Beer Flash: Bell's "Hopslam" 2016 edition

Well, this year's "Hopslam" has just been released and I figured I should give it a mention. Longtime readers of this blog may recall my post from February 2015 about this beer. It's a 10.00% ABV double India Pale Ale from Michigan-based Bell's Brewery. This beer is highly sought after; so much so that most places sell out in days if not hours. I picked up this six-pack from D'Vines in DC for around $26; I split it with some other beer aficionados at my work. I figured I'd do a short Beer Flash on it in lieu of a full post, since I discussed it at length last year.

It pours quickly and throws a nice aroma of hops. It drinks light and smooth, with some honey tastes making an appearance (the beer is made with honey.) I like it, as it's heady and warming with some slight bitter aftertastes, and a nice quality of floral hop bitterness though. But what makes this good is that the bitterness is gentle - more of a background flavor than something that gets in the way. That kind of gentle bitterness is one of the reason it's so popular. Overall, a well-rounded and smooth DIPA, pleasing and delicious. Is it $26 worth of delicious? Maybe not. But give this a spin if you ever see it on draft; it's worth trying for sure.