This Emperial IPA from Stone is so called because they travled all the way to England to get the scoop on what it really means to be an IPA.  As such you’ll notice a completely different hop character than what you are used to with an American IPA.  They also use malt from England that came to them in giant ton bags.  But don’t take my word for it, let them tell you themselves…

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA Tasting Notes from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Enough fancy schmancy embedded video.  Let’s get on with the review.

A: This beer is definitely not clear.  It’s a muddy orangish color with a nice white head on it that stayed throughout.  Nice lacing comes with it.

S: There are hops present but not nearly what you’d think you’d smell with an IPA that is 100 IBU’s.  Actually it’s absolutely not at all what you would expect from this beer.  If anything I pick up a little malty sweetness over a hint of earthy hops.  It’s quite pleasant.

T: Up front there is an awesome malty goodness to this beer that lingers to the point of asking yourself if there are any hops at all.  Then it hits you.  A bit of dryness starts to creep in and you can taste the hops.  Your mouth gets more and more bitter until you find yourself taking another drink.  All I can say is this is amazing.  I spent some time in England and although I had some really tasty beers over there I don’t remember having one as good as hits.  I welcome any of you Brits to send me an IPA you think can beat this one out   The more I hold on to this beer the less I get of the malt and the bitter hops shine through.  This one feels very complex if not for any other reason but that I’m just not used to the hops in here.  You owe it to yourself to pick this one up, it won’t last long.

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA Announced from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Just like the back of the bottle says “With a name like Hopslam, what did you expect?” Holy cow this is one amazing beer. And since it is limited release I’d stop reading this right now and go get a six pack. Be prepared to spend upwards of $20 though as this one doesn’t come cheap.  But worth it?  Every penny

Hopslam also wins my award for best beer label.  Sure, there are a lot of really awesome ones out there, but considering how much I love hops I love the idea of being knocked out by a huge hop bud!  See the end of the post for some great scans of the artwork.

On an interesting note, The Captain’s Chair: A Twin Cities Craft Beer and Homebrewing Site, reports that this beer clocks in at 280 calories.  For some points on America’s fascination with calories in their beer I’d suggest heading over to his site and checking out his review.

Appearance:  This is one beautiful beer!  Crystal clear, orange coloring.  Almost like the color of the honey this beer is brewed with.  Has a small amount of head on top and leaves some great lacing.  If only all beers could look like this.  A piece of art really.

Smell: Piney, and citrusy hops right up front.  Perhaps it’s because it says it on the bottle but I can also smell the honey leaving a pleasurable sticky feeling in the old nostrils.

Taste: Bam!  This one is definitely hoppy!  At least up front.  The great thing about this though is it is very balanced.  Someone that would say they don’t normally like hoppy beers should at least pick up a single of Hopslam because it is great.  The malt and honeys sweeten this beer up nicely leaving the finish to be more sticky sweet than bitter like you get with most hoppy beers.  Of course with an ABV of 10% you’d expect it to be somewhat sweet.  This beer is pretty complex too.  Throughout the glass I got different tastes and flavors between being super bitter to being super sweet and everything in between.  As an advocate for non-hopheads, the Mrs. says this beer is pretty good.  And deer readers, anytime my wife’s discerning palate says a beer is good then it is good.  The same goes for me of course but I’m a lot less picky

Mouthfeel: Smooth and sticky!  Up front this beer makes your mouth feel refreshed with the bitter hops cleaning (or stripping away) your palate and then it leaves you with the sticky sweet feeling.

Drinkability: Who cares about the 10% ABV?! I say the drinkability on Bell’s Hopslam is way above par, or below I suppose.  In other words, this is one you can sit and sip and enjoy all night long.  At $18 for a six pack it might get a bit expensive but heck, you only get to do it once a year right?  Seriously, if you haven’t had this yet … go out and get some right now!

Bells Hopslam Front Cover Art

Bells Hopslam Back Cover Art