Just popped open a Hoptimum the other day and was blown away by the sweetness but not in a good way. I was surprised by how sweet it was. I don't remember it being so sweet. Anybody else notice this or is it just a change in my palate? Still another solid beer from SN.
I'm thinking it's on your end - tasted fairly comparable (to my recollection anyway ) to previous years.
I remember it as the same also. It's always had a touch of malt sweetness to it. With amount of hops/oils in it IMO it balances out quite nicely.
I've had 8 bottles of this years Hoptimum so far, and none of them have tasted sweet. In fact, I think this years release seems a little more "harsh" that last years, drinking like a punchy SIPA. (headhunter for example) Everyone has different tastes though.
It's more malt-forward than those, but I don't know about "sweet". I've had the bitterest of the bitter when it comes to IPA's and I always count Hoptimum among them. But every palate is different. Doesn't mean you had a bad bottle or your taste buds are off.
freshness maybe? like most 10%+ DIPAs, it's gonna be a little sweet and then get sickeningly cloying as it gets older.
