Where's the Bell's Hopslam 2019 love?

Right here. Been a devotee to HopSlam since the late 2000's..

 

See my posted thread 'Bells Hopslam-Limited Release-Why??"
My guess is that it's just not that 'special' anymore and THEY DON'T MAKE ENOUGH OF IT.

 

Found in local liquor store for $15.49 6pak 12oz cans.
I was at a local restaurant that had Hopslam on tap. The beer menu had the abv in bold red and was a 12oz pour versus their 16 or 22 ounce offerings.
The ultimate responsibility for irresponsible serving / drinking, I feel, falls to the drinker not the server. The server can limit servings on high abv but to call them “ incredibly irresponsible” because it’s over 12oz or some acceptable oz size is taking the event out of context and an “ irresponsible” and unfair accusation.
I did not have a fun story. I had one beer. End of story.

 

I bought a six pack a couple weeks ago at $19.99 and thoroughly enjoyed it, as a once per year expense I have no issue with the pricing. I've enjoyed it for several years now and found this year's to be really tasty (as has been said, there was a more noticeable honey presence this year. At least going from memory as I dont write reviews). I've noticed the popularity gradually decline over the past few years, at work we received over two dozen cases and it's definitely not flying off the shelf. From everything I've observed about the craft community it's simply because it's not trendy/limited anymore. Naturally there are exceptions and people's palates do change but overall it's always seemed to be driven by what's novel at the time, and Hopslam's time in the spotlight is long past. Which is fine because it's no longer limited to one bottle that I had to arrive at the exact right time for

 

None here. Hopslam is an easy pass. Distribute it to more destitute areas plz.

 

How could you know for sure from year to year it has changed? Can't do a side by side. Tastes change. I would imagine after sucking on hazy juice bombs all year, Hopslam just doesn't taste the same...

 

That’s a fair point. But when I first discovered Hopslam eons ago I was drinking exclusively what would be called WC style ipas now. That first nose on Hopslam was a revelation, the first bottle was completely different than any other ipa I’ve ever had. It was all tropical fruit, it was just a stunning beer. Now since then I’ve had about every ipa I’ve cared to try, and I know what a tropical fruit bomb tastes like, NEIPAS included. I’m hot and cold of the style some are good some are average, but none are really bad. So it follows when I last tried Hopslam it displayed about zero tropical fruit hits. What I get now is a beer that leans a tad to the malty side, by my tastes even when it’s fresh it tastes like it’s a 3 month old beer. It tastes like the hops have faded and the malt backbone carries it, it’s also a tad sweet. They use honey but I don’t know that causes what I’m tasting, the Hop side just tastes off somehow, there’s not a clean bright balance,it’s brooding and dark tasting, perhaps more woodsy. Palates change for sure, but I can go back and revisit many beers I used to drink, but IMO Hopslam today is not the same as it was 10 years ago give or take. Doesn’t make it bad it’s just different, and there was the year I walked into TW and pulled 2 cases off the cart nd walked thru the doors $120 lighter. I promise you I don’t but 2 cases at a clip of a so so beer, this year I just walked by $19 6 packs, the last 3-4 at least has convinced me this is now the style of beer they want, so I’m not curious at all.

Let me add it wouldn’t be the first beer to change it’s profile as the brewery ramped up production. NoDa Ho Drop and Roll is a truly sad example of a Gold Medal ipa, that I traded straight up for Heady to a beer that’s unrecognizable from what it was. But everyone’s palates are different, but it’s not hard to showcase tropical fruits with the Hop combos available today, I just don't get a bit of that.

 

Aww! I loves me some Hopslam! This year I began with a Crowler, scored a sixer of CANs & had some on-tap. I still want a mini-keg & a bottle. Yum!

 

Since this is the first year that its being shipped to Jersey, I was excited to find 6'ers in my local liquor store cooler. Now I don't have to travel to PA or NY to get it.

 

Was it just Hopslam or their whole lineup that’s new? Jerseys a huge market too.

 

Bells started distributing to NJ fairly recently so the whole lineup but before the release of Hopslam.

 

Go figure, the Philly, Jersey, NY market would be high on my list to blanket as a brewery. Enjoy.

 

Speaking of a beer that's changed its profile, the change made to Surly Abrasive should be subject to a congressional hearing. I'm very aware that palates change, but the change to that beer was ..... substantial, at least it was in the fall of 2016, the last time I had the opportunity to secure it (we moved to Texas the following spring). The color changed, the aroma changed (a LOT), the taste changed (a LOT-er). It literally wasn't the same beer.

I thought that this year's iteration of Hopslam was significantly citrusier (dare I say brighter) than the previous couple of years. I was like you, there was a time I purchased a case or two, but I stopped that a couple of years ago. Now a 6er satisfies my Hopslam yearning. Glad I picked up a 6er.

PS: there are STACKS of it here in Northern Indiana. It is literally all over the damn place. My local has ..... I don't know, 15 or 20 cases sitting on the floor.

Right next to 2+ cases of this year's CBS.

 

Disappointing about Abrasive, that was one beer that say 5-6 years ago or so I rated equal to Heady. It was just a tremendous beer, bright fruit , damn it was good enough to bite the bullet from france44. My last Abrasive was maybe 2 years ago and I was disappointed, but to be fair france44 sent me 3 month old beer. So maybe it just wasn’t old, and perhaps ramping up production seems to be more than a bit of math to keep the ratios. Not sure if this is the case here, but sometimes popularity can be the kiss of death.

 

Abrasive is my highest rated beer here. I can remember 4 or 5 years ago, my sister-in-law and her family came to visit us in Minnesota for Thanksgiving. My bro-in-law, an inveterate Coors Light drinker, had started to venture on to a broader selection of beers after I served him Pilsner Urquell the year before.

So I'm at my local a couple of days before Thanksgiving, and Abrasive had just released. It was 3 days old (by the "Canned On" date). I grabbed four 4-packs, paid, and ran from that store like I was chasing a guy that just stole my wallet. Got home, had to crack one open (I'd first had it maybe 3 years before, but never 3 days old).

Popped the top ..... a muddertrucking Citra hop farm erupted from that can. Incredible. I could literally smell the hops 5 feet away from the can, and the same thing happened two days later with my bro-in-law - he literally said, "WTF is THAT???!!!???"

That's hops, my brother. Loads and loads and LOADS of hops.

And it was staggeringly drinkable, especially at 9%. My brother-in-law still talks about that day, usually as we're drinking an IPA he's selected - he's a full-on hophead now.

I miss that beer.

 

Oh hell ya, when I popped the go on my first Abrasive it literally took over the room. Kinda sad they killed it, didn’t they have a change of brewers? That would explain why it’s off kilter,.

 

Dale, what you wrote here is consistent with my perceptions of the draft glass of Hopslam I had last week (7 bucks for a 12 ounce pour). It was by no means a 'bad' beer but when I finished that glass I had no inclination to order a second glass. I suspect that Hopslam will be 'one and done' for me this year?

Cheers!

 

Yep, Todd Haug quit and went to Three Floyds in the fall of 2016.

The year Abrasive changed.

I'm sure that's a coinkie-dinkie.

 

Definitely expensive but this year's batch is a winner compared to previous years.

 

It falls on both parties. Doesn't mean it's not irresponsible for the bar to over serve.

16 oz. of a 10% beer is the equivalent of 2.66 standard drinks. One of the previous members said it was only $5 that night for this serving.

It's absolutely the responsiblility of the customer as well, but it doesn't mean this isn't facilitating poor behavior.

If I'm clearly by myself at a bar and ask for three beers at once, they won't serve them to me.