Bells Hopslam

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Bottled October 2006, Sampled December 2006
Pours with a touch of yeast dustiness, but the beer is a lightly reddish hued, amber to copper color. It is topped by a frothy, almost two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma is certainly quite hoppy; it is a mix of citrus, pine and even a more dank hop note similar to onions or perhaps even garlic. The hop aromatics are certainly an interesting mix. The predominant character is that of audaciously vibrant sweet citrus and exotic fruit aromas; notes of apricots, lychee, pineapple, candied orange peel, concentrated ruby-red-grapefruit, and other tropical fruit notes make up the dominant notes. Behind the upfront hop fruit though is a touch of more raw hop character; hints of pine, menthol and that onion-like almost garlic character lurk in the back ground, just enough to add a hint of complexity. Where is the malt? I couldn’t tell you underneath all of the hops.

The taste is sweet with the fruity hop notes, in fact the sweet fruitiness just sticks around clinging to the palate even after the beer has left my mouth. The hop fruit notes are much the same as I noticed in the aroma, but here there is a touch of biting bitterness to add a touch of balance. You know it is a hop focused beer, when you need hop bitterness to balance other hop derived notes. The malt is buried here, playing only a supporting role, there is certainly enough malt to not allow the hops to be dominating and raw, but definitely not enough more my hop flagellated taste buds to notice. It has just enough mouthfeel / palate coating ability to help the dominant hop character along; I wouldn’t say that this was a beer you wanted to pound, but it is dangerously quaffable.

The hop character here is so smooth & even soft (despite being amped up and loud overall); the brewer definitely took a heavy handed approach with smooth fruity hops like Simcoe and Amarillo when brewing this beer. The flavor does not have much, if anything, noticeable of the onion / garlic note that I experienced in the aroma, though perhaps there is a touch of it in the finish. Really the finish is dominated by a smooth, lingering bitterness that perhaps takes on a touch of mentholated pine. I really am a sucker for these smoothly fruity, over the top, one dimensional hop bombs. This is quite bitter, though I don’t necessarily realize it most of the time. This is totally only comprises one dimension of the usual three that a beer can have (hop, malt and yeast), but it is so enjoyable in its expression of the hop.

From Feb. Pours an orangish gold with a nice white bubbly head. Smells like glorious hops with a little honey..taste with a grapefruity flavor and few other citrus notes with a touch of honey on the finish. An excellent beer, very enjoyable.

Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy amber, with a big creamy head. A fantastic tropical aroma, with good, nice notes of sweet citrus and peach. A full, thick body with average carbonation. Flavour has a nice hoppy bitterness with notes of orange peel, and has a long nice finish.

Bottled from Bierkoning, Amsterdam. Clear golden colored, tiny particles floating around, small white head. Very impressive hoppy nose, pine, grapefruit, absolutely fantastic. Strong hopbitter flavor, lots of fruity notes, more sweet towards the end, and finishing in a lasting bitter and quite alcoholic way. Although massive hops are used the brew still feels quite balanced. The alcohol could have been more suppressed, but it’s still dangerously drinkable for 10%. I’m generally not really in to DIPA’s, but it’s beers like this make me keep trying new examples every once and awhile. Good beer.

(From notes) On draft at Flanny’s, poured into a tulip. A honey golden color with a two-finger frothy head. Slight citrus aroma (almost like spoiled grapefruit). The taste starts off with a piney, alfalfa hop punch to the mouth and then the sweetness kicks in.  It finishes with a pleasant hop characteristic without being overly bitter. Perfectly balanced between the hops and sweetness. 

Well made beer. Golden color and extreme floral, pine and citrus hop aroma and taste that is mellowed by the honey sweetness. Pretty friggin’ awesome and easy to drink for being such high abv. little over hyped though.

A pretty much clear, golden body and white fine bubbly head. Rich hoppy aroma, but fairly delicate still. Pine and blossom. Big bitterness, unwieldy hops, foaming astringency. This beer speaks only one language and message received! Surprisingly drinkable though, if you?re not afraid of the American hop flower. Don?t get the honey, but I suppose there?s some balancing sweetness. Not to drink all day or night though. Alcohol is also clearly there. Nomnom. (33cl bottle)

Nice orange color with a thick white head. Very nice citrus aromas (grapefruit, mango) floral notes hit the nose too. Hint of malty sweetness. Nice body and an excellent bitterness to match the citrus flavors. Hell of a DIPA.

Hopslam is an amazing, one of a kind beer. There’s nothing out there that has such a great little unobtrusive sweetness to take the edge off so much hopiness. That said, I swear the batch from year end 2011 was a stinker. Was not up to par with past years, or with the March ’12 batch. I could be crazy but I’ve tested this 3 times now and come out the same way (yeah, I buy cases of hopslam when it’s out). The biggest shame with this beer is that it’s a winter seasonal. It’s actually most appropriate served incredibly cold (it’s thick , doesn’t freeze too easily) on a hot day. Just don’t plan anything requiring too much responsibility for the ensuing hours. I think you have to say it has a unique and strong buzz to it.

Holy hops, this beer is well balanced. No malty aftertaste, dry finish. Poured amber haze with decent head. Did not know the beer was an imperial @ 10 ABV until after "sampling" 4 fairly quick.

A - pours nice rich orange amber with high white head that dissipates quickly. S - aromas of mellow pine and citrus hops. Tropical fruit notes, honey, and a hint of apple. M - nice drier well balanced beer. More mellow earthy bitter than sweet or hoppy. T - pine and citrus hops up front. Quickly transitions to a smoother earthy bitter malt back bone. Strong tones of an earthy leaf, tobacco perhaps. Lingering dry bitter end with soapy notes. O - quite good ipa. Not to hoppy or malty. 8-