Microcosms and Mass Hysteria

I've long wrote about the cluster and mass hysteria that is the craft beer public when it comes to the release of big-time seasonal brews. That includes the likes of Kentucky Breakfast Stout and Nugget Nectar. It even includes the one beer that some of you flock to the most - Bells Hopslam. All three of which I couldn't care less about. I once bought the hype with both Nectar and Hopslam and left severely disappointed with blow-torched sinuses. As for KBS, I haven't felt that it's worth it to physically shove people out  of my way to actually try it at a release event.

So, when I see a story with a bottle shop employee allegedly buying up all of a grocery market's Hopslam supply, or most of it, I have to laugh. I also have to look at this as one big microcosm (I love using that word) of the insanity that ensues when some of these hard-sought beers are released. I found a detailed version of this event via BeerGraphs. There you can find all of the proper linkage to put together everything in this mess.

If what's being speculated is true, it brings more light on to that "Is Craft Beer a Bubble?" conundrum. How far can this go? If what most of us think happened actually did, this bottle shop bought up an entire supply at a market instead of a wholesale distributor and most likely planned on selling it at a mark-up. Folks, I think that's illegal in most states.

Dogs and cats living together...

Monday Rant: To Partake or Not to Partake?

Bell's Oarsman Ale is a good choice as a session beer.

Last year around the time of National Session Day, I was stubborn to partake. Big surprise, right? I'm usually disgruntled when it comes to things such as this. Last year my philosophy wasn't at all about caring how low a beer's ABV is. To me, it was just beer. Drink it.

That was obviously prior to coming across a very old post via Lew Bryson's Seen Through a Glass blog concerning the Session Beer Project. In it,. Bryson describes part of his view that the stronger beers get all of the celebratory remarks. That leaves some of the beers that have easier ABV's and are a lot easier to consume without temporarily destroying your sense of taste after a while in the dust.

I've always been one that was stubborn. Thus, you never see me rushing to beat people to procure beers like Bell's Hopslam, Pliny the Elder or the recently-released Kentucky Breakfast Stout.

Because of my intense stubbornness, It's only fitting that I embrace Session Day and not push it away. It only took a little research to sway me in such a direction. I participated yesterday and will be happy to do so in future years.

Very Complimentary

I obviously wasn't too thrilled with Bell's Hopslam ale when I got the opportunity to try it last year. I can't say there wasn't any lack in my effort to get myself a glass, because I was in the bar the day after it was tapped. I just didn't like it, as is the usual result when I have a beer that's very hop-centric.

I made a promise to someone that I'd try this year's version and I must give credit where it's due. This year's batch had many more flavors other than just the intense hops! I was actually able to taste some honey and a touch of fruitiness. There even was a tad of malt in there. A completely different experience compared to the one I had last year. Every flavor I picked up was complimentary of the rest of the brew. The beer's color seems to be a bit darker as well.

I still don't see myself buying a case of Hopslam yet (that's if there are even any left), but myself and this beer are on somewhat better terms. This post originally was supposed to be about the new IPA glass tossed out there by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada, but I wasn't quite sure if it was a great idea to ruffle everyone's feathers. A lot of users on Twitter didn't seem to happy about it being named the "standard for hop-centric beers." I certainly don't need the bitterness of hops in my beer to magically become stronger.

Sorry. I don't need an IPA glass to "amplify the hops." Some are a struggle to drink as it is.
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) February 5, 2013

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.

Seasonal Brews: Should They Be Year-Round Sellers?

An interesting link I came across over at Beer Street Journal announced an interesting anecdote as well as striking a chord in my mind. Beer Street Journal's news is that Lagunitas Brewing Company plans to implement its seasonal Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale into the year-round rotation.

The chord that was struck was a thought that maybe some other breweries should take the same approach with some of their own popular seasonal beers. I think that it's an interesting question. How would some of you hop heads out there enjoy having Bells Hopslam or Troegs Nugget Nectar all year long at your local drinking tavern?

I'm also interested in knowing if certain brewers have at least thought about a proposition as such. Would in be beneficial financially or would it make them take a hit?

I'm the type that appreciates and enjoys the wait for said beers. There's nothing like having a pumpkin ale during the fall or around Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure some of you enjoy a good number of winter warmers aside the fireplace on nippy evenings. The problem in my eyes is that drinking either of those two styles on a hot day after work in the summer is somewhat pointless.

I can understand that some brewers are forced to only produce certain beers at certain times of the year due to ingredients such as ingredients, etc., but it's definitely an interesting proposition to consider.

I don't know of any other breweries in particular that decided to convert a popular seasonal beer into one that sells all year long, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a slight domino effect after reading this Lagunitas news.

 

Beer Review: Bell's Hopslam Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 10 percent

Appearance: Hopslam has a copper-like glow to its body. I've really never seen a color like this on a beer before. The head was actually very white and thick as well. It has beautiful lacing all the way trough the drink, too.

Smell: Hops, hops and more hops. Just check out the name of the beer in case you've forgotten. Behind that is a slight scent of honey. This was very  pleasant instead of a complete hops bombardment.

Taste: Tasting this beer is like having your sinus cavity stuffed full of hops. The hop taste is fairly strong, but the honey does a fairly decent job of balancing out the flavor. I just wish the honey was a bit more powerful in this beer.

Overall Rating:   


In my opinion, I've had better beers than this. It also comes with a lot of hype within the craft beer community. I think that if there was a bit more flavor than just the overbearing hops it's that much closer to a perfect beer. Some of you might already think that and that's fine. Just because I don't think a beer isn't the greatest beer in the world doesn't mean it can't be for you. I'm also not the biggest fan of the hoppiest beers out there.