Bell's Hopslam 2016

Comparing Hopslam to Rebel Rouser is like comparing a gourmet chocolate bar to a thin sun dried layer of cat diarrhea

 

foreal...I've been watching people buy two/three/four cases on-top of Mini Kegs and spending hundreds of dollars on this stuff like it's liquid gold.

 

So is the Meijer availability MI only or is it available at all/most meijers??

 

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Ahh that is indeed the age old question. And the reason I very rarely buy bombers. Unfortunately, the answer is that there is no shortage of people willing to pay a premium for 22 oz. bottles. The price point of Hopslam is right at the upper limit of what I'm comfortable paying for a good seasonal release. I enjoy it, but I'll probably only buy a few singles. I feel my money is better spent on Nugget Nectar and Hop Juju, both right around the corner.

 

Is there anyone out there who fits this description who can give a review of this year's hopslam:

- has been drinking the beer for a few years now
- is of the opinion that the last 2-3 years are not as good as say 5+ years ago
- has had this year's hopslam and feels that it has recaptured some of the magic of 5 years-ago hopslam

I don't know why I keep holding out hope that this beer returns to form...I should just let it go...but I think the canning variable has me more hopeful than previous years since I've come to the conclusion that the major problem with this beer is that it falls off so damn fast...

Anyone?

 

I've been drinking this beer for 10 years now. The beer hasn't changed, but my palate has.

In 2006, it was in a class of its own. Now, fortunately, there are lots of excellent IIPAs available year-round.

Excited to have this in cans, I will definitely pick up a sixer if I see it.

 

yeah, I'm sure you're right...I just refuse to accept it. I say that same thing about PtE all the time...why wouldn't it apply to other beers as well.

 

Will be doing a three year Hopslam vertical this weekend, should be pretty freaking awesome

 

Exactly.

This beer is just the same as it ever was, the market is just more crowded, and taste trends are different now.

Still a great beer I'd be happy to purchase.

 

Seriously? You will have one awesome beer and two drain pours .

 

Good news, @LarryBell! Too bad the shops in Philly sell them by the bottle at $5-7 each and limit you to 1-2 bottles...

 

This. I was at a dive restaurant in South Haven last August and they had Hopslam on the menu. I asked if they actually had it and they did. I had to get one.
It was like drinking boozy honey. It was interesting to try but not 'good'.

 

I'm not expecting it to be that bad. I've had year old Hopslam before and while the hop character def changed/faded, the flavor of the beer was still quite delicious (to my palette). Admittedly I have never had a two years old thus far, but that's the fun of trying the vertical, seeing how old the beer will go before it becomes a "drain pour" (to me).

 

Living in michigan I have been getting hopslam since 2008 and it's definitely a good beer. But for those that have never had it you might be dissapointed. Back in the day there was very few double ipas and this was one of the best. now just about every brewery has there own double ipa that is cheaper and easier to get so I think it's lost some of its appeal to me

 

I disagree with the people complaining about it. It's brewed with honey, so it's way different than most other DIPAs I've seen.

I plan to buy a few 6ers and a mini keg this year. Hitting my area early February apparently.

 

I don't know about that. I've never put forth the effort to save any Hopslam, because I like to drink my hoppy beers as fresh as reasonably possible. However, I went to a party back in June and the host had what he described as "a really special beer!" and proceeds to pull out a sixer of Hopslam that he said he had gotten recently. No idea where he shops that's holding back/still has Hopslam on the shelves in the middle of summer, but I digress.

Anyway, I try not to come off like a snobby beer asshole, so I was happy to give it a shot. While I can't say it tasted exactly the same as it does fresh, you'd be surprised how well it holds up.

We've gotten to the point where there is almost an over-emphasis on freshness. I think part of this is due to the wave of popular IPAs/IIPAs that depend heavily on a huge, fruity, aromatic profile imparted by copious dry-hopping. The drop-off on those beers seems more significant because that aroma that drives so much of the overall experience is the first to go.

The reality is that there are really good IPAs that can last well into the 3-6 month range and taste more or less like they did a couple weeks after bottling. As a general rule, it seems like the ones that hold up longer are more driven by grapefruit pith and bitterness than the juicy fruit characteristics you get from Tree House and others. I feel that Hopslam is one such beer. Another is (was) the old West Coast IPA recipe from Green Flash. There are others that I can't think of now.

 

5th or BA 4th?

 

Was this a Meijer in Indiana or Michigan? I assume MI but given your location says IN, figured it was worth asking...

 

Feel free to DM me if you have any issues grabbing any due to being out of town. I'm happy to lend a hand...subject to availability, obviously.

 

It was a Meijer in southern Michigan. Made the drive north since no one has it in Indiana yet. If the timing is the same as last year, probably expect to see it next Wednesday in Indiana.