Bell's Hop Slam

[HomelessWook]

i bought 2 6 backs this season

1 was 20.99 even after tax

the other 22 even after tax'

now its sold out at every store here

and im sipping one of my last 5

 

[BlackForestBrewery]

I just bought a 6er of HopSlam last night. Talk about a damn good beer... Well worth the $16.

 

[Whut]

Picked up a 6-pack this evening for $19.99. Can't wait to taste tomorrow!

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

Drinking a Single I bought at bell's general store. Mmmmmmmm

 

[cimirie]

Went to a Bell's event yesterday afternoon in Jacksonville, FL where Hopslam was a feature on draft. $7/pint is way expensive IMHO for a pint of anything in Jax. BUT, it sure was tasty and I have never seen it on draft here in FL, so no regrets.

I actually came away with a Bell's prize pack from a raffle: 2 double cream stouts, 2 hopslams, Expedition stout, a Bell's pint glass and keychain. Not a bad little afternoon!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Seen the thread and had to chime in. This seaon my neighbor and I decided to stock up on Hop Slam for the year. We typically stock up on seasonals. For example: This fall between the two of us we stocked up on 8 cases and several mini kegs of Oberon to make it through the winter.

We called around and most of the local specialty beer stores were only issued 2 cases each in our area. Luckily, we have a Meijer (yes this is not a typo I said Meijer) that has a spectacular craft beer department. A little over a month ago, when Bell's released Hop Slam for distribution, I called Meijer and they were slated to get 10 cases and 10 mini kegs from their distributer. My neighbor and I were at the store the day it was received. It was $16.49 per six pack and $34.95 per mini keg.

I'm embarrased to say that between my neighbor and I we purchased 4 cases and 4 mini kegs . (Over $400 worth ) In the next couple of weeks we are going to have a big outdoor winter fest in our neighborhood and we are calling it "Hop Slamma Jamma!".

 

[permo]

I am just now tasting hopslam for the first time, and I will say this beer is good, really, really good. I paid $16 for a six pack here in North Dakota, I am assuming that the beer didn't sell well and is fairly old as the hop aroma is fairly restrained. However, the flavor is very nice and the %10 ABV is really hidden well, as this beer is tasty and smooth. I wouldn't even call it overly bitter. My palate tells me the beer is very dry, like 1.015 or less and I don't detect centennial in this at all. Centennial is a very sharp and distinct taste. I would guess simcoe, amarillo and chinook. Yeast is very neutral, I wouldn't worry about their strain, WLP001 would be good but I would choose WLP007. Too be honest I don't think I can pick the honey out either, so sugar would work just fine IMO. Here is what I would do

17 pounds two row
1 pound C40
1 pound sugar/hone
1 oz chinook at 60
1 oz simcoe at 20
1 oz amarillo at 20
1 oz simcoe at 5
1 oz amarillo at 5
1 oz simcoe dry hop
1 oz amarillo dry hop
mash at 150
WLP007 at 64 degrees

 

[HokieBrewer]

This sounds a bit beer snobbish, but if HopSlam is over a month old, I'd just as soon get another cheaper DIPA. That stuff fades really fast. When it's fresh it's otherworldy, but after some time in the bottle it really loses its magic.

 

[Slowfro]

I love HS, and had to buy a 6er since it was the last one at the store and thought it'd be good to celebrate a golden birthday. I'd love to hear how people's clones turn out; I'm doing a rather large IPA as we speak that I'm throwing some honey in as a tribute to HS. I guess I'll see how it is in about 7 weeks (that seems way too far out!)

 

[tbone0n74]

Just tried this beer for the first time here in VA. It was $22 a six-pack, limit one per customer. I have to tell you, that sounds expensive, but it was well worth every penny! I would love to be able to clone this sucker, or to even come close for that matter. They do leave some clues on their website..

"Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell's Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell's repertoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style."

I'm fairly new to this whole thing, but if some of you other hop-heads want to try to crack this code, I say, let's figure it out!

 

[ScottSingleton]

I dont remember where I found the recipe I tried two weeks back -- I'll see if I can dig up the source.

I had one of those hell brew days with that batch too -- had a stuck mash, first in a year (was out of hulls) -- my screen slipped off my kettle tube and I clogged my plate chiller with hop leaves. I dropped my March pump when pulling off one of the disconnects to attempt to reverse the chiller flow and free up clog.

Anyway -- my hopes are not to high on that batch and it was probably at least $20 worth of hops. It's just starting to fall clear now and I've got a two week dry hop schedule coming up.

Ended up with 4.5 gallons and a final OG of 1.081 so it's not going to be quite as hot as hopslam.

Here was the recipe. It omits honey and the original from the source had the IBU's way up in the 100+ range. Based on how I've tasted it I didn't think this was nearly as accurate so I dropped the initial two hoppings by 1/2 to put it in the 60 range. While I don't think this is anywhere near dead on it sounded interesting enough to try.

6# 6-row base
4# 2-row base
2# Munich
1# Aromatic
8oz Carapils (Dexterine)
3 lbs Corn Sugar

1oz Chinook 75 min
1oz Hallertauer 60 min
1oz Cascade 20 min
1oz Centennial 15 min
1oz Goldings 10 min
1oz Goldings 1 min

2 oz Simcoe (10-14 day dry hop)