Hopslam!

[Homercidal]

Not a fan this year. Bought a 6-pack of cans and drank about 4 of them. I'm just not getting as much hop character as I remember. Now this could be my own tastes changing as I drink more DIPAs, but I also remember a distinct Piney character back when I first tried it, and I'm not getting much of that this year.

Anyone else notice a lack of Pine in their Hopslam?

I mean, it's still a great DIPA, and I like the balance of malt sweetness and bitter (not as dry as the west coast IPAs), but I'm missing that really piney hop punch that I loved years back.

 

[m00ps]

Its not as piney to me either, but could be just this years hop harvest?

also side note: I was on a business trip to Columbus OH last year and found myself in the middle of a hopslam scandal. Apparently one bottle shop sent their employees to every Giant Eagle in the area to buy all the hopslam. Every single case. A pic surfaced on social media of one of the employees with literally a palate jack of hopslam behind him. There werent any specific policies at Giant Eagle forbidding it. The shop then posted something like "missed out on this years hopslam? we got ## cases left!" They sold it at a considerable markup The whole city rallied to boycott the store

totally my soaps for the day

 

[orionol73]

I thought it was good as usual but was missing the honey character that usually stands out myself. I feel like the cans may have had a little to do with the character changes...sure is and odd feeling drinking Hopslam from a can!

 

[m00ps]

I thought it was good as usual but was missing the honey character that usually stands out myself. I feel like the cans may have had a little to do with the character changes...sure is and odd feeling drinking Hopslam from a can!

yeah but its MUCH easier to sneak into movie theaters

 

[indymedic]

I thought it was very good as usual. I always taste subtle differences in it year to year. Usually more or less honey or hops. I think it's great that it changes from year to year. It keeps me wanting to buy it. I do hope they go back to bottles though. Im not a big fan of the can movement.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I've had a few sixers. Two of them where more pineappley fruity, and the other sixer was more piney. I remember last year being more pineappley.

I also had it on draft, and it was pineappley... but a little bit of pine to it too.



I don't even know what's going on anymore. Lol!


I'm picking up a mini keg of it this weekend from my cousin in GR, so I'll see what that tastes like. $40 is a steal of a deal for a mini keg of Hopslam when sixers are $18 by me!

 

[NickTheGreat]

I missed out on Hopslam this year

 

[blizz81]

I had my first experience of Hopslam ever last weekend, on tap. It was fairly tasty, but I didn't understand the hype.


Then I followed that up with my first tap pour of Grapefruit Sculpin, of which I had my first experience from a bottle a couple months back and felt the same way. Had posted in a thread here about it not being super-grapefruity - more like a good, bitter West Coast IPA with a hint of grapefruit bitterness on the finish. Everyone said "Oh no way, man. You guys got a non-fresh batch. The grapefruit is OVERPOWERING!"

I later looked up the Julian date on the bottle. I didn't remember exactly when I had purchased the bottles but it had to have been within a couple weeks of the Julian date. Tap pour tasted the same to me.

 

[spongebob2]

I picked some up for a friend last year but wasn't a hop head at the time so I didn't try it.
Wish I would have- probably would have saved me the $20 I dropped on a sixer - I don't get the hype or the price.
Buddy was over last night & we were both really not impressed with the hop profile .
Then poured myself a glass of my last homebrew- had my bud try it.
I got about half of it back! It's a hop bomb.

 

[NervousDad]

I didn't like this year at all. Either IPAs caught up or this year was just not as good. Tasted kind of cheesy to me.

 

[Homercidal]

I've had a few sixers. Two of them where more pineappley fruity, and the other sixer was more piney. I remember last year being more pineappley.

I also had it on draft, and it was pineappley... but a little bit of pine to it too.



I don't even know what's going on anymore. Lol!


I'm picking up a mini keg of it this weekend from my cousin in GR, so I'll see what that tastes like. $40 is a steal of a deal for a mini keg of Hopslam when sixers are $18 by me!

This is exactly how I feel about the flavors the past couple of years! Thanks for confirming my palate.

I missed out on Hopslam this year

I'll check the local shop. Some years I've been able to buy it many weeks after it's released. People here didn't look for it.

Last year was different, though, so it might not be available. If I can find it, I'll keep you in mind.

 

[orionol73]

I missed out on Hopslam this year

Sorry to hear that...we still have cases in our stores around here!

 

[pshankstar]

I'm picking up a mini keg of it this weekend from my cousin in GR, so I'll see what that tastes like. $40 is a steal of a deal for a mini keg of Hopslam when sixers are $18 by me!

I just received two cans of it from a LOT thread on here and now its available in Western NY but at $18 a six pack. I couldn't believe how much it was when I saw it but I guess that is pretty normal seeing how its the same price your way.

Sorry, never had it before so I cannot compare, but it is damn good from what I've tried so far.

 

[slym2none]

I passed on Hopslam this year.

 

[82shovel]

IMO...preferred last years batch of Hopslam over this years batch. Its good but just not as much Wow factor. Prefer this years batch of Nugget Nectar over last years too.

 

[elerten]

It was different, but it's always a bit different. Same thing as the Black Note. It's a bit different every year. I find myself loving the fact that some of Bell's beers are a little different depending on hop harvest, grain availability, and additives that come in different each year. This is a really big beer with a ton of hop / break material. Even how it runs in a centrifuge can change the outcome.

 

[jmcquesten]

I just picked some up Friday. It is good, but I will not pay $22 + tax for a six pack of it again. They got me this time due to the hype on HBT, and the fact that I found it weeks after it was released because total wine got another shipment after the rush. $22 is almost a batch of beer, so it's hard to justify that. I guess if I just consider it as 3 - 22 oz bottles for $8 each (with a few extra ounces), it doesn't seem as bad. I still won't pay that again though.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I missed out on Hopslam this year

There was a second drop, which i missed. But was at the store Saturday and saw 6 or 8 sitting there.

I still think it's a very good beer. But I really like IIPA's

 

[Beer-lord]

Not being anywhere close to where I can get it, I've only been 'gifted' it a few times and always have enjoyed it but since it could be a 2 years between having them, I can't say much how they differ from batch to batch get lucky and a very nice brewer shared some with me. I had the last one yesterday.
I will admit, I thought it not too hoppy but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

[shelly_belly]

It's hard to find down here. That's ok, we have a substitute.

 

[Homercidal]

It's hard to find down here. That's ok, we have a substitute.

That looks awful! It doesn't even have a HOP on the label!

 

[shelly_belly]

All the hops are inside!

 

[Homercidal]

Attended a "Beer Appreciation" class last night at our nearby brewery, hosted by the brewmaster. The topic was American IPAs and Double IPAs. They brought Hopslam for comparison.

After trying several different IPAs (working our way up, mostly by ABV) we reached the DIPA category and it was interesting to taste Hopslam side-by-side with other hoppy beers. The main thing that stuck out for me was that it tasted fruity and citrusy, with a familiar flavor I could put my mind to. When Adam asked if anyone got PINEAPPLE from it I couldn't believe it. This year's hopslam has a HUGE amount of Pineapple! Obviously they have swapped hops over the years. Way back it used to be a citrus and PINE combo, but it really tastes like they mixed in some NZ type hops this year or something.

The bitterness is still fairly reserved compared to some other DIPAs I've tasted, and it's a smoother bitterness. There is some honey character, but it's mostly to dry the beer out a bit. But please note that Hopslam is NOT a dry beer...

 

[JonM]

I bet the pineapple comes from the Bell's house yeast. It's sometimes really prominent in Oberon.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Attended a "Beer Appreciation" class last night at our nearby brewery, hosted by the brewmaster. The topic was American IPAs and Double IPAs. They brought Hopslam for comparison.

After trying several different IPAs (working our way up, mostly by ABV) we reached the DIPA category and it was interesting to taste Hopslam side-by-side with other hoppy beers. The main thing that stuck out for me was that it tasted fruity and citrusy, with a familiar flavor I could put my mind to. When Adam asked if anyone got PINEAPPLE from it I couldn't believe it. This year's hopslam has a HUGE amount of Pineapple! Obviously they have swapped hops over the years. Way back it used to be a citrus and PINE combo, but it really tastes like they mixed in some NZ type hops this year or something.

The bitterness is still fairly reserved compared to some other DIPAs I've tasted, and it's a smoother bitterness. There is some honey character, but it's mostly to dry the beer out a bit. But please note that Hopslam is NOT a dry beer...

So...

Are you saying you've become a fan of this year's version now?


I was a little disappointed in it at first, but it seems to keep getting better with age... surprisingly. Maybe it was just the first round of distribution that was subpar. I don't know. It's really reminiscent to last year for me now.

 

[Homercidal]

So...

Are you saying you've become a fan of this year's version now?


I was a little disappointed in it at first, but it seems to keep getting better with age... surprisingly. Maybe it was just the first round of distribution that was subpar. I don't know. It's really reminiscent to last year for me now.

I won't say I like this year's better than the first couple of years I had it, but it was interesting to sample alongside a few other beers.

I will say I liked Adam's (Crankers) End of the World IIPA better than Hopslam. But they are meant to be different. EOTW is a drier, more West Coast style more similar to Pliney where it's meant to be REALLY hoppy and pretty bitter, but still drinkable.

I actually brought a can of Hopslam home from that class last night and gave it to a guy at work who never had it. Waiting to see what he thinks.

I'd like to see Hopslam put into oak barrels with a touch of bourbon.

 

[Calichusetts]

I didn't like this year at all. Either IPAs caught up or this year was just not as good. Tasted kind of cheesy to me.

This. Each year will of course vary but its not that its "worse" than previous years, its that so many beers have come out that are just as good if not better. Tends to take the magic out of it.

That said, I though this year was a mild offering at best, nothing jumped out. But like I said, I'm drinking amazing beers all the time now, so I can't tell if my downgrade is simply because others are so much better.

 

[Wrangled13]

I actually am a fan of it this year. I find it better than last years.