Day 233: Hopslam Ale

Name: Hopslam Ale

Brewer: Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 10%

Thoughts: There are very few beers that have made waves in the craft beer industry quite like Hopslam. I have even seen this beer quoted as "... a beer geek, hop-head legend!" This is an Imperial IPA brewed with honey and it seems like people have been talking about this on beer blogs, twitter and other places on the world wide web for months. I don't know how hard it is to get, but I had to stand in line to get a bottle as the store I was at only had a case of it. I am totally become a beer nerd by the way! Standing in line to get a bottle of beer? Yeah, I do that now. Anyways this "legend" pours a glowing burnt orange color with a full, thick head that laced around the glass like nothing I've even seen before. The smell was blatantly hoppy! There was enough hops in it to inoculate a cow! You could get pine and grapefruit in the aroma as well, but you don't really care because the hops smell so incredible. Now I have to be honest, I thought the hops would make it too bitter and the honey would make it too sweet, and I would just think this beer was overrated. I thought this beer is just too good to be true. Well, Hopslam didn't disappoint. Rather it surprised me. It tasted like the best IPA I've ever had. Not an Imperial IPA. The alcohol was subdued and the amount of hops in the flavor was perfect. They were sharp, but they didn't cut your palate in half. The subsequent floral, grapefruit taste mixed with the subtle sweetness made for an experience I cannot share with words. I could keep adding more and more details about the smells and tastes and feel, but there is only one way to really know the pleasure I felt while drinking this beer. That is for you to drink it your own damn self! 

Rating: 94/100