DIPA, 10% ABV
Hopslam is available in the winter in Bell's usual distribution circuit, which doesn't include California. I received this one as a trade.
Appearance: Copper colored, without much head or lacing to speak of. It's very clear though, and not with much visible carbonation.
Smell: I really smell the honey in this! The hops grant citrus and tropical fruit aromas, but overall the hop aroma isn't as strong as might be expected. The sweetness is more forward.
Taste: The hops lend grassy flavors, as well as sweet fruit and floral characters. There is a touch of alcohol, but not overwhelming. The honey comes after the sharper taste from the hops and mellows the bitterness, but it doesn't lessen the overall impact of flavor and taste. It finishes a bit sweet from the malt.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is really nice here. From the pour it seemed really under-carbonated, but it actually has a light effervescence that makes for a pleasant mouthfeel. It's very light in the mouth, in contrast to the bold taste.
Overall: This doesn't really drink like a DIPA. It's pretty well balanced between the hop bitterness and malt sweetness, and though I can taste the alcohol a bit, I wouldn't have guessed that it's 10%. This is a very nice beer that I enjoyed a lot, but I think in the end my bias is still that I want stronger hop character from DIPAs. This one finished a bit sweet for me; I wanted the hop character to linger a bit more.
3.5/5
Hopslam is available in the winter in Bell's usual distribution circuit, which doesn't include California. I received this one as a trade.
Appearance: Copper colored, without much head or lacing to speak of. It's very clear though, and not with much visible carbonation.
Smell: I really smell the honey in this! The hops grant citrus and tropical fruit aromas, but overall the hop aroma isn't as strong as might be expected. The sweetness is more forward.
Taste: The hops lend grassy flavors, as well as sweet fruit and floral characters. There is a touch of alcohol, but not overwhelming. The honey comes after the sharper taste from the hops and mellows the bitterness, but it doesn't lessen the overall impact of flavor and taste. It finishes a bit sweet from the malt.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is really nice here. From the pour it seemed really under-carbonated, but it actually has a light effervescence that makes for a pleasant mouthfeel. It's very light in the mouth, in contrast to the bold taste.
Overall: This doesn't really drink like a DIPA. It's pretty well balanced between the hop bitterness and malt sweetness, and though I can taste the alcohol a bit, I wouldn't have guessed that it's 10%. This is a very nice beer that I enjoyed a lot, but I think in the end my bias is still that I want stronger hop character from DIPAs. This one finished a bit sweet for me; I wanted the hop character to linger a bit more.
3.5/5
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