Bigfoot > Hoptimum

I *think* I really liked Hoptimum last year but my memory sucks. I am drinking a Bigfoot now and it's leaps and bounds better then their DIPA. Hell, I'd say if the names were switched and I hadn't had either before, I wouldn't think anything was wrong. To me, Hoptimum seems sweet and Bigfoot has a great hop presence. I would think it would be reversed if I didn't know better.

In any event, Bigfoot kicks ass. And I'll even go so far to say it's better fresh.

I agree I like the bigfoot fresh as is.I think the Hoptimum is slightly milder in hop punch/ a bit noticably sweeter also this year. I thought it was more over the top last year a little like hops out the tear ducts hoppy.Both beers are great just different to compare. I actually kind of like the Hoptimum better this year than last.

FWIW, I really enjoyed Hoptimum. That said, this is the first year I've tried it.

jonmohno said:

I agree I like the bigfoot fresh as is.I think the Hoptimum is slightly milder in hop punch/ a bit noticably sweeter also this year. I thought it was more over the top last year a little like hops out the tear ducts hoppy.Both beers are great just different to compare. I actually kind of like the Hoptimum better this year than last.

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I agree that it's probably apples and oranges. But I did just buy 2 more sixers of Bigfoot.

I haven't tried hoptimum yet. Never even heard of it until today. Bigfoot is great, I think I liked last years better though (fresh, that is)

I agree with Bigfoot>Hoptimum but for very different reasons. I also think Bigfoot aged a year or more > Bigfoot fresh.

I completely disagree. I think Hoptimum is the best thing SN has ever produced. This was the first year that I tried it. I had it on draft, and I found it quite bitter and hoppy and delicious. Bigfoot is alright fresh, but aged I think it just tastes like a mess. Just my opinions, of course.

Am I the only hophead that didn't like Hoptimum at all? I had it on tap this past weekend and the alcohol bite was monstrous. Bell's Hopslam is loads better in my opinion.

So yeah, I think Bigfoot is way better.

Robin0782 said:

I completely disagree. I think Hoptimum is the best thing SN has ever produced. This was the first year that I tried it. I had it on draft, and I found it quite bitter and hoppy and delicious. Bigfoot is alright fresh, but aged I think it just tastes like a mess. Just my opinions, of course.

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Have you had the estate ale? Or any of the southern/northern hemispheres? I think i like torpedo better really,but its selective i guess so.

Hard to say, I love them both. Bigfoot definitely has a sharper bitterness while Hoptimum is more rounded. I'm really liking bigfoot fresh this year where last year I thought it was way over the top bitter, but that's probably just my palate. I say have one of each, but start with Hoptimum

jonmohno said:

Have you had the estate ale? Or any of the southern/northern hemispheres? I think i like torpedo better really,but its selective i guess so.

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Tell you the truth, I tend to find their beers mediocre. I'm not quite sure what it is... to me their stuff just seems to all taste really similar. So, I typically avoid most of their beer. I really don't get why people like Torpedo so much, maybe I just haven't tried it fresh enough. But a friend handed me a glass of Hoptimum to try and I ordered one immediately after. I thought it was great.

Hoptimum finally made it to Texas and I picked up a couple of four packs today! I also had the chance of trying the 2012 Bigfoot.

To me the Bigfoot was pretty tasty out of the bottle. Strong bitterness, very clean and dry finish. My one complaint with it is that the alcohol bite was pretty prevalent. It tasted young as a whole.

The Hoptimum on the other hand had a nice balance between bitterness and aroma, but I dare say due to the aging process the aroma has been reduced. It has a malty sweetness that helps round everything out. I did not taste nearly the alcoholic bite in the Hoptimum as I did the Bigfoot but that could be a matter of the residual sweetness.

All in all, I like both for different reasons. I typically like drier IPAs so while the maltiness of the Hoptimum made for a very nice balance, it still ended up tasting sweet. I'm aging 4 bottles of the Bigfoot for a year or so to see if they settle down and smooth out.

Robin0782 said:

Tell you the truth, I tend to find their beers mediocre. I'm not quite sure what it is... to me their stuff just seems to all taste really similar. So, I typically avoid most of their beer. I really don't get why people like Torpedo so much, maybe I just haven't tried it fresh enough. But a friend handed me a glass of Hoptimum to try and I ordered one immediately after. I thought it was great.

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They use the same yeast thats why they all taste similar. I wish they took more risks with their beer but I guess thats why we have Lagunitas

I really like most of SN's offerings I've tried so far, but I think Bigfoot is way overly bitter. I wish they had balanced it a little better against the barleywine sweetness, it just seems to me like they completely overwhelmed it. I haven't tried Hoptimum yet, but my wife just grabbed me a 4 pack of that over the weekend, so I'll be trying it sometime this week.

Robin0782 said:

I completely disagree. I think Hoptimum is the best thing SN has ever produced. This was the first year that I tried it. I had it on draft, and I found it quite bitter and hoppy and delicious. Bigfoot is alright fresh, but aged I think it just tastes like a mess. Just my opinions, of course.

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I think it's one of my least favorite offerings.

jeffdill said:

Am I the only hophead that didn't like Hoptimum at all? I had it on tap this past weekend and the alcohol bite was monstrous. Bell's Hopslam is loads better in my opinion.

So yeah, I think Bigfoot is way better.

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Hard to say if Hopslam is better since I haven't had it in a few years, but I call my self a hop head and didn't like Hoptimum. It was too sweet for me. I actually asked my self, "where are the hops?" after my first sip.

jonmohno said:

Have you had the estate ale? Or any of the southern/northern hemispheres? I think i like torpedo better really,but its selective i guess so.

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Estate and the hemispheres are great. (As is torpedo.)