Review: Bell’s Hopslam Ale
Each year Bell’s Brewery releases its version of a double IPA, and luckily for everyone the Michigan-based brewery makes an aggressive effort to get its beers out to as many people as possible. Even some of Bell’s limited beers are not terribly difficult to track down.
This year’s Hopslam unleashes beautiful aromas of pine, citrus, honey, and lastly hops. The first thing you’ll notice about Hopslam is its nose; with six different hop varieties used, they add a surprisingly earthy aroma to the overall flavor profile. The nose of this year’s batch starts with the beautiful aroma of pine needles, next is the wonderful accompaniment of grapefruit and citrus, and lastly you get the hops and honey.
The pour is a nice beautiful color of gold to orange/amber and the flavor is all there, right up front, very bitter and hoppy to start. A very front-loaded beer, you get a ton of grapefruit/citrus notes to start it off then a lot of hops. Like the name suggests this is not for those that do not enjoy a titular slam of hops and floral tones.
Even with its abv of 10%; it goes down exceptionally smooth, with a nice clean finish. During fermentation honey is added to the batch. This wonderful addition increases the alcohol, yet creates a nice, smooth follow-through.
A- / $3 per 12 oz. bottle / bellsbeer.com
Bell's Hopslam Ale
$3
Hoppy, with an enjoyable medley of citrus and honey, the flavor and finish is a true delicacy. Beware however, the Hopslam label doesn’t lie. I ordered a pitcher to try it out, not knowing the ABV and experienced a college partying flashback with a vengeance . Remarkably, I awoke the next morning unharmed. My wife and I stock up on 6 packs annually, a great tasting ale with a kick!
Herb Kaelin