Hopslam or Hypeslam?

I’m really not sure if this should have been an omen, but a friend texted me to say that his local Harris Teeter just got a few cases of Hopslam. I was not at home, much less near his store, and was pretty certain I would be able to get my own 6-pack either through my local bottle shop or from Total Wine. But at Teeter?
If this is any indication of the critical mass attained by either this particular beer or the need/want/have situation in the booming beer community, this could be an issue.
And let me just say, much like most craft beer fans, I love and have loved Hopslam for quite some time. It’s always been a great beer, coupled with a great event of the release and ‘hunt’ for bottles, and then the relatively rapid drink and share lest any of that juicy hoppy goodness deteriorate, due to the “don’t save/cellar this beer” rule. At 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), it would not be unusual to save such a beer. But, the key to Hopslam is the hops. A year-old bottle offered almost no hops, yet malts and honey shined through, making 2014 Hopslam more an old ale or strong Enlgish-style pale ale. The brewery’s website says shelf life is max six months and I wholeheartedly agree.
After that episode, I set about comparing bottled Hopslam with that from the tap. In the past, Hopslam has been as pungent in the aroma as it was biting in the sip. A heady double IPA, this big boy beer was delicious, even though it could be bruising to the taste buds. But this just wasn’t the case here this year. Here I submit to you the evidence:
Article 1 – I had Hopslam this week on draft. The beer smelled decent, but certainly not the pinesap and grapefruit rind punch to the schnozzle I was looking for and expecting.
Article 2 – The flavor just wasn’t monumental. It was good, maybe a notch below great, but it certainly was not phenomenal. I’m not saying it was weak or think like, say Sweetwater 420, an ‘extra pale ale’ says the brewery. But it was also not Top 5 best DIPA’s in the country.
Article 3 – Cracking into a bottle the next evening, the capped version was better, but still nowhere near the taste memory I had from years past. It was good, and I would drink another, but something was missing. This just wasn’t what Hopslam is supposed to be.
The bottom line is that there are now, unlike in 2008 maybe, numerous available alternatives to Hopslam. And, that Bell’s is obviously making more of the stuff every year, it’s likely the quality is going down, so there is just as likely a possibility that if you can’t score some Hopslam, you’re not missing anything that will change your life.
Somewhat hard to find, but well worth the effort is Ballast Point’s Grapefruit Sculpin, the brewery’s fantastic award-winning IPA with a tart and refreshing update. I adore this beer and would likely order it over Hopslam if both were on draught and I could only have one pint.
Closer to home and more readily obtainable is Hop, Drop and Roll from Charlotte’s NoDa Brewing Co. A light lime green can gives a nod to its master, but this beer is everything that Hopslam was: resinous, puckering, flavorful, delightfully almost too much to handle, and best of all, fresh! A side-by-side, single-blind comparison of these two beers by two of my well-versed hop-head buddies found both choosing Hop Drop over Hopslam. Telling. Enjoy the brews. I will likely buy a 6-pack of Hopslam next year like I did this year and every year since it’s been available. But the cost is quickly out-pacing the hype … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Located at 817 Savannah Hwy. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.