Hoptimum

I prefer Hoptimum over Hopslam. Never had a Pliny.

 

Never had a Hopslam, but I have had Pliny and I would say I much prefer Hoptimum.

 

I like Hoptimum a lot but for me it's not as good as Pliny or a bunch of others. 91 out of 100 seems about right.

Looking at my reviews I have it at 4.43 so clearly I liked it a great deal. I have Pliny at 4.75 on tap (4.68 in bottle).

 

Never had Pliny or Hopslam but damn I love Hoptimum! Cheers to Sierra Nevada for such great brew!

 

No. I've not had it since it came in 4-packs, but the first two batches weren't on par with Pliny, let alone the greats like Hopslam, Abrasive, or Heady Topper. Not bad by any means, but not great.

 

Had all 3. Rather have the modestly priced hoptimum.
SN should make this year round, Although knowing my stores they'll turn hoptimum into Bigfoot sitting do long on their shelves.

 

Yeah, this more recent release is much better than the first but IMO it's still no Pliny. I've just finished my last of the 4 pack of Hoptimum I had in the fridge about 5 minutes ago. It's just extremely unbalanced. That's not always bad. If you like the flavor of hop resin you're gonna get it in Hoptimum. I just think Pliny, Maharaja, Blue Dot, etc get the point across more subtly and with more finesse than Hoptimum. I'd say 91/100 is pretty accurate.

 

Not had Hoplsam, but Hoptimum is not a patch on Pliny. I had both 2 days apart (around two weeks ago), no contest - Pliny WINS 'Flawless Victory' ! Subtle Finnesse sums it up well. Not as much disguise of the alcohol in the Hoptimum as I'd like. Yes - it's a few notches higher than Pliny in the ABV stakes but this was my first taste of Hoptimum and I wasn't as impressed as I was expecting to be!

On the hops theme I had Maine - beer lunch for the first time that same week, what a sublime and well balanced hop hit that is at 7% ABV !!!

 

Ratings on here are more of a popularity contest, I wouldn't worry about exact numbers so much. It's still rated pretty high especially given the first year's wasn't so tasty.

But yes, it's definitely on par with most of the more hyped DIPA's. In fact for a full on frontal hop attack while maintaining nice hop flavors it's as good as anything IMO.

 

I thought Hoptimum was excellent this year...enjoyed it more than Palate Wrecker. The only DIPA I liked more that I had this year was the Heady Topper.

 

Based on MY local availability...

Hoptimum ... available a few months a year.
Hopslam ... available 1-2 days a year, if you get on a list, follow Twitter/EvilBook or chase the trucks.
Pliny ... not available.

I have to side with Hoptimum. That said, fresh Pliny is divine and definitely a cut above the other two (only Heady Topper comes close IMO). Hopslam, to me, is getting worse from year to year. Hopefully Hoptimum will be as consistent a brew as Celebration.

 

Hoptimum had a little too much alcohol sweetness for my liking but obviously that's just personal preference. I didn't care too much for Lake Erie Monster either.

 

Thought the same about Hopslam. Thought Hoptimum was better now in smaller bottles and it has been a few years since I had a Pliny. Loved the first Hopslam I had but I would have to say Pliny and Hoptimum are a toss up.

 

Pliny over Hoptimum
Hoptimum v. Hopslam--tossup
Hoptimum over Heady

 

I prefer Hoptimum over Hopslam over Pliny. People generally vary wildly on what they prefer in DIPAs/IIPA. Fruity/piney/woody/malty... you can find them all in the style.

 

I think Hopslam and Hoptimum are comparable flavor wise. I actually prefer Hoptimum, espeically at the price point and availablity. Pliny is much different to me. Not near as big and in your face. If I had the choice between all of them, I would take Pliny. They are all "world class" IMO.

 

Personally I didn't think Hoptimum was at the same level as Hopslam or Abrasive. Haven't' had Pliny or Heady so I can't compare to those.

 

Hoptimum is great! I prefer Hopslam, Abrasive, Heady and Pliny over it. Still doesn't mean it's a great world class brew.

 

Not to be the scrooge here, but I was that guy destroyed the review. It was just too bitter and piney for my taste. I like citric, dank, and sweet. Hoptimum is all pine and bitter all the way. I can name so many DIPAs above it: Pliny, Hopslam, The Oracle, Lake Erie Monster, GLBC Hop Madness, Double Trouble, Uinta Hop Notch, Olde Hickory Death by Hops, and Heady Topper. Hell I even had one from Willoughby Brewing (Hop Madness) that was better than Hoptimum.

When that list took me all of like 2 seconds, It cant be world class, or even worth my dollars.