. It’s not overpowering at all. It isn’t as bitter as I thought it would be, like many IPAs...but this is quite delicious and filling. A truely full bodied hop-heavy brew. Amazingly delicious.

UPDATED: FEB 28, 2008 thanks to mreusch for this treat. Unfortunately, I think I had mine well after it’s time which has been echoed in previous rates. So, disclaimer, this was not fresh. How do I know? Little or no hop presence, aroma, flavor, booze domination, and kind of a mess. Oh well, I will seek it out when this comes around again. rerate- draft- 02/18/08- wow! had this baby fresh on tap at coles, and the hop flavors were in your face and delicious. my initial rating was way off as I thought it would be given the beers reputation.

Pours a wonderful clear light orange color (with the exception of the massive amount of floaties). Aroma is out of this world. Fresh pineapple and other tropical fruits. Good frothy white head and decent lacing. Taste matches the aroma- just an assault of fruits and hop flavour. No astringent bitterness whatsover. Just amazing- trust Bell’s to accomplish that. Along with the hops is a sweet malt back bone that gives a rich mouthfeel. I would say that this is a balanced DIIPA despite the hops. Exceptionally drinkable which would be very dangerous. I would love to try this on tap one day. Alcohol is absolutely hidden. Finish is a bit spritzy from the caronation but finishes clean somewhat bitter. Best IIPA I’ve had the opportunity to sample.

Thanks to the bottle shop down the road who has an ample supply of this wonderful treat. I’ve been picking up a bottle or two whenever I stop in, this is such a delicious hop experience. Sparkling rich copper pour with a thin filmy head, nice lacing, and lively carbonation. Beautiful, bountiful aroma of aggressive American hops. Fresh grapefruit and lemon with pine, pine, and pine. The intense aroma is such an eye opener. Bitter on the palate with a puckering sourness, balance by a thick malty body. The flavor is a fresh explosion of the aroma. Amazing citrus fruits dominated by a strong grapefruit taste. Plenty of evergreen along with oranges and limes. Potent malt backbone, it really ties the hops together. Sharp and floral, this is great stuff.

As another reviewer said, this truly is "liquid buds"! Fantastic aroma, super hoppy without being bitter (how is this possible?). Probably the best beer I have ever tasted. Does it get any better than this?

Perfect pour, if I do say so myself. Beautiful pillowy head. If I could fit my noggin in the glass I’d probably lay down on it for a while. Amber color. Aroma = full power. Maybe one of the most pungent beers that I’ve encountered. Taste = a bitter, citrusy hop roundhouse to the palate. Absolutely delicious, although the alcohol is a bit more present than in the first three bottles from this sixer (bought a few weeks ago). Scratch that, just the first few sips. Fairly solid malt balance. An extreme brew for sure, but not too bad considering it’s 10%. If you drank a sixer of these you’d be hopblitearted. ADDENDUM: Raising the overall impression. Probably due to the high alcohol or simple palate habituation, the last third of the beer is absolutely amazing. The hop "slam" has worn off, now it’s smooth, malty goodness with a sweet hop finish. Amazing.

Hands down my favorite IPA. The nose is hops of hops and yet enticing. Truly Imperial style. Expensive but worth it.

07 bottle: Pours a bubbly orange-brown color with a small white head. Good lacing throughout. Scents of floral and piney hops with a lot of grapefruit and other citrus. Some mild malty notes as it sits come forward. Wonderful mouth feel with a strong, bitter hop bite from beginning to end. There is a nice sweetness that balances out the hops and tartness of the citrus. Very good IIPA. Can Bells do anything wrong?

Never had a beer that hit you so hard with both alcohol and flavor. Some seriously cosmic brew.