Bell’s Hopslam Ale
Well, this one is certainly legendary, isn’t it? I’ve had trouble getting my hands on this, even being that I live in Michigan’s better westerly neighboring state, Wisconsin. I’m cautiously optimistic about this one, and I must admit that my bottle is a year or two old, so keep that in mind with this review.
Scent
Upon cracking this one, it is extremely citrusy, with a sweet, honey scent on top. Nothing really else to report, other than that it is a standard IPA scent, but with a strong honey scent and it tilts more towards an orange citrus scent than anything.
Taste
Wow, this truly is fantastic. I know openings vary, especially with the legendary status level of this beer, but put me down as a huge fan. The flavor is really well-balanced and is not overly sweet. It has a really nice honey flavor to go along with the hoppy citrus taste. It’s not overly pine tasting to me, and his almost a bit caramelly. It is just a really complex yet masterfully simple taste, if that’s possible.
Overall
Overall this is definitely one of the best beers I’ve ever had. It is extremely well balanced, just sweet enough and has a really nice feel and aftertaste. This rivals Cigar City’s Jai Alai IPA for sure, and probably notches it out as the best IPA I’ve tried. I am going to make sure that I track this one down the next time it is released.