First Hopslam.

Hi Jack...as always, great write-up.

My biggest gripe with Hopslam is a general lack of hop flavor. I get a ton of sweetness and a good bit of bitterness. Any notes of citrus, pine, tropical fruit, etc. are extremely muted (almost non-existent). It is undoubtedly a big beer but I find it lacking in flavor and complexity.

 

FWIW that is my line of thinking. I strongly suspect that the sweetness in Hopslam is from the heavy malt bill needed to produce a 10% ABV beer.

Cheers!

I can understand you saying this. I picked up some citrus in this can of Hopslam but yeah, I wouldn't characterize that hop flavor as being extremely prominent.

Cheers!

 

Just had my first Hopslam this weekend when I visited Philly at Monk's Cafe. It was the second time I had visited Monk's that weekend because the first visit was amazing! I was glad to see that they had a couple new beers on from when I had gone the first time. One of those was Bell's Hopslam. I was very excited to try it, as I had never had it before...Unfortunately it tasted very sour and funky. Then i realized that the beer Hopslam had replaced on draft was Lost Abbey Cuvee De Tomme (a bourbon barrel aged sour brown w/ cherries)! I could definitely still taste the Cuvee in my pint of Hopslam. It was very disappointing. Hopefully I will get another chance to taste Hopslam soon.

 

My first Hopslam was many years ago maybe 8yr as a guess. Some years I tore thru multiple cases. The first exposure was sublime, quite literally a mind numbing beer drinking experience. Ya, it was that good. My palates shifted , but it hasn't shifted that much for me to say the receipe has not been significantly changed. It was a memorable assault of fruity hops, grapefruit , sweet fruit without being a sickenly sweet beer. It was never "sweet", IMO, but the malt backbone was perfectly in turn to the hops. What I've had the last few years IMO is just off. It's too sweet, the fruity hops is gone, kinda piney, and that profile doesn't work for me. The malt is too much for the hops, and the hops taste like they're different, but I admit I don't know if this is true. It just tastes true. If I had to make a comparison I'd say Hopslam was a bit plus of what an ultra fresh Abrasive used to be. This year the abrasive was 2 months , and a change in Brewers. I'll check it out next year.

 

Had my first hop slam this year (just started trading/becoming an alcoholic). It was super fresh by the time of arrival, props to my trading partner. With my access to (and frequenting of) Trillium, I couldn't help but compare this to cutting tiles. I'm sure it is the honey as well as the hop profile but hopslam definitely shows the boozy edge a bit more. Don't get me wrong after being let down by the hype train before, I am no stranger to disappointment. That said this just didn't measure up, nor was it worth the shipping when I have access to (imho) a far more balanced alternative. Glad I got to try it, probably won't make the effort again.

To balance the negative vibes (and the hype train), had some fresh creature comforts tropicalia about a month ago for the first time. Now that is some hops I will be ISO again. Reminded me of everything I wished dinner was.

 

I've had a few Trilium beers IMO they're outstanding , and i wouldn't trade them for Hopslam. .

 

I should have said "trading n00b, ISO: ticks" haha. Trust me though, I won't again.

 

Oh I get it, it's something you can trade that you can easily get vs a must try. I've done it too, I think most of us traders have. Now you know which is cool, you no longer have to guess.

 

PM me if you ever want more CC Tropicalia. Be happy to ship some up in exchange for some NE brews!

 

This is my second year enjoying Hopslam. My first time was last year, when it was released in cans. I remember really enjoying it last year, but not being "wowed" by it. This year, I purchased two 6-packs (canned on 1/23/17) and for whatever reason, I am blown away by it this time around. It is one of the most unique DIPAs I've encountered. I am a die-hard West Coast IPA fanatic, yet I find myself putting Hopslam in my top 5; easily. For me, it is a perfect balance of boozy, sweet, and intensely hop-forward; all while managing to be insanely drinkable. I can't stop nosing this beer. The aroma has a white wine type of acidity to it that I absolutely love. And the flavor is delightfully pungent with hop bitterness. It finishes clean, and leaves you wanting more. What a great beer.

 

Triple IPA is a style I don't particularly care for anymore, but I still try to get a six pack of Hopslam every year. Its biggest appeal is its smoothness.

 

It's an older style double ipa to me. Citrusy, has that honey flavor which is a nice change up, bit boozy. I still always buy at least a case around this time of year though. As a side note I've started to realize most ipa's single or double need to be drank in the first month to fully appreciate the flavor. There's some pale ales that keep those little nuances a little longer but if you want to taste the difference between different hops that are used and such it's gotta be fresh.

 

Just had one, after having many in the past.

I just like the fact it's always great to go back to a classic and remember why.

 

I had my first Hopslam yesterday a few weeks fresh and liked it very much. Nice tropical hop flavors and pine flavor with moderate alcohol. For less than half the price though I can buy Jai Alai ipa which is very similar in taste at 6.5% and drink two cans.

 

Had my first Hopslam earlier today, and a second one a little while ago. After years of hearing about it, I guess I was expecting more. Something that would set it apart from the myriad of other IPA/DIPAs out there.

It's certainly a fine enough beer. A better than average DIPA? Probably. But that's about as far as I'd go. There was nothing about it which made me think it stood head and shoulders above most beers of it's type. There are a lot of other beers of similar or greater quality in my opinion, easier to obtain and less expensive as well.

I'm not one who gets their jollies by knocking things that are popular. I'm just simply stating my honest opinion. I'll happily finish off the sixer, but doubt I'd ever purchase this one again.

 

I happened to run across this while out at the store a few days ago. I figured I wouldn't be able to find it again, so I gave it a try. I had a pretty similar experience as most people on this thread, it's good, but doesn't live up to the hype for me. If it was more readily available and not so expensive, I would definitely get it again. Not worth going out of my way for though.

 

Hopslam will always hold a special place in my heart being that it was my first true craft beer back in 2008. I actually use to seek this beer out year after year, until about 2013-2014 when they broadened the distribution to include NY. From that point on, the beer has been overly sweet and little too boozy for my liking. Not sure whether it's just my palate changing over the years, or whether when they expanded distro, the quality of the beer went down hill, but I wish I could say this beer was still enjoyable today.

 

... or the third possibility - that the beer and your palate are the same, but the grass looks greener on the other side. (Not to rule out a combination of all of the above as well.) Don't take that the wrong way though - I don't mean that in a derogatory way at all.

 

I had Hopslam for the first time last year. I thought it was very good but did not live up to expectations. That was my fault. I picked up another six pack a few weeks ago. I enjoyed each can, one by one over the course of about three weeks. IMO Hopslam is a great beer. Certainly worth $20 once a year.

 

Still one of my favorites after many years of enjoyment. I still remember my first one and how great it was. My palate has changed a little over time, and even though I find it a little sweet this year, I still love it. In fact, getting ready to crack a can open right now.