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Friday’s beer run culminated at the Four Seasons Beer Store where they seem to be relatively on top of the craft beer scene. As I pulled in the lot, I had two choices on my mind: Bell’s Hopslam and an Alternative Other. Hopslam had been on my mind all week after reading post after post about on the Reddit Beer subreddit. Hopslam was the one to to get.

Bell’s Hopslam seemed to dominate the subReddit forum over all. Since it was from Bell’s (Bell’s does not make a bad beer) I decided to put the Hopslam on the top of my list.

The coolers rendered nothing. I didn’t know if I was looking for bombers or sixpacks; I just knew I had to try this beer. Knowing the Four Seasons guys and their I hoped that they would be on top of this. I ambled over to craft shelf and perused the bomber section. Nothing. Scanning left to right I started thinking about what the alternative selection would be. Belgian… again? Stout… again? IPA alternative?

A stroke of luck hit and I didn’t even feel it. Jesus, third row down. I spotted it. Bell’s Hopslam Ale, in a sixpack. One of two remaining. I wondered about the powers of advertising as I grabbed one of two remaining sixpacks of this popular, mysterious blend of malts and hops and hops and more hops. I wanted to experience the taste that everyone was talking about on the beer forums. It was my turn.

I brought the sixpack up to the counter and Barry’s cousin (haven’t caught his name yet) told me that the distributor only gave the establishment two cases. He tried to get more from the guy, but the guy said that the beer was in such high demand, that he had to limit the ration to two cases. Twelve dollars for six beers. I paid the price based on what I’ve heard in the craft beer forums. Sometimes I feel like such a fish.

Saturday became a reality and it soon became a day of constructive fun. A little work at my son’s house mounting a light above the bathroom sink, unclogging a drain and extending a pipe on the water heater. We all proceeded back home where a number of rounds of the Catch Phrase game, drinks and snacks ran late, got loud and had to be stopped because of the time.

I had had a couple of Sam Adams’ Latitude 48 IPAs during the game to get my palate accustomed to the IPA flavor. When we all said our goodbyes, it was late, but a brew review had to be posted. When the house finally went silent, I grabbed the first bottle of Hopslam and wondered just what the hell kind of ride my tongue was in store for.

The beer poured up with a beautiful golden yellow color and brought a nice thick foamy head of a Half-inch to the top of the glass. The carbonation was moderate with slow moving micro-bubbles rising to the underside of the head. The aroma had a citrus smell to it and hinted of the familiar grapefruit that some IPAs have.

The first sip was intense. Loads of body carried the taste across the tongue. Nicely sweet with a very nice citrus snap at the swallow. Surprisingly, the swallow did not taste bitter, but rather more citrusy acetic than sharp and bitter. The malts in this beer blend really nicely with the seemingly over-abundance of hops to make for a delightfully great beer taste.

This beer is trouble in a bottle. The great taste belies the fact that it sits at a sumo level of 10%ABV. I could see this beer sandbagging the drinker at around the third beer. So nicely smooth, so sweet and full of body, this beer is a lawnmower beer on steroids, clad in cloak and dagger.

There’s not one wisp of alcohol taste in any sip and no heat on the way down. I’m amazed at how light the color of this beer is based on the heavenly malt body. The hopslam at the swallow is disguised in grapefruit juice and citrusy clothing. After every swallow, the mouth was smiling and wanting more of the same.

Each sip of this beer tasted fresh, like a cool breath of fruit-scented air. Each sip was initially presented with a wonder of the smell of citrus and made each sip delightful to savor. At no time did hops enter my mind. This taste was a culmination of how well the hops can blend with the malts to give the drinker possibly the best taste an IPA can have.

This is not a bitter beer. It’s a magic trick that the brewery has concocted in the form of synergy between malts and high hops to make for what could quite possibly be considered the best example of an IPA anywhere. This beer could even be a great first beer for a neophyte noob as an example of what an IPA should really taste like.

Hopslam approaches the elevation of being the epitome of IPAs and could quite possibly be the standard which other craft brewers should strive to achieve. Fruity and mellow, while being full bodied, sweet and nicely crisp on the way down, Hopslam is a beer to dole out to only special friends and close family members. It’s the best IPA I’ve tasted so far. Scramble to get some if it’s available in your area, or make a beer-trade with a friend. It’s absolutely worth it. I’m really liking the IPA style more thanks to this beer.

The SixPackTech rating for Bell’s Hopslam Ale are:

Taste: A+ > Fruit nectar. The gods certainly have had a hand in it.

Smoothness: A+ > An adventure in every sip.

Drinkability: A+ > Deception is in the taste.

Bang for the buck: A > A twelve-dollar ride in a Lambo. Short and sweet with a thrill in every turn.

ABV: 10.0%

Wife’s all-encompassing opinion: (Sip) … Ohh. Um, um… Apricot. (sip) Oh, real apricotty. (sip) It’s not bad, but it’s really fruity to me. Really fruity. Almost like a grapefruit juice. (sip) I don’t think I could drink much of it because it’s so tart. It’s not bad, it’s just, I don’t think I could drink a whole glass of it.

Wife’s opinion in audio

BeerAdvocate rates.

RateBeer rates.

Random review from Daily Beer Review.