Kalamazoo Hopsoulution Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

gford217

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of brandoman63 poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a slightly hazy copper with a dense one-finger off-white head that shows great retention leaving lots of lacing.

S: Smell is heavy of earthy, grassy hops up front with a slight citrus scent of grapefruits as well. There is also a big malt backbone with caramel and sugar scents.

T: The taste has the same earthy hops up front but with a sweeter caramel malt backbone with caramel and brown sugar. The finish is just slightly bitter with the grassy hops but still fairly crisp.

M: Mouthfeel is medium bodied with strong carbonation and makes for a very creamy feel overall.

D: This is a very drinkable brew from Bells and more in the vein of an English IPA with the heavy caramel malt presence and earthy hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 01:30:45 | More by gford217

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer has a thick creamy light beige head and a deep caramel colored body with a good carbonation of tiny bubbles that glide through it.

S- The soft citrus juice note gives way to a green hops note with a slight earthiness to it. There is a soft caramel malt note that comes through a bit.

T- The light caramel malt sweetness has a dry toast note to it and a green pine hops flavor that is a bit herbal. The hops also have a cinnamon/clove spice to it minus the cinnamon/clove flavor. There is a nice bitter green hop note to the finish that has a slight lemonhead flavor to it.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a no alcohol heat at all.

D- This beer has some nice hops flavors and a good presence of malt but the hops and malt flavors tasted a bit awkward together. It was not offensive but just a bit odd. Still an ok IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2008 17:40:26 | More by rhoadsrage

Slynger

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Crazy deep, lightly hazy, rusty orange color with a fine head of fuzzy cream coloring.

Quite light in the smell department, I have to stick my nose deep in the glass to pick out everything. Light caramel sweetness with pineapple and lemony fruitiness along with herbal, earthy hops with hints of spice.

Tastes rings in much stronger than the smell. I'm getting toasted malts with a modest amount of pineapple / lemon fruitiness. Citrus rind and earthy-spiciness leave this brew lightly dry and solidly bitter. Medium-full body has a nice amount of soft and fuzzy carbonation with a lightly oily smoothness to it.

Hmmm, I really wanted this to be awesome to the point of a special Illinois version of Hopslam, but I may have set my expectations a bit too high. I like what it brings to the table but it seems a bit unpolished and some aspects are slightly muted and out of balance. I know that I am nitpicking here, but that is only because I expect so much from Bell's. This is still a nice beer, just not great.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2008 03:01:41 | More by Slynger

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

this poured a hazy deep copper/amber with a creamy tan head and nice fine lacing. smell was mostly toffee and caramel, also stone fruit, some nuttiness and a vague spiciness also noted. the citrus and piney notes that i expected did not really come through for me. taste was med/full toffee malt sweetness balanced by enough spicy bitterness. not a fan of the toffee in my ipas. big, thick, creamy mouthfeel is also a bit prickly with a long bitter finish. i felt cheated because the beer guy told me this was just like hopslam and this is entirely different.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 17:15:34 | More by MrMcGibblets

tpd975

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Gillard for this one. I owe ya Ryan.

A: Pours a nice golden brownish hue with a huge head that has wonderful retention. Spotty lace and a steady stream of bubbles rising to the top.

S: Nice malt blast from a Bell's IPA, I like it. Hints of pine malt, but perfect balance overall.

T: The balance carries thru. Nice solid malt backbone, yet there is enough piney, grassy, earthy hops pushing thru. Nicely balanced and very drinkable.

M: Nice medium bodied brew that went down way to smoothly.

D: Sessionable!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 15:34:44 | More by tpd975

philberinghele

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An excellent copper color with a decent, fluffy white head. The german hops give a grassy, earthy scent and taste. Very unusual for a double ipa. Highly drinkable, as the alcohol is barely perceptible yet you might not want to have more than a couple due to the abv.

I don't think this beer is quite as good as hopslam yet it is just as interesting in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2008 01:56:12 | More by philberinghele

hoppymeal

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a medium ambery copper in color, just a slight haze, a decent size creamy, cream colored head slowly recedes to a thick ring. Aroma is a good grassy hoppiness and a strong orange citrus aroma, sweetened by the malts. Hops are somewhat floral as well, with a hint of the alcohol evident as it approaches room temp. Taste shows some more of the vitamin c, orange candy like flavor, good pepperiness mid taste into the finish before a grassy bitterness puckers the front of the tongue. Mouthfeel is medium in body, nice malty, creamy body is cut well by the peppery, drying bite of bitterness. A great, highly drinkable double ipa, esp for an 8 plus percent abv, only wish I could buy it locally. Definitely worth seeking out. Thanks to Kan for the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2008 00:06:58 | More by hoppymeal

Gtreid

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks go out to brandoman63 for a great brew!
Poured the 12 oz. bottle into a snifter.

A: Dark copper, like the color of a penny after about 20 years or so of floating around. One finger of tan, cream color head appears and quickly receeds to a thin rim, and leaves thick, but spotty lacing.

A: Very nice citrus and grass hop aroma, that is balanced exteremly well with sweet malts.

T: This is amazing! This is my first experience with a German DIPA, and I have to say I am impressed. Sweet, hoppy, crisp, and clean. And finishes with a nice bitter, alcohol bite.

M&D: Creamy, medium body, next to no carbonation, makes the brew slighty syrupy on the palate. I love this beer. Differnt from the American style, but IMO just as good. Larry Bell continues to impress with his innovative styles. I wish this would become part of his everyday line-up. Outstanding! Skal.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 14:59:45 | More by Gtreid

GbVDave

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint.

Batch # 8513

A: Pours a dark burnt-orange color. Like blood orange fruit. Capping this is a thick and creamy, tan-colored, two finger head with excellent retention. Lots of lace left in the glass.

S: Aromas of pine and lemon. Probably due to the noble hops used. Also noted were aromas of herbs, dry & toasty malt, caramel, and earthy/natural spices.

T: Much like above. The malt never loses its' dry qualities but gains a slight caramel sweetness as it warms. Plenty of pine, citrus, and earthy herbs/spices. Sort of what a high quality health food store would taste like without the patchouli and BO!

M: Dry and spicy throughout. The malt contributes to much of the sweetness here. A fresh, herbal, spiciness adds a tremendous amount of zest to the mouthfeel.

D: Very different, very refreshing, and very enjoyable. An entirely welcome addition to the Bell's portfolio!

Batch # 8779

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint on 2/4/09.

A: Pours a perfectly hazy, dark-orange color with a small-ish, bubbly cap of light-tan foam. The head recedes to a sticky ring and a skim that consists of "bloppy chunks" of foam. Specks of lace are left behind and the carbonation is rather still.

S: Aromas of creamy caramel, tangy melon, pineapple, freshly mown lawn, tart red apple, toasty malt, berries, and an underlying ripe and fruity sweetness.

T: My tongue was greeted with a big wash of spicy pineapple and caramel followed closely by pine tar, red apple, grapefruit, white pepper, dry toasted malt, and some herbal/floral hops. Found a bit of lemon or bitter orange lurking in the background, as well.

M: Very resinous and sticky. The middle turns spicy and peppery and those traits continue on long into the finish. Peeks of dry pineyness mingle with prickly hops and sticky sweet pineapple.

D: This batch seems a little more conventional than batch # 8513. A little more juicy fruitiness, a lot less smelly hippy health food store! All 4.5's.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2008 22:46:02 | More by GbVDave

rudylaw

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange gradient into my pint glass. A nice 1/2 inch head that is a beautiful tan color. It leaves a hint of lacing.

I'm smelling biscuit, orange peel and earthy hops. This is quite unlike anything I've had before.

Of course, it tastes hoppy... earthy flavors. Very smooth and malty. Touches of caramel are present but are in no way dominant. A little spice kicks in after the gulp.

It's very creamy and finishes clean. I know this is a double but it's nowhere near as in your face as some of th either DIPAs out there. The reviewer that said that it's a toned down 90-minute is dead on. In fact, this is very similar to DFH but different enough to be sought out. The alcohol is present, but I think I could session this rather easily.

Very glad to have scored a sixer of this before the well runs dry. My fellow Chicagoans... go get this while you can. Bell's is officially back with this concoction.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2008 23:25:30 | More by rudylaw

amiles

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy amberish orange. Thin white head, with a tiny bit of lacing. Smell is earthy hops, sugar, with a malt backbone. A lot of IPAs taste the same, but this has something else going on. Perhaps a rarer breed of hops, though it could be a number of things. Quite earthy, again, in the flavour. Mouthfeel is very smooth, with a high level of drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2008 02:20:05 | More by amiles

ejquin

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Rusty brown with thin white head that leaves little lacing.

S: Lots of malt with some spice, caramel and brown sugar. A little rootbeer.

T/M: Mouthfeel is nice and smooth. Medium bodied. Nice hop presence. Hops smack right up front and are big, but balanced nicely by malty brown sugar and caramel. Finish leaves you toungue tingling with spice. Little alcohol perception becuase the of hoppy finish, and if this is really 8.4 % abv like the last reviewer reported, that's stunning to me.

D: Again, very high for a DIPA and if it's 8.4%, then it's extremely high.

Ovr: This is a very, very good brew. Seemed to me like a Sam Adams on steroids that was much better balanced. The guy who sold me this proclaimed it "better than Hopslam" which to me it is not, Hopslam is an unbeliveable beer, but this is just simply really good.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2008 23:00:29 | More by ejquin

paco1029384756

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

- Batch 8513 -

Pour is cloudy amber with an orange hue. A fine white head slowly dies to a thick ring of lacing.

Scent is nobly hoppy and spicy, very earthy. with some caramel and brown sugar. Alcohol is apparent in the scent, but sits in a nice balance.

Taste is earthy with a strong hop presence with a very nice kick of malts. Slight caramel and burnt sugar come in with some spiciness and finishes by filling the mouth with a nice noble hop flavor.

Mouthfeel is impeccably smooth. A slight sting from the bitterness that is carried down the throat with elegance, leaving a streak of hoppy bitterness behind it filling the mouth and clogging the sinuses with a subtle scent of noble hops.

Drinkability is high, and at 8.4% abv this may not be a good thing.

Everything about this beer feels so natural and organic. I was expecting something different in this beer, and it has most certainly delivered. Overall, this beer is excellent and I would definitely recommend it.

- Batch 8779 -

Pours an amber orange color with one finger off white head leaving a good ring of lacing. 4

Scent of caramel malts, bready malts, sugars with piny and somewhat earthy hops. Good stuff, but a hint of alcohol keeps it from being better. 4

Taste of piny and earthy hops start growing stronger as it goes down. A slight soapy quality and lack of real depth make this one inferior to the original recipe. 3.5

Mouthfeel is clean, but a bit too biting. 3.5

Drinkability is still good. 4

I refer the original recipe to this one, but I think I will let this one age a little. The first batch improved with a couple months of age on it, so I still look forward to see what happens to this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2008 21:06:31 | More by paco1029384756