Hype vs. Reality

Decicco's hyped the crap out of Bell's entry in the NY market as well as the hopslam. I thought hopslam was very good. I enjoyed the sweet honey finish- though a little big for me as far as ipa's are concerned. I think two hearted is a fantastic ipa.

 

So, how long have you had it in your area, approximately? Bell's is one of the best breweries in the country. Easily top 10 in terms of consistency and quality across the board.

Bell's Expedition is Top 5 best unBA'd RIS out there. Stick it in your pantry and lose it for 3 years and what you'll open when you find it is one of the best beers you'll ever have. Oberon, Black Note, Oracle, Oarsman, Cherry Stout, Hopslam, etc. So many really really good beers.

 

I found Hopslam to be a slightly-above-average DIPA. I don't have anything "bad" to say about it other than it was certainly not worth the hype or the inflated price.

 

I love Bell's! I'm grateful that it floods my area and that I have access to it when I like. Just because you may not "notice" it anymore, doesn't take away from the fact that it is one of the best breweries out there. I'm sure this statement can be said for a lot of others as well.

 

Personal opinion vs. reality.

 

It's like Pliny. Back in the day, these were godlike DIPAs. But so many breweries now are doing incredible stuff that they're not what they used to be. Couple that with the fact that Hopslam is just flat out not as good as it used to be and you wind up with a lot of people feeling the beer is overpriced and unimpressive.

 

I thought Hopslam was awesome and unique, too many beers taste the same as other beers, especially in the DIPA world. I give props to Bell's on that one.

 

You could give a college philosophical course about the gulf between 'perception' and 'reality' based soley on craft beers and the people who are obsessed with them.

Not only do you have to temper your enthusiasm for something thats hyped up a lot, but you conversely have to make sure you dont think NEGATIVELY about a great beer that will inevitably not live up to hype.

Bell's is a great case, as I'm from NY and was finally trying it for the first time. My excitement over seeing the labels at my local shop gave me that dopamine squirt, but I knew I'd be a little let down at first.

Which I was...I really like Hopslam but dont see what the fuss is about; and the THA seemed a little pedestrian to me, but by the second time I was trying it, I was pretty much sold.

 

I have no doubt that many of you paid (or were forced to pay) WAY too much for Hopslam (or pass on it altogether) but that being said, I don't think it's undeserving of the praise it receives - note my use of the word praise, and not hype... it's way hyped up, but it's every bit as good (IMHO) as folks say it is. As for Bell's other offerings, I think it's all quite above average. Maybe not the best out there, but certainly competing for top place in the price point. Even Kalamazoo stout seems an unheralded champ. A really solid stout - but since it's not oatmeal/BA/chocolate/coffee - we don't really see any mention of it. I used to love Guinness. Now I love Kazoo.

 

I agree with most of that. Bell's makes great beer. Hopslam is very good, and I will have one (at half price) during my weekly happy hour until they're gone for the season. But I'd never pay full price for a 6-pack again. There are just too many other comparable options that aren't overpriced.

 

Same could be said about Green Flash here. Before they hit Iowa, it was a very "hyped" brewery. Now their beers sit on shelves for months without moving, sans special releases. Doesn't mean they aren't good beers, just that they excitement over them has died and nobody seems to buy them any more. Stone launched here about the same time and still sells very, very well comparatively. Some breweries just don't sell so good in some markets.

 

Id be curious of the selection available in NYC. if you are basing your opinion on 2H and Hopslam you are missing out on the vast majority of the brews they make. imo those are 2 of their just above avg beers.

 

What makes you think I'm not relaxed? My main point is that, if you haven't had it in your area long, you may need a little time for the "hype" to die down. Once you get past that phase, you'll be able to really assess the brewery for what they are: an extremely consistent brewery making high level, quality brews of many different varieties.

 

Just because you don't love a brewery's portfolio doesn't mean they're a bad brewery. Obviously your opinion counts as much as anyone's but you're obviously in the minority.

 

I'd ask what comparable but affordable options you have in mind but I can almost guarantee that none of them are available where I'm at

 

I don't think he feels they're a bad brewery, he doesn't even seem to be picking on Bell's in particular, they're just the example. My takeaway from the OP was that Hype gets us all worked up about beers that aren't really that much better than what's already available to us, and we should be happy with what we've got already.

 

One thing to add, I don't think Two Hearted is that great. It's very good, and people rate it as high as GF West Coast and Racer 5, which is bonkers to me. BUT, here in SoFla, it's 9.99 for a fresh sixer, and you're going to have a tough time finding better beers at that price point, IMO. Stone, Racer, and Torpedo are the only ones that come to mind.