WILK Friday BeerBuzz–18 Feb 2011 Bell’s Hopslam

It’s been an amazing month of Feb on the Friday BeerBuzz.  We’ve welcomed some really great guests like Phil Leinhart, Steve Mashington, Brian Boak, and Chris Trogner…and some really great beers.  This morning we welcomed the 60-degree temperatures into NEPA with a special Beach Party BeerBuzz!

Not only did we have bathing suits and sunglasses, but also a really great beer in Bell’s Hopslam Double IPA.   I’m a big fan of late winter imperial IPA’s and Hopslam is one of my favorites.  Bell’s uses a unique and somewhat secret mix of six Pacific Northwest hops and hopping techniques, and a Simcoe dry-hop to get this 10% ABV brew up into the high IBU ranges, but then balances that bitter hoppiness with honey to even out the flavor.  It’s a balance that for me is unique among hoppy beers and this high-hop / dull honey mix has made it one of my favorites.

Hopslam is a big enough story on it’s own as a truly great brew, but there’s more.  Every year Hopslam launches in late January and quickly disappears off the shelves.  Hopslam has now become in my opinion, one of the most rare and sought after brews imported into PA.  Northeastern PA typically sees less than 5 cases total.  In the end for me the beer justifies the excitement, so be sure to sample it and decide for yourself….IF you can get your hands on some.

Hopslam is one of my all-time favorite beers and a brew that generates a lot of excitement every year.  It’s also a brew that fades fast so get some now and be sure to drink it fresh.  My apologies for the cross-up this morning.  Larry Bell was scheduled to join us for the Friday BeerBuzz live, but phone issues prevented that “connection” from happening on the air….so we’ll invite Larry back another time.  For the record Larry’s been on the road and his cell-phone-battery & car charger failed.

Thanks
to  John, Nancy, Joe & Bosco for yet another fun Friday. 
The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. 
As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE

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