Bell's Hopslam Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

AmitC

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This is the first beer that i bought a case full of. As soon as i had first one, i was grossly underwhelmed. I was expecting a hop bomb, it certainly was not that. This is my fifth bottle since then.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 1/3/2013. A very slight haze. Color is amber orange or exactly the honey color. Has a good two to three fingers thick pour depending on how you are pouring. Off white color. A decent lacing. Head persistence is good but not anything exceptional. A slight unclarity, but still very fine appearance. Lack of bubbles and very calm.

Aroma has been varying depending on the bottle. Sometimes hops have been very upfront, some times malty, bready sweeter tasting aroma with a good mix of hops. Floral and citrus hops are dominating. A very good malt backbone, that gives it a good soothing smoothness. A little bit of herbal spiciness to the nose as well. No alcohol whatsoever.

Taste is a slightly sweet due to upfront honey and some dry fruits may be. A very solid and sweet looking malty, bready backbone. Hops do have a strong presence, giving it some oily feel. Herbal, Citrus and slightly earthy hops dominate. Bitterness is there in the aftertaste, but not worthy of a name like Hopslam. Not tongue biting or anything. An IIPA, that imo will be appreciated by those who do not like overly hoppy beers. A very well balanced finish that fails to give prominence to anything be it malts, hops, honey or alcohol. A nice blend of everything is what makes this beer great.

Mouth feel is on the medium side. A lot of oily and resiny feel that is very much appreciated. Low on carbonation is another good thing. Complete lack of any astringency. Alcohol is very well hidden for a 10% ABV. Smooth as hell and drinks very easy. This makes it a dngerous beer to have a plenty of. You consume a lot of alcohol without feeling anything. You realize only when your head is dizzy. Definitely will make the head spin, if you have two in a row.

The USP here is balance and smoothness, which you won't find in the best of IIPAs, that makes it a winner. Personally there are much better Imperials than this, but this one is one of the smoothest thing that i have had overall.

Style Rate: 4.25
Personal Rate: 4.25

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 19:21:01 | More by AmitC

ha-sheem

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-19-2013 20:55:23 | More by ha-sheem

ChrisYager39

Indiana

5/5  rDev +10.4%

06-19-2013 15:45:40 | More by ChrisYager39

t_carterb

Georgia

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-19-2013 15:44:54 | More by t_carterb

koveras225

Indiana

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-19-2013 05:17:26 | More by koveras225

SDStoneEnthusiast

California

3.75/5  rDev -17.2%

06-19-2013 05:14:02 | More by SDStoneEnthusiast

UncleBuccs

Arizona

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-19-2013 03:48:07 | More by UncleBuccs

Tyrus

California

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%

06-18-2013 23:08:18 | More by Tyrus

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -17.2%

06-18-2013 23:03:49 | More by taylor714914

sudsy2drunk

Indiana

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-18-2013 18:16:59 | More by sudsy2drunk

b2611

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

06-18-2013 14:29:26 | More by b2611

PJTool

Hawaii

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-18-2013 09:14:41 | More by PJTool

SawyerMI

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-18-2013 00:50:16 | More by SawyerMI

KyleMA

California

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-17-2013 23:50:24 | More by KyleMA

TargaFlorio

Indiana

5/5  rDev +10.4%

06-17-2013 23:40:05 | More by TargaFlorio

McAndrew

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

06-17-2013 23:33:43 | More by McAndrew

MgoJohnStamos

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-16-2013 19:50:59 | More by MgoJohnStamos

jkurosaki

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-15-2013 22:52:25 | More by jkurosaki

SarcasticAaron

Virginia

5/5  rDev +10.4%

06-15-2013 06:58:00 | More by SarcasticAaron

TheGoof

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-14-2013 14:53:44 | More by TheGoof

Canada_Dan

Illinois

4/5  rDev -11.7%

06-14-2013 01:32:40 | More by Canada_Dan

alemiester

New York

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-14-2013 00:10:41 | More by alemiester

beerinNV

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

06-13-2013 19:48:19 | More by beerinNV

JammyV

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

06-13-2013 03:18:05 | More by JammyV

MWolverines66

New York

4.86/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

After not having this beer for the past four years I was a little hesitant to dish out $20 for a six-pack, but I was pleasantly surprised. The aroma was just awesome! Floral with the sweet smell of honey and hops. The taste did a great job of masking the alcohol content.

I was never a big IPA fan but this beer completely changed that. Went out the next morning and purchased two additional six-packs. While I can't remember exactly how it compared to 4 years ago when I had it on tap at Michigan, I can say that this is most likely the best beer I have ever had out of a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 02:19:14 | More by MWolverines66