Monday Rant: Not Too Hop-Cited

Many seasonal beer posts around the blogosphere begin in this sort of fashion. I typically start by saying it's that time of the year again and it certainly is. If you check out the social media accounts of your favorite beer distributors and shops I'm sure you'll find their mentions and walls cluttered with questions pertaining to when they will have Bell's Hopslam and Troegs Nugget Nectar in stock.

I had both brews for the first time last year. Suffice to say, Hopslam tasted pretty close to pure hop oil. It didn't taste balanced to me at all, but Nugget Nectar was more on that side. I decided that I could definitely give Nugget Nectar a few more goes.

I know I call myself a "beer snob," but in the craft beer world I could really be classified as more of a beer geek. I only named this blog as such and took on the Twitter handle I have because that's what I've been referred to over the years during my summer job throughout college.

I've only ever deleted a comment once in the young history of this blog. This one time I came across what could be referred to as a "beer snob." This person didn't approve of my thoughts on Hopslam and even went as far to throw the word irresponsible when he saw that I gave Blue Moon's Summer Honey Ale a better rating than his beloved ale saturated with hops.

The beer isn't trash, but I had to dig in the trash to find this old photo.

Trying and experiencing different type's of beer is the beautiful thing about craft beer. I'm all for civilized conversation when discussing beers (I'm especially alright with it in my comments section), but I don't see the need to bring it to insults. That's where I believe the line is when it comes to being what we classify as either a "snob" or a "geek."

Apologies in advance, but I don't hold biases towards certain breweries and against others. If I think a beer tastes, looks and smells better than another (even if it has a huge following) I'm going to rate it higher and enjoy it more. I obviously didn't enjoy Hopslam, but the ironic thing is that I love most everything else made by Bell's. I just don't particularly enjoy beer's that have a ton of hops. That's not saying that you're wrong for liking them that way. We all have our own preferences, correct?

So, please have all of the Hopslam you want this year. I certainly won't be keeping any away from you. I also won't judge you if you really enjoy it.