Sierra Nevada Hoptimum... how good is it?

Ok, so I've heard some talk about how good Hoptimum is. I screwed around long enough that all of my local beer shops are out of it. I found one place that still has some and it's here in Pennsylvania... which means I need to buy a whole case of it.

I'm always a little leary about buying a whole case of something I've never had before but it's looking like, if I really want to try it, my options are to buy the case or wait until next year.

Is it good enough to warrant buying the whole case, or am I going to be disappointed?

It's very good. Do you have an appetite for an entire case of dank hopped double ipa? I wouldn't buy a whole case of it just to try it.

It's awesome! I wouldn't go out of my way to try to get it though.

theveganbrewer said:

It's very good. Do you have an appetite for an entire case of dank hopped double ipa? I wouldn't buy a whole case of it just to try it.

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Completely agree. It's good enough, but I wouldn't want a case of it.

It's aggressively bittered too, not something you're going to pound.

Why the need to buy a whole case? They don't sell sixers or a four pack?

mtyquinn, unfortunately, here in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, our beer needs to be purchased at a beer distributor and has to be bought by the case. Thankfully, I live 3 miles from Maryland and can pick up sixers and four packs, easily. All of my go-to places in MD are already sold out of Hoptimum, though.

dank hopped IPAs are my favorite. So I'm not too worried about that part.

what concerns me is that I usually like variety too much to get a whole case of something, unless it's something I intend to drink a lot of in a short period of time. I'm afraid that, even if I would REALLY like it, that I might get sick of it by the time I finish the case just because I'm ready to try something else.

I'm trying to convince a friend to go halves on it with me

thanks for the feedback!

It's terrible. The worst possible beer there ever was. Gross. Ick. Don't drink it.

Just ship it all to me for proper disposal through my liver.

aiptasia said:

It's terrible. The worst possible beer there ever was. Gross. Ick. Don't drink it.

Just ship it all to me for proper disposal through my liver.

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YOU want to go halves?

I had one last night. It was ok, but there is something going on with SN's beers. They all taste too similar and have an eerie bittering taste. Kinda like they have gone to using hop extract oils on every beer or something.

I would ask you - what IPA's do you like? I, and I am sure others, can compare/contrast for you. I totally love IPA's, but Hoptimum is not really on my regular buy list. There are many other, better, IPA's out there. For example, I LOVE Ballast Point Big Eye IPA ($8 a 6-er), but Sculpin is kinda' meh ($13 a 6-er).

What IPA's do you really like?

I like all kinds, really. I know that that probably sounds like I'm avoiding the question with a lackluster answer, but I like to switch it up. I have always liked trying different things. For the last two years or so, IPAs have definitely been my favorite style but, as we all know, and as you already mentioned, all IPAs are not the same.

I will say, though, that the more "balanced" an IPA is, the less I seem to like it. I definitely prefer them to be much more hop forward and, in that, I like big citrus notes, tropical fruit, pine, and "dank" hop flavors. I don't mind a floral, spicy, or herbal IPA, but they aren't really what I prefer.

Some of my favorites that I've had in recent history are Firestone Walker Double Jack, Bear Republic Racer 5, Schlafly's TIPA, Bells Hopslam, Founders Double Trouble, Green Flash Palate Wrecker, Troegs Nugget Nectar (though they don't call it an IPA), Southern Tier 2XIPA, New Belgium Rampant...

I could keep going, but I'll stop here. haha...

That really helps, thanks!

Of those you mentioned, Firestone Walker Double Jack, Bear Republic Racer 5, Bells Hopslam, and Green Flash Palate Wrecker are amongst my favorites. Hoptimum really isn't in the same class, IMHO. Buy one or two, or trade for some. Avoid a case, IMHO.

thanks a lot!

Hoptimum was way too bitter for me, and I LOVE IPAs/DIPAs, but I love the ones that burst with flavor and aroma, and Hoptimum was surprisingly lacking in those compared to how aggressively bitter it was (IMO of course).

When it came out 3 years ago I thought it was amazing, but the last two batches have been pretty meh to me. Chico is just down the hill from me, so I can get it as fresh as possible right from the brewery. As much I love Sierra Nevada, I don't really buy a whole lot of their beer anymore. When I do it's usually their seasonals. Now when Ruthless Rye and Celebration come out, definitely buy it by the case.

I'm not a big "seasonal" guy, but I'm a big fan of SN's seasonals. Summerfest is good but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Tumbler, Celebration, and Ruthless Rye, however, are outstanding. I'm looking forward to grabbing a case of Tumbler soon.

Love me some Summerfest, I think it's one of their best beers. Tumbler not so much, but I'll have to give it a go again this year. My palate has changed a lot in the last couple of years.

I think my thing with Summerfest is that I've been so focused on IPAs over the last few years, and Imperial Stouts, in the late fall/winter, that I've gotten used to very assertive flavors in beer and beers that are a little more subtle, don't seem to register as high.

I've been working on that, though; trying to back off of the IPAs a little and try some other things. So I'll have to give Summerfest a try again, sometime soon. I thought it was a very good summer thirst quencher, it just wasn't something that really jumped out at me the last time I had it.

I hear ya, I went through that phase a while back. Always having huge IIPA's and Barleywines. The lighter styles just didn't register on my palate anymore. I went through a BJCP class a couple of years ago, and got re-acquainted with some really great styles of beer. Mostly German style beers.