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

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

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 01/15/13

A: Pours a clear golden copper in color with significant amounts of visible carbonation and significant orange/golden yellow highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense foamy/creamy off-white head that very slowly reduces to a very thick film covering the entire surface of the beer evenly with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Huge aromas of tropical/pineapple and citrus/grapefruit/tangerine hops over the top of some lighter notes of pale + caramel malts and honey sweetness.

T: Upfront there are strong flavors of tropical/pineapple and citrus/grapefruit hops, underneath which there is a moderate flavor of pale + caramel malts with a moderate amount of sweetness - with the sweetness coming from the honey. Just the faintest hint of pine hops towards the finish as the beer warms up. Moderate to heavy amounts of bitterness in the finish.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with light to moderate amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This is one of the best smelling DIPAs on the market and I really like the combination of hops that create the aromas/flavor profile. The 10% ABV is extremely well hidden and this beer is very easy to drink - I could easily have a couple of these in a session and be really happy about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 20:57:06 | More by dbrauneis

sketchpunx

New York

4.74/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this on Tap as well as bottled. I find that this beer varied a fair amount each time i tried it. I thought the fresh bottle I tried (less than a month after bottling) was the best quality and certainly had the strongest hop aroma. The Tap version seemed very very bitter with less sweetness in and balance, and the bottle i tried two months after bottling date was still very good but lacked the huge nose that i really liked on the first bottle i tried.

The appearance is slightly cloudy golden copper with a 2 finger head that dissapates fairly quickly leaving a dense film on top of the beer. nice lacing.

Smell is huge hoppy dankness (when fresh). Tons of tropical fruit with a bit of that cat-piss thing. Lots of simcoe on the nose. Really excellent smell.

I really dig the taste of this beer. NIce resiny and citrusy with a bit of the sweetness coming through before a long bitter and dry finish.

The feel on this one is dope. Smooth and sticky but with a nice mellow carbonation. hides the alcohol very well.

overall I really like this beer and would seek it out again. I recommend it fresh though!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 05:45:03 | More by sketchpunx

beerpirates

Belgium

4.33/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle poured into my lost abbey stemware glass

Appearance: Light amber/orange with a 1,5 inch head . Lots of lacing

Smell: potent hops, grapefruit, pineapple, honey , mango

Taste: very bittersweet, some grapefruit, rich caramel malts, honey, pine , mango

Mouthfeel: medium light body, nice carbonation, very drinkable for 10% alc.

Overall: An incredible imperial ipa. I love how bitter and drinkable this is. An outstanding IPA. I usually like them extremely fruity but this one is perfect.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 19:33:14 | More by beerpirates

AdamF625

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A- hazy golden/orange color with a thin white head

S- citrus hop aroma

T- citrus resin hop profile. Sweet malt flavor maybe from the honey.

M- thick and sticky

O- Too sweet for my taste in regards to this style. Very disappointed in this beer but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it thanks to a generous trader. HopsMatt

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 00:14:17 | More by AdamF625

StJamesGate

New York

4.31/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bright brass with trailing white film.
Big pissy, catty, grapefruit rind nose.
Danish butter cookies up front with papaya then gentle but firm tangelo hops with bits of passionfruit, starfruit and pineapple.
Catty pine resin finish and long bitter but fruity linger.
Medium, chewy, round, velvety, no burn.

Definition of a well-judged DIPA. Smooth and integrated, with no hint of 10%. Shows that extra bit of skill in the execution that Two-Hearted has, too.

Buckeye Nation said it better than I could: "How can a beer this powerful be this mellow?"

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 10:34:52 | More by StJamesGate

BrbnBarlAgdBil

Florida

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

One of my favorite beers. The thing that has always stood out to me about this beer is the hints of honey. It is such an easy drinking beer, but the taste and layers of flavor are so complex that by the time you start to put it together, you take another sip and realize that there are even more layers. One of my top beers!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 03:53:22 | More by BrbnBarlAgdBil

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

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

Beautiful! Pours dark golden and clear with about 1.5 fingers of light golden foam. Very fine and soapy lacing.
Highly aromatic. You can smell the sweet honey and bright hops. A little grapefruit. A little orange peel. A little fresh cut grass.
Nice balance of sweet and hop. A huge flavor all around. Hops hit heavy, but finish clean. A nice earthy flavor with a hint of peppercorn. Not as much citrus as in the nose. Can detect the honey.
Creamy and sticky. I wish there was a lighter finish and less carbonation in terms of mf, but it's still really nice. Extremely drinkable.
It's Hopslam! Need I say more?

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 18:03:05 | More by lunarbrew

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a light brown to yellow with a thick head. Good lacing. Aroma is strong hops - mostly pine with some floral. Flavor is consistent with the nose - sweet up front and piney bitter on the back persists well. Maybe a hint of honey sweetness present on the back end. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 01:13:20 | More by Oakenator

312HopBomb

Illinois

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

I received this fresh but took a while to review it. Down to my last one of the case.

Color is a clear honey tone with maybe a touch of hazing. Head is light and white.

The full aroma is sweet honey and citrus hops. Maybe orange blossom honey? Smells awesome.

Taste is a Hopslam as expected. A nice honey flavor is in the background during the full hop assault. Alcohol is noticeable with a slight burn. This is not a malty DIPA and the malt is light and lets the hops take center stage but the honey and malt do provide a solid base. Bitterness continues through the finish.

Mouth feel is medium with light carbonation.

I was blown away last year after trying this for the first time on tap upon it's release. This was almost as good but maybe because it was a bottle and not on tap. i am very glad my brother snagged a case for me. I will definitely seek this out next year. Bell's brewery rocks the hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 19:29:18 | More by 312HopBomb

MrKennedy

Australia

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

12oz bottle, thanks to Rifugium and pdeepak for the bottle. Into a Southern Tier tulip.

Glowing golden appearance with a hint of orange about it. Really nice, abundant head of white foam on top that drips lacing. Really good looking beer.

Smell starts of as being a bit herbal. The honey is evident, so too the orange and citrus coming out of it. A bit of hoppy dankness to it as well, makes it more intruiging. Great mix.

Love the honey influence with this. Not the heavy honey, but really light, lifted sweetness. Goes well with a decent malt base that hides well in the background allowing the fruitiness to come through with pineapple, sweet pine sap and sweet grapefruit there.

Sweetness, fullness and a lightness that you would not expect from 10% ABV. Found this super drinkable and fortunate that this is at home, do not get any sign of booze. Sufficient bitterness to keep you coming back.

Loved it! Overall it is fantastic. Gives the sweetness of honey without any cloying or harshness. Lifts the flavour profile and in an incredibly drinkable way. One of the best hoppy beers i've come across.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 08:54:31 | More by MrKennedy

GOBLUEBEERFAN

Michigan

4.56/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This was a very good beerb that started me into realy trying many kinds of beers for the first time and it is bad that you are unable to get it when you want it. I use to be a normal bud light drinker but never again. I really enjoyed the smell with the taste. I would love for this to be more available. I have enjoyed many of Bells brewery beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:11:12 | More by GOBLUEBEERFAN

Jake_Ramrod

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've been wanting to try Hopslam for a while now and was excited to finally see quite a bit of it in KY this winter. With allof the hype surrounding it, I went ahead and picked up a case of it. After trying a few of them, I'm not disappointed that I stepped up to the plate right off the bat. So, here it goes on my initial reaction:

A: Overall, it is decent looking beer, but nothing special. It's a faint amber color with a little carbonation. I slow poured it into a 12oz. West Sixth Brewing Tulip and was a bit surprised at the lack of head. Perhaps a more vigorous pour would have brought out a bit more carbonation and a thicker head.

S: A light touch of sweetness and flowers, but again not a huge overpowering aroma like many other IPAs I've had lately. Is the taste going to be as underwhelming as the nose and appearance?

T: Ah, now there is the result I was expecting. A very pleasant beer up front. Light touches of pine with an underlying bitterness that isn't overwhelming. More of a light grapefruit presence. This is actually a pretty balanced beer for one that presenst itself as a "Hopslam". The alcohol is muted for a 10%'er.I find myself instinctively going for drink after drink as I type this. Mmmm...

As the beer warmed, I found that the flavor profile changed and the hops became a bit more pronounced. I love it when temperature differences bring out the subtleties in a beer.

M: Actually, I find it a bit thin for its class. It could use a little more body to it. And, I get just a hint of a metallic feel to it.

O: Overall, a very nice example of its class. Extremely well balanced and very drinkable. Maybe not the best DIPA around, but definitely a really good beer for the money. Much more "drinkable" than many of its bretheren in the craft beer world.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 01:04:19 | More by Jake_Ramrod

Ryanm1

Pennsylvania

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

Bell's, a quality brewer with National appeal. Bottle and cases were in scarcity in Philadelphia most of them selling out in a day or two from most places that were only allocated a few cases to begin with. I myself did not purchase the brew, but acquired from a friend.

Was interested to try this as I'm not a fan of IPAs but had heard good things. I guess it's been selling out for a reason. So no I didn't pour this one in a glass, so I can't comment on the color. And also I'm not going into detail about the nose other than it smelled along the lines of a typical IPA.

What I will comment on is the taste and the finish. The taste is excellent. Bursting with citrus and pine hops in the beginning, but finishes smooth. You can barely tell it is a 10% ABV beer. There is just slight undertones of alcohol. I feel a lot of IPAs out on the market linger too long on the tongue and feel like you are sucking on a 9 volt battery. This beer is mild for IPAs but complex for the 6 different hop types it uses.

Great IPA on par with my other favs from Flying Dog.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 13:17:00 | More by Ryanm1

CommanderOfAwesome

California

4.35/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2013 bottle less than 1 month old.

A: Pours a nice golden amber with light 2 finger head.

S: Honey and floral sweetness with hops prevalent in the aroma.

T: Sweet honey with floral and citrus (Grapefruit) characteristics. Slight caramel as well with hops coming at the end. Not the "hop slam" I was expecting, more sweet and balanced but delicious never the less.

M: Medium bodied, perfectly carbonated. Slight bitter dry finish with sticky sweetness coating the mouth.

O: Fantastic well balanced sweet DIPA. While not a hop slam when compared to other West Coast DIPA, I prefer this style to them. I still like a maltier DIPA the best however.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 22:40:26 | More by CommanderOfAwesome