The Ale
Hopslam Ale
DIPA – Double India Pale Ale Style
Bell’s Brewery
Comstock, Michigan, USA
10% abv
Packaged on: 12/2011
Appearance: slightly hazy golden orange body with a big white head that leaves tons of lacing on the glass. As they say, “female hops give the best head.”
Aroma: just opening the bottle is a pleasure to the nose. That sweet citrus smell you get when you cut open a Ruby Red Grapefruit.
Flavors: tasty grapefruit just like the nose. Sweet Ruby Red and some usual tart grapefruit notes, a floral hop note, and I am going to say a sweet floral note as well, Now this is a balanced IPA
Mouthfeel: smooth, almost creamy feel, the alcohol does not stand out (be careful it’s 10%), moderate bitter bite on the finish,
My Strength Rating: 7 – this is on my high side of medium-full. I was expecting an extremely full IPA here.
To the Point: if you can get someone to sell it to you, good luck, buy it if they do.
The Cigar
Cuba Libre
Wrapper: Corojo
Filler: Jalapa Valley
Size: 5 x 50 box pressed
Filler: Jalapa Valley
Size: 5 x 50 box pressed
I think this was one of those CI special sizes
This cigar has notes of earth, nut, and toast. The earthy notes come across as mossy and mushroom on the first half and soil and mineral earth on the second half. The toasty notes are white bread like. There is a mild almond nut like taste that floats around. The texture is smooth and almost creamy.
This cigar has notes of earth, nut, and toast. The earthy notes come across as mossy and mushroom on the first half and soil and mineral earth on the second half. The toasty notes are white bread like. There is a mild almond nut like taste that floats around. The texture is smooth and almost creamy.
I think this cigar should be a no brainer to pair with Bell’s Hopslam.
My Strength Rating: 4
To the Point: This cigar is nice when you pair it up with the right beverage. I have smoked this stick by itself before and it does seem a little boring to me then. This cigar should pair well with some white wines, lighter to medium bodied reds and a variety of beers. Overall, it’s just an average cigar.
The Pairing
I was right! Just tell my wife, please. The almost creamy mouthfeel of both of these just come together for a very pleasing experience. The Hopslam justs make this cigar better than what it is. The cigar does not change any of the tasty flavors of this IPA. This could be one of the better cigars to pair with an IPA.
I was planning to do another beer review later, after dinner, but I think I am going to do this pairing again tonight while I watch the Red Wings and some college basketball. Week before March Madness at the time of this review.
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