OT Ann Arbor Bars = Hopslam
Finally making it back to Ann Arbor during the time Hopslam is out and was just wondering if anyone knew of any bars that more then likely will have it on tap this week? I have always wanted to try Hopslam on tap (gone in like 20 minutes in NC) as it is like gold down here.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
OT?
I can't answer this question. All I know is last year I was all about the hopslam. And now, it has saturated the market so much I feel like hipsters probably do when something goes mainstream.
That isn't accurate, I guess, it seems like Hopslam has lost its luster because previously if you didn't buy it right when it came out you would never get it, and now, there are probably a dozen bars within slingshot distance that carry it (and stock up as to not run out until Oberon hits the shelves)
/rant
February 9th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
Maybe. I guess anymore they are so many options that are like Hopslam, and available on a much more regular basis. I have been enjoying a fair amount of Triton Railsplitter lately, it is more comparable to Two Hearted than Hopslam. Dogfish 90 minute, Rampage Imperial IPA, Myrcenery Double IPA, and Tricerhops Double IPA (as well as Hoptimum) all do the trick for me as well.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
The thing with Hopslam is that they've been tinkering with the recipe from year to year, and it's not getting better. If you go to the Eccentric Cafe any time during the summer or fall months, you're going to see a couple tap-only experimental "Larry's IPA #XYZ" on the board--that's the Hopslam tinkering for the next year.
The real joke is people buying it by the case and damn near cellaring it because they thing it's rare or special, and it doesn't hold up. They don't realize it isn't Dark Lord. I went to Binny's here in Chicago two years ago the week Hopslam came out and expected to see it, and the guy just laughed his ass off when I asked. They sold out of something like 50 cases in less than three days. The year before, it was everywhere.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
as you always see the experimental "Larry's IPA #XYZ".
February 9th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
Last spring I found a Pennsylvania distributor that had two cases and drove 150+ miles the wrong way on a trip back to Cleveland from Washington DC to get one of them. 120 has an APV of 19.6 and it cost $300 for the case but for me anyways - THAT'S the Holy Grail of IPA's, not Hopslam.
I am aging it and I can tell you without question that the first bottle I drank last March was ok, not great but the one I had about a week ago was fantastic. I hope to stretch out the consumption of these for several years as I dont see a return trip to Red Lion, Pa. anytime in the near future.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
I just feel like it's important to double check that you are 100% aware that aging 120 minute is not going to reslt in it tasting like any other IPA's and essentially puts it entirely into a "non-IPA" category altogether...
February 9th, 2015 at 12:54 PM ^
Thanks for the heads up. According to Dogfish aging it is the way to go and based on a single, one year sample I can say they are right.
http://www.dogfish.com/community/blogfish/members/justin-williams/5-thi…
February 9th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
I know it is the popular thing to say (considering the ranking and all) but this beer is just the best there is.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:35 PM ^
I think he is just trying to say that when you age something like an IPA, even the 120, by the time you drink it the hop flavors will have faded considerably if not entirely. It becomes more of a malt forward drink. It is still very delicous and a great beer but it certaintly doesn't have the same flavor profile that a fresh IPA would have. It is for this same reason that you are starting to see an influx of fresh hop IPAs, like Stone's Enjoy By, that are meant to be consumed immediatly before the hops start to fade.
February 9th, 2015 at 3:45 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 8:32 PM ^
I've aged the Backwoods and Curmudgeon and have a three and four year vertical on both, respectively. Sweet repute isn't going to get much better. The bourbon fades on backwoods a little but it ages nicely. I wouldn't keep it over three years. The Curmudgeon ages quite well for a long time and just drinks very well. I keep 5 year verticals on founders imperial and expedition. These are incredible aged, especially the expedition.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
You do not age any IPAs. Ever! The first thing that breaks down in package - reagardless of ABV - are hops. So if you age any hop-focused beer you end up drinking a product that brewer did not intend nor want you to drink.
This last year I had an account hide three barrels of Hopslam so that they could release it in August (which meant that the beer was expired). We had to go reclaim that beer (and they were fully reimbursed despite letting it run out of code) and to this day that business owner won't carry our product because he is convinced that you can age any beer with a high ABV. The point is that we would sooner lose the business (not that that is ideal either) then allow them to serve an old Hopslam. What if it is a new consumer who tries it and that is their first experience with Hopslam?
No, please, do not age your IPAs.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
A. I'm not sure why you are responding to me, I agree with you.
B. The last sentence of your first paragraph isn't totally true, which is why MGrowOld has a link to Dogfish Head telling him it's ok and good to age it (again, I don't point this out because I think you are wrong, only because not all brewers are transparent on what their "intent" is)
February 9th, 2015 at 1:46 PM ^
I was replying to the post above yours, but it is all part of the same thread.
As for Dogfish, they are absolutely the exception rather than the rule. Read your typical IPA label and it pleads with the consumer to drink it fresh. But MGrowOld said it himself in the post: the aged one tastes like barleywine which is what happens with Hopslam and The Oracle as well (and, coincidentally, is NOT what we want that beer to taste like).
February 9th, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^
That was gopoohgo who wrote that, but I stand by my points nonetheless.
February 9th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
+1 for Toothless.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^
At the Dogfish Brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, DE.
Last time I was there, they had the "fresh" batch and the year prior's on tap.
Honestly, I felt it was more like a barleywine than an IPA. And given that it was like 85 degrees out, I passed for "American Beauty".
FWIW: I saw Hopslam selling in DC for $50 a 6 pack...thus i have family buy me a case or two and have my folks bring it out to me when they visit grandma near AC
FWIW2: Hopslam keg/bottles will be at ChurchKey, DC tonight. Wish they had it next week (when I had the day off) :(
February 9th, 2015 at 1:32 PM ^
We never, ever tinker with the Hopslam recipe. It is a successful beer that consistently ends up on "Top Beers" lists. Why would we change it? We do not change any of our successful beers.
The "Larry's Latest" series are experimental beers for future projects such as Upper Hand brewing and the Mars DIPA, to name a few. You honestly couldn't be further off the mark about the Larry's Latest series.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
I can understand misinformed people when it comes to recruiting due to the inherent rumor mill, but beer?? Just ask the people making it, they love to talk about what they do.
February 9th, 2015 at 8:50 PM ^
Bell's doesn't change their successful beers?
Then why is it abundantly clear from year to year that Oberon is progressively different from what it was ten years ago?
Why does Hopslam taste markably different from year to year?
February 10th, 2015 at 7:21 AM ^
Your tastes change,
February 9th, 2015 at 10:13 PM ^
Than you can count, but predominatly because the last time you typically have an Oberon it is Labor Day weekend, you're doing something amazing, and the weather is glorious. Then you go over six months without a drop of it and it is the end of March and everything is cold and the color of mud.
But to say that we change either of those beers, ever, is beyond absurd; not to mention you're trying to tell me what that beer was like 10 years ago compared to now?
February 9th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^
Agree. Please don't cellar your Hopslam folks, the beer geeks disapprove. There are so many beers that are year round and qualitatively better than Hopslam, including many made in NC (to the OP). Freak of Nature and Hop Drop and Roll make Hopslam seem quaint. Head up to Kuhnhenns in Warren and get some DRIPA if you're back in Michigan. If you (OP) really need some I can point you to where some is. I run a tasting club here in RTP and I'd be more than happy to invite you as a guest if you want to sample some great stuff. On Monday we'll have Heady and Second Fiddle. Cheers.
February 9th, 2015 at 4:31 PM ^
People really buy up Hopslam and store it? That is hilarious.
Anyone out there who doesn't know this- hoppy beer is best fresh. It doesn't age well at all, you can see the hop flavor fade appreciably in just a few months. I have a harvest ale that was incredible in November, and only good now.
I was down to K-Zoo a couple of times last summer to visit the Eccentric Cafe, and each time I took the time to drink the Experimental listings. I thought alot of it was the testing of unamed cultivars. The last time they had what I thought was a test of a Tahoma beer. But now that you mention it, Hopslam does seem to have some variation. I will have to pay attention this summer and look for a connection.
Slightly off topic, I think that the beer scarcity thing is getting out of hand in the media coverage. I see writers claiming that Founders is creating scarcity for KBS by deliberately not releasing as much as Bells releases Hopslam and other "trendy beers". KBS has to be aged in a barrel. That barrel has to be at a very controlled temperature. The only place to get the controlled temperature without massive refridgeration costs is in the gypsum mine here in GR. The demand isn't manufactured, it is a legitimate bottle neck in the process of making a barrel aged stout.
It is strange how much beer culture has changed in the last 5 years. I hope the pendulum swings the other direction soon. I am getting frustrated with 120 IBU 8.5% ABV beers. It seems like everyone is making them now, and most of them are poorly balanced.
February 9th, 2015 at 7:21 PM ^
Again - and with all respect - we DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH THE HOPSLAM RECIPE. Listen, the only thing that changes yearly are agricultural circumstances surrounding the ingredients and the fact that almost everybody goes about 11 months between drinking that beer. Memory is notoriously fickle and literally nobody can accurately remember the differences between ANY beer over that length of time.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:28 PM ^
I'm sorry, but your statement about last year it being less available isn't true. We brewed the same amount as last year but had to distribute it more widely this year due to new markets. So, if anything, it is slightly more difficult to find this year.
Additionally, all bars and stores get an allocated amount. They are not allowed to "stock up...until Oberon". This statement is just patently incorrect.
February 9th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 1:43 PM ^
I'm guessing based on your responses that you work for Bells. I defer to your knowledge and then ask two questions:
1. Why dont you sell Hopslam in Ohio? I saw it down here once at a Winking LIzard beer tasting and it was gone in like 30 minutes.
2. Why does Dogfish RECOMMEND aging the 120 when you're so dead-set against it?
Again - sample size of one beer but I have to tell you the one i had last week was light years better than the one I drank the day I bought the case and I love, love, love IPAs.
February 9th, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^
The link says the hops will fade, but the malt and insanely high ABV helps "protect" the beer from the aging process...
At the very least, it IS interesting to see how taste changes with time.
Personally, I had three cases of Hopslam delivered to me last year, and I liked the last of it the best; some of the bitterness faded so you could really taste honey in it with the ABV kick at the end...
February 9th, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^
Also it might be a little bit of difference in culture between the two breweries. Dogfish is all about experimentation so they might be more willing to encourage aging by the customer. Though with that up to the customer "caveat emptor" certainly applies in both beers.
February 9th, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
Yes, I do work for Bell's and thanks for the questions.
1. We do sell quite a bit of it in Ohio, but no matter what it is going to be a bit difficult to come by. We have an internal method of determining quantity allocations for each market that I probably am no allowed to disclose, but I can tell that Ohio is a great market for us and, as such, they get quite a bit of Hopslam but that it may be more concentrated in certain areas. May I suggest our website? We have both a beer finder (good for off-premise stores, not so good for on-premise) and a Regional Events calendar (good for on-premise) that can help in locating beer. Again though, with Hopslam it is more of an issue of getting their quickly.
2. Okay, so let me walk back just a teeny bit my absolutist speech about nobody recommending it. Dogfish does. For one beer. And they are very much the exception in this one instance.
There's a philosphical decision about that particular beer and even in the descriptor they allude to the non-hop flavors overtaking the hop ones. On that same page they also talk about how - for the most part - fresh is better. Aging beer is certainly becoming a big thing in our industry and it is mostly true that the beers that age best have a higher ABV (though not the only factor) and Dogfish is willing to age-experiment with 120.
You can do that also with Hopslam and the Oracle, but the beer you get in the end is a far cry from our intent and is not what we - and most other brewers - prefer. We want that beer drank and drank quickly. It is designed to impart the aromatics and bitterness to the consumer and those factors fade.
We do have beers that we want you to age, just not those beers. The back of each of our beers has one of three letters that indicate our recommendations for aging:
A = drink within six months
B = drink within a year
C = age that thing into perpetuity
Please let me know if I didn't answer this fully or if you have any other questions.
Go Blue.
February 9th, 2015 at 6:02 PM ^
Is distribution to Texas coming anytime soon for Bell's? Have been waiting for years.....
February 9th, 2015 at 7:22 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 8:19 PM ^
re: allocation. I'll disclose it for you. Whoever sells the most regular Bells beer typically gets the most allocated beer. That's really not a mystery to anyone who spends time with on-premises beer sales. It's generally by site or account. Want a lot of Black Note, Oracle and Hopslam? Then sell a lot of Expedition, Smitten, Two Hearted and whatever else <insert distributor name here> wants to dump on you. One hand washes the other.
February 9th, 2015 at 10:19 PM ^
Typically, yes, the more of year-arounds you sell the more a distributor will give you (Expedition doesn't fall into this category). Other distributors want to see on-premise locations keep Two Hearted and a seasonal handle year-around. They're all a little bit different and once a distributor purchases a beer from a supplier it is their beer and ultimately their decision on how to distribute it (though we try to influence that).
On the macro level - ie, how much beer is released to first each state and then within that state, each distributor - is far, far more complicated.
February 9th, 2015 at 11:38 PM ^
My distro guys tell me it's all about total numbers in state. Sam's is 2 in Founders and 1 in Bells. TWC is 1 in Founders, 2 in Bells. As a result they get the most allocated stuff in the state. There is, of course some shennanigans, but that's how it goes. Of course it varies on the macro level, mostly with market retention (placation) and emerging markets (strong entries). I was just trying to explain the basics to the blog.
February 9th, 2015 at 4:29 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 4:45 PM ^
I'm 55, have more grey hair than brown, wear glasses, wear hearing aides in both ears (thanks a lot Ted Nugent) and carry about 15 more pounds right now than I'd like. I live in the suburbs, have four kids and sit at a desk all day.
I'm about as "hipster" as a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am.
(Me as a car)
February 9th, 2015 at 5:14 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
Damn near every bar is out. The very last one may be Frasiers - had a hopslam there on Saturday, but given the pour I'd say that keg was on its last legs. Good luck!
February 9th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
Ashley's had some last week. Great bar even if they don't have Hopslam.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
Was at the World of Beer yesterday and they said they might be getting another keg in. It's all out of the grocery stores, this much I know. I was able to snag a random solo bottle at the Main St. Busch's.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
waiting for me when I arrive, but man on tap would be great. In Raleigh when a bar puts on their website that Hopslam is on tap there is a line 200 people long wanting to get in. I love beer but that is a little too much.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^
Ashley's had it on tap when I was up on business last week.
February 9th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
February 9th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
even on tap?