Bell's Hopslam (2018)

I guess I will put in my two cents. I bought (and tried) Hopslam this year for the first time. I found it to be really well balanced, and a little on the sweet side. What stuck out to me was the heavy mouth feel. It drinks like a lower ABV than what it is, but that thick, full mouth feel lets you know it's not. I do think the honey could be dialed back a bit to make it swing to the bitter side of balanced. Beautiful beer in the glass though.

 

Sometimes, the opinions of others about certain beers are so hard for me to relate to that it makes me feel like I'm not human. Hopslam is one of those beers. Beers can be simultaneously sweet and hoppy. Hopslam has a generous sweetness to it, but it's also a freakin' hoppy beer. The sweetness is just one piece of the picture. I'd go so far as to say that it's a rarity in that it's both brash and pretty cohesive considering. I have no idea how anyone can think that it's not a hoppy beer. I think it's even bold and hoppy by American IPA standards.

 

Agreed it's a hoppy beer, but do you mean by hoppy by perceived bitterness, aroma, or flavor of the hops? Because I believe it's hoppy in it's aroma and flavor, but the malt and sweetness crush the perceived bitterness a little too much for my palate.

 

Agreed on all points.

Thus when someone thinks the word "hoppy" refers only to perceived bitterness, then they would say Hopslam is not a hoppy beer.

@zid

 

Just had a hopslam from this year compliments of a little gift from ma and pa. I think, as usual, it's a pretty stellar beer. Certainly one of those beers that the field has caught up with so it's not as much of a standout as it was years ago but man, for a 10% DIPA that is well balanced (I personally much prefer it to Pliny) it's certainly a treat. I think the honey lends a thinner sweetness than malt that lets the hoppy flavors (as noted, not just the hop bitterness) still do their thing.
For whats it's worth, last year I didn't get a taste of hopslam until late April and by that point it was much much sweeter than I remembered and I didn't enjoy it

 

Ouch it was just 12.99 on sale up here 2 weeks ago....

 

Heard from someone in Philly today who said he saw it for $29.99. We've got good selection and a great culture, but the prices are out of control (I say after a trip to Tired Hands ).

 

All three. Is it the most bitter beer? No, but I would personally say that it has a noticeable bitterness. I should add that my sensitivity to bitterness shifts... so in the case of Hopslam, there are times when it feels like it's too sweet and lacking in balance, and other times when the bitterness easily hits me. Regardless, considering an overall impression, I would never say that Hopslam did not have perceivable bitterness. I would characterize Hopslam as being a "big" beer in general, and the hop character being the major component in a concoction with multiple big players. I would assume that it uses Bell's house ale yeast because I also get the same orange character as Two Hearted. Speaking of which, I actually think that Two Hearted comes across as the more bitter beer, but it's a lighter beer in comparison. My 2 cents.

@drtth

 

Damn skippy.

Just got some at the distributor yesterday for around $35 for a two six packs of cans. Even then the lady at the checkout asked me if I knew how much they were and if I was OK with that.

 

I remember reading that Hopslam and Two Hearted have similar IBU levels.

Yes they use the house Ale yeast. It does produce some nice orange esters.

 

Where's Troegs Nugget Nectar? Incredible seasonal worthy of this list.

 

It's not the same as last year, brah.

 

I never mind when a cashier does that - kinda nice, really. But then as I'm leaving, it always make me think:

"Hey, wait a minute - did I check the date code? How much of this sort of stuff do they sell if the person at the register is surprised at the price? "

 

Idk those 24 packs of cans are absolute fire.

 

I was at a burger joint that was offerering Hopslam up on their menu, I passed, but how old is this stuff now? I don't even like it fresh, but I normally at least try it on tap if I see it.

 

I almost always have to stop on my way to the register to do this. I don't know why I never think of it until then. You'd think I'd get wise to this by now.

If I'm not at a craft beer centric place, which I wasn't, I don't worry too much about it.