HopSlam
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
10.00% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA
C: Clear
H: Golden Yellow/Light Amber in Color
N: TONS of Hop Citrus Notes, Hints of Honey, Very Faint Pineapple?
The Ferm: Well I think I struck gold! I have a six pack of this beer in South Florida! WOW!
Can you sense my sarcasm?
I just visited a local liquor store to see if they received their shipment as I would like to have some more of this fine beer, and I was laughed at. Yes, a customer laughed at by a manager of a very large liquor store chain.
OK, lets get one thing down....this is a VERY GOOD IIPA, in fact a GREAT IIPA. Last year I think I even threw a 5/5 to this beer. Is it that good....well pretty damn close. This years version seems to have a stronger honey/malt backing to it. The hop aroma is strong and present but is not as potent as last years batch.
What really gets me is that people in South Florida and all over the US are going crazy over this beer. Really?!? OK, this is a good beer again, but this is not Pliney the Younger....this beer is nationally distributed (or atleast close to it), and is just hard to get. Once good thing to the "craze" of this beer is that people will hopefully drink this limited release fresh, as it does not do well with age.
Overall, welcome to really the first edition of "Beer Hype" in South Florida. It's a DAMN good beer, grab it while you can, if you can. But please don't get into a fight with someone in a local store over a six pack. There are many other Imperial IPA's that you can pick up year round that are as good if not better. And remember DRINK IT FRESH!!!
Score: 4.956
Posts
Can't wait to get mine. Don't forget to mention the assrape of a pricetag this beer carries. $20/6-pack!
ReplyDeletelucky it is only $20.00 with the old economics of supply and demand. I just wonder how many will try and hoard it and let it go bad. Drink it fresh.
ReplyDeleteHopslam is not distributed nationwide, or even close to it really, just the eastern half of the U.S. Also, I think this is one of the rare occasions where the beer DOES actually live up to the hype. I hope you guys get more down there in Florida. Here, in Chicago we seem to have a shorter supply than expected, but there's enough to go around, I've managed to pick up a full case + a sixer so far. Anyway, cheers!
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected. It is mainly eastern part of the US, still pretty heavy distribution.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Chicago got a lot more than South Florida as we were only allowed 1 six-pack per person, and very few places have it.
I agree that the beer does live up to the hype, but people down here are making such a big deal out of it, and refuse to try other beers such as 2xIPA (southern Tier), Ruination (Stone), HopStoopid (Lagunitas), Jai Alai (Cigar City Brewing), etc. HopSlam is not the end all be all of the IIPA world.
Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting!
Every Total Wine in South Florida was bought out. Most of the places had one person clear every case. Needless to say it's very frustrating for people to hoard it and let it go bad.
ReplyDeleteEach Total Wine in South Florida, had a strict one 6'er per person rule. This at least made it more challenging to simply hoard the beer.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone reading this is interested in having this beer on tap....and missed out on the bottle release. Check out this Friday's Episode of United We Drink (subscribe through itunes). Mike and I will be leaking one location in South Florida that is tapping a keg Friday Night!
Got my 6er at Total Wine in Boca today (Thanks to Ed Roberts for having them hold one for me 2 years in a row!). I picked up the six pack and browsed the store for a minute, and every employee I ran into saw what I was holding and commented on how lucky I was. One of the managers told me they only got 3 cases and 2 had already been spoken for. Crazy! I agree with The Ferm, though - definitely maltier this year. Last year it was potent as shit but this year it's a little more balanced. I actually prefer the hop-rape from last year.
ReplyDeleteFerm, I hear you on the other IPAs, especially fresh Jai Alai. I haven't had 2xIPA, but the others are all great. Is 2x different from Unearthly? I've had that and it didn't blow me away.
ReplyDeleteBut that didn't stop me from getting a case + 6 of HopSlam. Luckily the Total Wine in Sarasota had a one-case limit.
I had the pleasure of drinking this on tap once at a local place and it was fantastic, but so far I haven't felt compelled to spend $20 (I think $18.99 here) for a six-pack. One of our local liquor stores is selling singles for around $3 which seems more reasonable-- same price per beer, but not as much of a commitment.
ReplyDeleteAlan, 2XIPA is a completly different IPA from Unearthly. It is more like HopSlam, sweeter and more potent hops.
ReplyDeleteMarie! Long time no talk...I hear you on the 20.00 commitment....it is pretty steep. Mike and I talked about that last night while taping the new episode of United We Drink (check it out Friday in itunes)
Drove all over the state this year trying to find hopslam (seriously), wound up empty handed. Last year I had a full case of it and felt blessed. Totally pissed about the nearly thousand miles I drove across the entire state of FL and came up with none. SAD day!
ReplyDeleteChris I am sorry to hear that. Hopslam went quick just about everywhere. Maybe try to call the Coffee District in Delray Beach, I know he got a late shipment this past monday and was keeping it under wraps. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete