Bells Hopslam - Is It Worth It?

[BlackDuck]

Thanks for the comments guys. After reading here and a few pages of comments on RateBeer, I think I'm going to pass on this one. I like the dryer IPA's compared to the sweeter ones. There were quite of few comments on RateBeer regarding the honey-sweetness in it. And that's just not my favorite things about an IPA!!

[Beer-lord]

I, for one, respect your opinion.
I found some info I had bookmarked long ago when I found some stuff on the HBT forum. Here's what one guy said he got from Bells:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying the Hopslam Ale. There are certain things about our recipes that we keep close to the vest, but I can offer some guidance. The malt bill is relatively straightforward: stick with 2-row base malt and just a bit of caramel malts for color. Add a healthy dollop of honey towards the end of the boil. Aim for an OG at knock-out of 21 Plato. You'll want to set up your mash rests for moderate fermentability: the sugars from the honey will be largely consumed, so you need malt dextrins around to keep the beer from getting too dry. Terminal gravity will be below 3 Plato.

Hopping is trickier, but I can tell you that we use a blend of modern American high-alpha aroma hops. I won't say that your exact choice of kettle hops doesn't matter, but I would focus more on the aroma side. A late kettle addition of Amarillo & generous dry-hopping with Simcoe provides the signature aromatic punch. Bitterness is in the upper 60 IBU range, less than most people think. Hopslam is all about hop flavor, not unrestrained bitterness.

You can culture yeast out of one of our bottles if you're comfortable with that; it's certainly the preferred option for a solid flavor match. The yeast in the Hopslam bottle is the yeast used for fermentation, but at 10% abv, but the yeast that isn't dead will be severely stressed. I would recommend culturing from a lower gravity beer such as Amber Ale, Best Brown Ale, etc.: the yeast is the same & likely to be in superior condition. Winter White Ale is a completely different strain, so don't use that. Otherwise, the local homebrew supply shops around here have found that most people looking to clone one of our recipes lean towards ale strains with a straightforward ester profile & good attenuation.

So, the honey sweetens it and dries it out some. I've also read that some have brewed some store bought clones and they use sugar. Then another said he cut back on the honey, use US-05 and 05 dried it out a bit and he liked it.
Bottom line, brew it up and let me know what you think. It's got a boat load of hops in it. About 10 oz in the boil and a few dry hopped depending on what recipe you find.

[Kealia]

Thanks for the comments guys. After reading here and a few pages of comments on RateBeer, I think I'm going to pass on this one. I like the dryer IPA's compared to the sweeter ones. There were quite of few comments on RateBeer regarding the honey-sweetness in it. And that's just not my favorite things about an IPA!!

I'm with you, I don't like the sweet finish on IPAs either. I've had a few East Coast versions (like Dogfish Head 60/90) and I don't care for them at all.

[Beer-lord]

In case you were curious what a regular reviewer thinks---

http://youtu.be/7Ywtwv_lrqI

[BlackDuck]

Interesting...thanks for posting. It's amazing that he can get all those different fruit flavors in a matter of seconds!!!

[Beer-lord]

I subscribe to his channel and many times while tasting my beer, make fun of him and the way he describes things. I enjoy his stuff and for the most part, usually agree with him.

[haerbob3]

I do agree with him that last years was horrible. I got some for my BIL's down in FL. They loved it, I couldn't drink it way too sweet.

[jpsherman]

Its $24.99 at my store. I'd rather spend that kind of money on brew supplies.

[BlackDuck]

Its $24.99 at my store. I'd rather spend that kind of money on brew supplies.

Yup....I'm with you on this!!