Cans of Hopslam from Bell’s have hit Los Angeles. Whale Hunters have donned their gear to buy what they can. And at least it has muted the Pliny fever for a bit which is a relief to me.
Just make sure that you drink what you buy quickly…
I tasted the 2016 vintage at The Glendale Tap and found the sought after IPA to be fine but I kept searching for the piece of magic that has made it so talked about in the realm of magical IPA’s that has it ranked with Heady Topper and Pliny the Younger.
Maybe it is the fact that Hopslam has a definite honey sweetness and a heavier malt base to it that weighed the beer down to me. After the draught version, I opened a can and found it to be more honeyed but it tasted better to me. It was more sprightly and the hops came through a touch more.
HT and PtY though big beers have a lightness to them that I prefer in my IPA’s and though I find the hype surrounding them deafening at times, I can see how they have earned it. Hopslam doesn’t quite reach that crescendo for me.
Then again, I seem to be inoculated from hype.