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

IPA4LIFE

United Kingdom (England)

4.43/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Found the last bottle of this they had for sale at AJ's on the north side of Tucson. Poured into a tulip glass.

A- Clear golden golden slightly orange color with about one finger of off-white head. Head retains a small amount of foam on the edges of the surface of the beer. Lacing is very minimal.

S- Really sweet aromas to start off with. Notes of raw honey and sugar, followed by light hints of tropical fruit and some alcohol. Not as hoppy as I expected, but still not bad by any stretch of the word. Impressive, but not the greatest aroma I have ever seen, to be honest.

T-Ok, this makes up for the slightly-less-than-amazing aroma. The taste is awesome. Rich malt character up front, characterized by some sweet caramel and honey notes. A nice touch of alcohol on the mid palate, followed by a very very nice hop profile. Hops contribute some tropical fruit and spice, along with grapefruit and orange peel. The hops flavors smooth into a really nice, rich bitterness, which competes with a slight hint of alcohol for your attention throughout the end of the taste.

M- Really smooth and silky. Relatively low carbonation is great for the style.

O- This is a good beer. It is an excellent beer in-fact. However, I'm not sure that it is a 99 out of 100. I really love the complexity of the flavor profile, but the aromas were just a touch muted in my opinion. Still awesome, and I encourage anyone who has the chance to try one to do it. Awesome beer, but as is usually the case with these things, the hype just slightly overpowers the real thing.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 14:08:34 | More by IPA4LIFE

JakeEsterly

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

06-20-2013 02:19:29 | More by JakeEsterly

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