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

brewskifan55

Mississippi

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter

A: Amber with no head or bubbles. Light lacing.

S: The hops grab you by the olfactory and never let up. Grapefruit, grassy with a touch of honey.

T: Follows nose witha bit of pepper on the finish. This one's a hophead's paradise.

M: Light to medium. Dry finish.

O: If I were a hophead, I would buy this by the case. An outstanding representation of an Imperial IPA. The honey really smooths the bitterness out. You got hop-slammed, sucka!

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 19:18:48 | More by brewskifan55

yuenglingfan101

Indiana

4.95/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Another great brew from Bells. Poured into a pint glass. Golden to dark golden color. The aroma of hops filled my nostrils. The toaste of hops and fruit filled my mouth with great delight. The taste and aftertaste were completely smooth to me. Another great brew with great fan fare. Worth trying. This beer is so popular that we have customers ask for it by the case

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 17:39:44 | More by yuenglingfan101

AndyP612

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Hybrid on tap from notes and bottle split btw 2 low balls collaboration review with Carol.

A- Golden cloudy with low carbonation.

S- Hops forward with apple, pear and citrus overtones. Sweet.

T- Very sweet, hops follow nose but not as much hop bite as is expected from the nose. Almost too sweet and not bitter enough to be a pale.

M- medium heavy bodied, almost syrupy, yet very sweet. Thick.

O- Very much so too sweet for my palate as I like my IPA's well balanced and drier. My tap review came from a shit hole that still had hopslam on tap 3 weeks after it hit the market in Minnesota (Casper's in Eagan, MN) gottah love it. It comes across as a little too syrupy from the bottle and lingers too long which can be good or bad. All in all a great ale but Surly Abrasive wins. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2013 02:00:43 | More by AndyP612

emmasrue1

Michigan

4.71/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Very strong beer and not one that you can drink every day (if you want to be productive). It has a nice look to it in a pilsner and the aroma is rather fruity to me. I do really appreciate the strong taste. The beer lets you know you are drinking a good hearty ale. I do enjoy Hopslam just can't drink it that often nor have too many in one setting.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 17:27:42 | More by emmasrue1

UnderPressure

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottled: 01/16/13. Drank 04/14/13

Golden orange colored beer. Nice white head. So-so retention, great lacing.

Aroma is nice, but not as hoppy as I imagine a fresher bottle would be. More to the malty side. Sweet, kinda hoppy aroma.

Same with the flavor. The beer is plenty bitter, but not as much hoppy flavor as I'm assuming a fresher bottle would have.

Medium bodied. Carbonation feels harsh when coupled with the bitterness. Dry, everlasting finish.

After looking for a while, I finally found a liquor store with a few bottles of this beer left in stock, so I bought one. This bottle is nearly three months old, I'm sure the hoppy flavor and aroma I was looking for was much more prominent two months ago. There's always next year.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 17:35:52 | More by UnderPressure

WiscoBrewsco

Wisconsin

4.99/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass

Appearance - Golden in color, medium thick head that doesn't linger, highly carbonated

Smell - Massive citrus hops, all types of hop smells really but citrus and floral dominate. A touch a sweet sugar smell as well from the honey

Taste - Wow! This beer is a force to be reckoned with. The massive hop flavor just wrecks the palate and dominates the whole mouth filling it with pineapple and grapefruit flavors. Then it is as if the beer reaches in and grabs your tongue and paints it with a layer of honey. The hops then wash down the back of your throat leaving a bitter finish but then the citrus works its way back up into your mouth and just sits waiting for you to take the next sip and start the ride all over again

Mouthfeel - The hop presence and carbonation and honey make this a very mouth coating DIPA. It almost sticks in your mouth and on your tongue anywhere it touches. Thick and rich are understatements.

Overall - This is without a doubt the best DIPA or IPA I have ever had. Even better than Pliny and Double Jack. It may not have the hop bill of Pliny or the intricacies of Double Jack, but the overall balance and experience makes it superior to them both and the use of honey in this beer is simply masterful. I could drink this beer every day and still not have enough. I don't know exactly what was in the Ambrosia that the Greek Gods were drinking, but I imagine it was something like this. Nectar of the Gods, indeed I have been Hopslammed

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 17:32:48 | More by WiscoBrewsco

Ultra-Plinian

Connecticut

4.74/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A very special thank you to GAELIC for trading me the Hopslam. He also so sent me some other North Carolina Beers that I am looking forward to trying.

Poured from the 12 oz bottle into my NEBCO Gandhi Bot snifter.

A: Golden orange hue with about 2 fingers of worth of an almost white cap that subsides quickly with nice lacing.

S: Wonderfully inviting. Smellls of pine and citrus, begging me to take the first sip.

T / M : Biting and bitter, just like the bottle says. But in a good way. It is slightly sweet. Bitter and almost tannic and the bite and flavors stay on your palate for a long time. No clue that it is 10% abv.

O: One of the best DIPA out here IMHO. I guess I will be trading for more of this in the future as it is EXCELLENT. Or I could just go visit my friends in Pennsylvania a little more often.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 19:06:04 | More by Ultra-Plinian

Abbbp

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

So for whom the AbBBp is named for is who must be thanked prior to writing this post. Not only did he send us the sixer, but I also had the pleasure of sharing it with another AbBBp member, ole Ne.

Actually enjoyed this one properly, I think, in a tulip. In all regards this Kalamazoo product comes through.

Tasted fresh even though it was brewed about 2 months prior, but it didn't linger with a negative after taste. What was most enjoyable was in fact was the mouthfeel, very well carbonated almost like if they took a pine cone and turned it into a soda, that refreshing.

Took the General out for a walk, came back to bliss. The taste was fantastic, would love to get some more. The smell was oblivion, and overall it was anything box. Get if it you can, better yet send me some

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 03:17:53 | More by Abbbp

roundthewaygirls

Virginia

4.56/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured into a chimay chalice

A: gold color, clear, half a finger of head which dispersed almost immediately.

S: piney hops, fresh citrus fruit, grapefruit, with a hint of ethanol when swirled around in the glass.

T: extraordinarily hoppy, complex hop profile, a blend of many. citrus fruits, mango. syrupy sweetness of honey.

M: a little thinner than expected, moderate carbonation, clean with bitter finish, not particularly boozy.

O: excellent DIPA, one of the most complex hop profiles i've ever come across. while the honey is present, the mouthfeel was a litle thin. not perfectly balanced. definitely drink this one for the hops, definitive of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 00:23:02 | More by roundthewaygirls

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.09/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

with all the hype around this I wanted it to floor me just like heady did, and just like the younger did, but it didn't. I mean, its a great beer don't get me wrong, but it didn't stand out to me as something worthy of the absurd praise its received. the pour is a nice hazy honey color with a creamy white head with fine retention, beautiful. the nose is oily hops, high alpha semisweet fruity hops, with some pollen character from the honey and a subtle but complimentary yeast strain. the flavor is boldly hoppy, both bitter as hell and oily sticky danky. its a beer with plenty of motion, moving from a fruity sort of vibe to a really gnarly bitter bomb. the sweetness of the honey is hard to pick out, and the alcohol is shockingly well hidden. you would never know this was 10% abv until you drank 3 or 4 of them and it walloped you! great mouthfeel with groovy carbonation and a fuller medium body. there is a great resinous feel left after the swallow. overall an outstanding imperial ipa, one of the better ones ive had honestly, but it just didn't blow my mind the way it has for others.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 18:03:37 | More by StonedTrippin

metter98

New York

4.46/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

A: The beer is hazy pale yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that only died down a little, consistently leaving a thin head covering the surface.
S: Moderately strong aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose - grapefruit seems to stand out in particular - along with some hints of honey.
T: Like the smell, the taste is citrusy with flavors of orange and has some hints of honey. There is a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a little more than medium-bodied and somewhat crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some bits of warming from the alcohol in the finish.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink considering its strength because the alcohol is well masked from the taste. There's enough bitterness to prevent this from becoming sweet, especially since it has honey in it.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 16:52:36 | More by metter98

patre_tim

China

4.64/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Honey with a slight amber tinge. I see suspended fine white particles, and a couple larger dark ones. 1 finger slight yellow head, nice lacing. Medium low carbonation evident

S: Tropical fruit, honey, pineapple, spicy heat, sweet tropical fruit punch, a slight bad breath stink. Pine.

T: Perfection. Now I see why this is so highly rated. Textbook. Smooth and balanced for this style. I get the tropical fruit and honey with a light sweetness that is perfectly, smoothly evident without negative qualities. Fresh. The bitterness waits until the end to show itself, then says a nice long goodbye, and ends the story without lingering. I get the tropical fruit and pine and pineapple, honey, and no bad breath. It is perfectly balanced.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation.

O: Perfect. Having this on the same night as Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock. The the oldest bock style reputed by Luther as the best in the world, and one of the the newest styles, amongst the best in the modern world. Leaving NA soon for China, so glad to have found two such great beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 04:02:03 | More by patre_tim

vinny21bal

Illinois

4.74/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Hopslam lives up to the hype. i have had the last three years and they are always good. One thing I noticed this year compared to others however is the fact that it is 10 times better on tap. You pull a lot of the honey on tap, but hardly get any of the honey out of the bottle. I have also tried old Hopslam and this is not a good beer after age. Best when fresh

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2013 19:06:30 | More by vinny21bal

phuntasy

New Hampshire

4.66/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I love this American Double/Imperial IPA, or whatever you categorize this as. Its awesome just the same.

Citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon. Sweet honey and floral flavors.

Wish I could have you all the time. Especially for Spring and Summer... and Fall and Winter...

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 23:09:26 | More by phuntasy

apasternak

Ohio

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A famous beer on the line of Great Lakes Christmas ale. Only coming around once a year, this is the only beer where I really enjoy the hops. My favorite of all the Bell's beers and I really like Bell's. Good flavor, good color. The only drawback of this beer is the price. Last time I saw it at the store, it was 17 dollars a 6 pack

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 16:44:24 | More by apasternak

dougfur

New York

3.98/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a nice orange/straw color, with pretty small head. Smells like mild citrusy hops, with a certain tang to it. Smell is not as strong as I would have expected, but good. The taste is much like the smell, but less delicious hops and more booze and bitterness. Mouthfeel is perfectly good, but overall, I was surprised by this beer. I'm surprised it's got the high rating that it does, as while it's good, I'd put it below almost every other DIPA on the list. I'll have to try again in case I got a bad/old bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 10:55:41 | More by dougfur

57md

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The appearance is a shade between golden and copper with a thin layer of head that quickly dissipates but leaves some lace behind. There are hops and a floral essence in the nose, but it is not terribly impressive. Flavor-wise, there is the presence of malt, citrus fruits and, of course, hops. Without a doubt, the hoppiness is not on par with the finest DIPAs out there, but this offering certainly gets more hoppy as one moves down the glass.

Perhaps my expectations were pumped up by the 100 BA rating, but this one definitely does not live up to its billing. Good, but I could quickly rattle-off at least 10 DIPAs that are superior.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2013 06:39:00 | More by 57md

WallingBrew

Virginia

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I waited 40 days (lent) to drink this and holy Jesus this is amazing!
Do not hesitate to pick this up. The honey really balances out the subtle complexities to this exquisitely crafted IPA.

Sorry for not supplying a full review...I am really enjoying this and you should too!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 00:37:16 | More by WallingBrew

dtivp

West Virginia

4.36/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a bright golden orange with a one and a half finger creamy white head with good retention and moderate lacing.

Aroma of citrus and sweet tropical fruits with a nice balance of hops.

Taste follows the nose starting with a nice mix of grapefruit and pineapple ending with a nice balance of floral and herbal hops.

Mouth Feel was medium leaning light body, nice light carbonation,slightly bitter and sweet, smooth with a little prickliness. The alcohol was very well hidden at 10% ABV.

Overall a very nice refreshing Imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 16:24:26 | More by dtivp

dertyd

California

4.08/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle to a sampler glass 6oz

A:Poured a light golden color with small amount of head with a nice lace that clings to the edeges as yo finish the brew

S:smell of light honey,citrus,grape fruit,with a lot of pine in there nice bitter smell comeing through

T:hops hops hops hops theese hops just cling to your tongue and take it on a magical ride.a little honey sweetness at first not as sweet as I was hopeing for but then the hops come through and slam you hard in a verry good way

M:wet verry oily the hops don't leave your mouth for a wile they just hang around with a bitter dry finish

O:if you love hops this beer is for you it is a realy great diipa I was expecting a lot more honey sweetness but there wasent much there it was a damn good beer tho and I hope I can get a hold of some more and some other bels brews they seem like a very good brewery

Live life drink beer!!!:-)

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 07:36:46 | More by dertyd

Tony210

New Jersey

4.8/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

S - overwhelming scent of roasted pineapple.
T - sweetened pineapple, honey, pine resin. Orange peel and a touch of mango linger on the finish.
M - coats the tounge with sweet honey. Not as bitter as I would expect.
O - if you like dipa's, I would put this on your list of "must try" beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 03:14:04 | More by Tony210

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.96/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle (bottled 1/15/13) into a snifter, beautiful orange amber with a white foamy head that lingers leaving good lacing, slight haze

S: grapefruit, tangarine, citrus, weed, musty hop smells, pine resin, floral

T: palate destruction of hop bitterness, grapefruit peel, pine resin, lemon zest, honey, malt sweetness come through in the middle, finish is dry hoppy resin

M: full and oily, good carbonation, alcohol completely hidden, aftertaste lingers

O: My favorite description of this beer was "like your cat ate your bag of weed and then pissed on your christmas tree." That pretty much sums it up. This doesn't have the tropical fruit qualities of Pliny or Heady; it is a direct jack hammer assault on your taste buds. That being said, it is absolutely excellent. Thanks Jeff for hooking this one up!

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 02:26:04 | More by M_C_Hampton

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a large wine glass. Bottled Jan 9/2013. Served out of the fridge. Acquired in a trade from FrostyWG.

A: Clear, amber orange, trace of micro bubbles, thin, white frothy head that dies pretty quickly to a small bit of lacing. (is more hazy if you drain the bottle)

S: This is my first go at Hopslam, but I'd say the nose is already starting to fade on this, similar to other reviews. That said, sweet florals, lighter tropical aromas that aren't super sweet/acidic, and a light, sweet honey smell.

T: Out of the fridge, less floral and sweet, with a little more citrus and mellow tropical fruits, finishing slightly piney/grapefruit in the aftertaste. As it warms the malts and honey sweetness is more forward and pronounced, and it does get a bit more bitter.

M: Light-Med carbonation, medium body, very balanced, no real presence of alcohol except for a slight warming in the aftertaste, pretty neutral MF, a little sticky but that is about it. Very drinkable.

O: If I had to sum this up I would say it is like the younger sibling to Heady. Perhaps people don't like comparisons, but, I would say their hop profiles are similar, with Hopslam being perhaps a bit more tropical and sweet, with slightly less hop feel at the end. Both are extremely balanced and smooth which to me is what really separates these top notch DIPA's. That being said, Hopslam is a very good beer, though not the Hopslam I was expecting. i really like the floral/sweet honey undertones to compliment the hops, a nice touch, otherwise what you get is probably one of the more easy drinking DIPA's out there. Not sure it is worth the hype as it wouldn't be at the top of my Hop list, but it certainly is worth trying and one day it'd be nice to try a more fresh batch.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 01:14:13 | More by 4ster

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to my sales rep Chris for this. Smells fantastic, anticipating a glass from my server.

Beautiful semi hazed orange glow with a half finger of off white head. Tropical fruit on the nose with a honey caramel sweetness. Like caramalized pineapples.

Thick rolling body, smooth mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. Bright tropical fruit hop flavor on the tip of the tongue followed by resinous bitterness. Sweet caramel and honey beneath it all. Faintly sour citric acid like taste on the back of the tongue. Sweetness balanced by bitterness very nicely. A little more detectable alcohol than expected but overall a very good beer. Honestly like cooked tropical fruits, and citric acid covered in a sweet glaze followed by bitter rind.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 22:01:44 | More by jtierney89

macher0

Kentucky

4.6/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a pint. Several months old, not fresh.

A: Copper tan color. Slightly translucent. Poured to less than one finger that quickly retreated. Lacing did not stand and quickly retreated.

S: Sweet floral citus aroma. Hints of peach. No appearant hops on nose.

T: The tast follows the nose as it starts off fruity (peaches again) and ends with a mild hop finish. Not super hoppy. Mildly bitter.

M: Very pleasant and smooth. Moderate carbonation. Fairly thin.

O: An excellent beer. I'm not a hop-head by any means and I could drink this beer all night. I assumed the age contributed to the muted hop presence, but I prefered it's condition when I drank it.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 23:11:38 | More by macher0