Bell's Hopslam Ale

This 10.0% ABV double IPA is brewed with honey and is from Bell's Brewery of Comstock, Michigan. It was bottled on January 9, 2014 and opened here on January 22, 2014, so pretty fresh. This is one of those very highly sought after beers.

The beer pours a gleaming copper/bronze and orange amber in color. There is a short head of off-white foam. The aroma is intense, lots of passion fruit, tropical fruits, and a bit of piney muskiness. The taste follows the aromas directly, melded very cleanly together, with some cantaloupe and honey coming through. The malt base is enough to hold up all those hops, but doesn't intrude, just complementing the honey with some caramel notes. A bit of warmth can be felt from the high ABV. The finish is moderately bitter with a bit of grapefruit rind, the body is full and round.

Don't get me wrong, this is very nice, but is it really worth all the hype that it garners?  What do you think? (When I first drank this, I didn't find it worth the hype, but the 2016 release in cans is really stellar, see below.)

2016: The beer pours amber and copper in color. There is a very tall, thick, foamy head of off-white. The aroma is citrus, very lemony, ripe, fruity, melons and very ripe tropical fruits. The taste hits all the same notes, an explosion of fruit flavors, citrus, lemon, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, guava. There is sweet, tangy, and a bitter finish. The beer drinks smooth, with a tingle of carbonation. This beer is drinking so good this year, much better than the last time I tasted it!

2017: The beer pours a shiny amber and copper in color. There is about an inch of white to off-white head. The aroma is passion fruit, guava and honey. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, fruity, tangy, deep and rich. The finish has a moderate bitterness, lessened by the honey and rich, sweet fruit notes. The beer drinks very smooth and round.