Did Hop Drop n Roll Change?

Has anyone contacted the brewery about their concerns with inconsistencies?

 

I'm drinking one canned 3/11/15 and it's pretty damn good. It's not the same flavor as I remember, but it's still solid.

 

As others have mentioned, it really must be a packaging issue because it's pretty consistent on draft. I agree that the aroma hasn't quite been the same since they started centrifuging but I still feel it's a really, really great IPA.

 

Yes, its a malt bomb now...pressure from the east coast. Bring more west coast magic to the east coast.

 

If only they would distribute some kegs to Asheville so I could decide for myself

 

Had a can from 3/24. It was pretty good. Seems like it's getting back to being the beer i remember.

 

Decided to make this my first post. I've been drinking this beer pretty consistently since it originally came out and have not noticed any major differences (aside from color, which someone mentioned being due to the centrifuge). If you guys are getting diacetyl I would imagine it has more so do to with storage issues from wherever you are buying the beers. I exclusively buy my cans from Salud or the brewery and it always tastes fantastic. Whenever they get the fresh Citra hops though, Hop Drop is in another class.

 

I have stayed away from this because i haven't noticed any difference and I love this beer but the last 4 pack I got (3/2 or some date around there) was definitely not the same and for the first time, I was disappointed in this beer. Very little hops on the nose which is a big departure from what this used to be. I'm wondering if their centrifuge is the culprit here, which is one major thing that has changed in production of this beer (other than batch size).

 

The 3/16 kegs we poured last week were by far my favorite HDR I have ever consumed, bar none. As good as beer gets.

 

I agree that the diacetyl issue most likely rears it's head when the cans are left at room temperature for an extended period. Cans you get a Total Wine or Harris Teeter may sit around for a longer period of time, whereas the smaller bottle shops tend to get fresh cans weekly.

That still doesn't change the fact that it's an issue though. There are plenty of shelf stable beers out there that don't have this problem. Also, NoDa does not seem to be concern with whether or not the beer is stored cold, whereas OMB and Red Oak insist on it.

 

I just picked up some cans from 3/16 that are absolutely fantastic. I'm with others in that I've had some less than stellar Hop Drops lately, but it seems the issues have been figured out.

 

In Charlotte it doesn't sit around long, even in the larger chain stores. Total Wine is often out of it - stuff sells like hot cakes (not to be confused with Hop Cakes, which also sells quite well). They're churning HDR out like mad. I've never had a bad can of it - have had some off flavors on draft in the Charlotte area - at spots that don't sell good stuff well, or let their lines go sour.

 

It used to taste better IMO, I'm not a fan.

 

I've definitely seen cans approaching a month old in Total Wine. Obviously a month isn't "old" but it's definitely long enough for an off flavor to develop if sitting at room temp. Diacetyl is also a weird one because some people detect it right off the bat and others don't really taste it at all. Unfortunately, I'm one of those that seems to be sensitive to it. I haven't had a bad HDnR can since Oct/Nov of last year though, so I can't confirm or deny reports from those saying they've gotten them recently.

 

I'm surprised they sit that long, really - and I agree, if improperly stored that could cause problems. But we all know Total Wine wouldn't store something improperly. Cough. Gag.

 

dude maybe you just don't like this beer, you're not entitled to just because you're from/live in NC...

 

Diacetyl is NOT caused by storage conditions. It is a product of the brewing process. If fermentation does not begin soon enough, then diacetyl will start to be produced. It's more complicated than that simple explanation. It can also be produced when a bacterial infection is present. Storage does not affect diacetyl. Also, caramel diacetyl can be mistaken for caramel malt and the other way around. Hop drop uses some caramel malt, so it may be that they aren't consistently adding the same amount to each batch. Idk if that could be it. Someone else might be able to say if this is possible or not. I don't have enough experience with diacetyl and caramel malt to know the taste differences.

 

Well with the last page's comments, I'm ready to try it again. I'll buy from the brewery to be safe. It's 7 minutes away.

 

But if an infection is present, storage conditions will affect how quickly that progresses. A bacterial infection will move much more quickly at 70 degrees than it will at 35.

There are basically 2 options for this issue. Either the beer is being moved off the yeast too quickly or there is a contamination present.

 

Wouldn't more people taste what some of you are tasting if it was an issue with the cans/diacetyl? Looking at the reviews section on here, it seems like a lot of people are still heralding this beer as a great IPA. I'm still pretty skeptical of some of the claims in here, but maybe that's just because I live so close to the brewery so I've never had the chance to get a beer more then a ~1.5 months old.