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Nick Freshman

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2017 edition is starting to show upon shelves. Spotted at the 14th St Trader Joe's for $18.99, which seems a lot lower than recent years (and in cans, did they can last year, too?).  I wonder if they reached the limit of what they could charge for the hype given the complaints about the trajectory of the quality and the jacked up price. I would imagine TJs is at the low end of the local pricing scale, could be that elsewhere it will be in the $23-24 range (again).  A pass (again) at those prices; I'll look for it (again) on tap. 

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A couple of days ago, I was in my local Total Wine, and happened to hear a clerk talk about release. Although I had no idea about the release date, I picked up a sixer ($21?) and took it home. A couple of days later, I asked one of the beverage experts at the Fair Lakes Whole Foods (they are no kidding beer/wine experts), and he said their shipment was already long gone. OBTW, he had heard of people in DC paying $35+. Yikes and no thanks.

The beer itself is deceptively smooth, and while plenty hoppy, it's not overly so. You'd probably never know it is 10%ABV unless someone told you.

Worth the money once a year (for me anyway).

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I am at the point where I am not going out of my way to buy any beer.  There was a point in my life where I would follow on twitter when it was delivered at x store, then drive there, or drive all over the place to find a stash.  No more.  Pretty sure Arrowine sold out of their allotment in under 30 minutes.  There is so much variety nowadays, that it just isn't worth it to obsess.

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So, I happened upon a can of this with friends (not on draft, I haven't had the packaged version of Hopslam in a couple of years).  I should clarify again that I used to love this beer and looked forward to it's release because it offered something unique on the release calendar.  However, there is nothing to distinguish it any more.  Right off the bat there was very little nose once poured in a glass. That was a big surprise.  On the palate there was very little sweetness which was the hallmark of this beer, the inclusion of honey for body and balance.  None of that; it bordered on astringent, with no lingering finish.  It's not a bad beer by any means, it's just doesn't seem to be the same recipe that made it famous when it was first introduced.

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On 1/30/2017 at 11:46 AM, Mark Dedrick said:

They had it this weekend at Red Apron at Union Market for $9 for a glass. And they also have the RAR Naticoke Nectar for $7, which is also delicious. 

It's still at Red Apron as far as I know, and since they also sell 4oz pours, it's a good opportunity for first-timers to try it and see if you like it without breaking the bank (I saw a 6-pack of cans listed at $24.99 later that same day at Burka's on Wisconsin Ave.)

Not to pile on, but to my taste today's Hopslam is 100% hoppy astringency.  Any of that honeyed balance that used to be in this brew has been gone for at least a couple of years. 

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On ‎1‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 3:02 PM, pras said:

I am at the point where I am not going out of my way to buy any beer.  There was a point in my life where I would follow on twitter when it was delivered at x store, then drive there, or drive all over the place to find a stash.  No more.  Pretty sure Arrowine sold out of their allotment in under 30 minutes.  There is so much variety nowadays, that it just isn't worth it to obsess.

Same here, in terms of not chasing beers.  For one thing, there are now too many beer geeks whose work schedules are a lot more flexible than mine, so anything really limited is usually sold out before the evening of the day it drops.

I also very much agree with TedE and Rhone1998 above about Hopslam, and don't mind "piling on".  Either the beer, or my taste buds, has degraded over the years.  It is not the beer it once was (to my taste), and even if it were, there are so many great choices out there that it wouldn't stand out like it used to.  Ocelot in Ashburn has some really tasty IPAs in its tasting room, and I am trying to figure out how to get to Aslin in Herndon while they are open and have beer to sell, as the samples I have had are great! (really quirky sales model though--follow them on Instagram to see what I mean)  

Rustico in Alexandria tapped a keg of Hopslam on Monday, and, as of yesterday (Wednesday), it was still available. $9 for 12 ounce goblet, not sure how much the taster size is going for--probably $5.

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On 2/2/2017 at 4:03 PM, JBag57 said:

I also very much agree with TedE and Rhone1998 above about Hopslam, and don't mind "piling on".  Either the beer, or my taste buds, has degraded over the years.  It is not the beer it once was (to my taste), and even if it were, there are so many great choices out there that it wouldn't stand out like it used to.  

I want people to remind me about this post ten years from now, and if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it.

Offer me a Pilsner Urquell or a Michelob, and at this point I'll flip a coin; thirty years ago, I would have driven fifty miles to find well-kept Pilsner Urquell.

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I used to chase Hopslam every year. (don't drink anymore) The last time I had some in my greedy little hands was a sixer a friend brought me from NC after he paid some outrageous price for it. He gave it to me at an event and I put it in my cooler for the day. The cardboard carrier got a little wet and the bottom dropped out on my carport when I was taking it in the house. Zero survivors.:(

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1 hour ago, farmer john said:

I used to chase Hopslam every year. (don't drink anymore) The last time I had some in my greedy little hands was a sixer a friend brought me from NC after he paid some outrageous price for it. He gave it to me at an event and I put it in my cooler for the day. The cardboard carrier got a little wet and the bottom dropped out on my carport when I was taking it in the house. Zero survivors.:(

I feel your pain, brother. I haven't lost much wine, but when I have, my neighbors heard my screams.

Don't even ask me about the time I went all day without eating, and a large Italian Store pizza being heated in my oven ended up face-down on the kitchen floor - this, at 10 PM.

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2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I want people to remind me about this post ten years from now, and if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it.

Offer me a Pilsner Urquell or a Michelob, and at this point I'll flip a coin; thirty years ago, I would have driven fifty miles to find well-kept Pilsner Urquell.

Other Bell's beers are still so good, though.  I don't know why Hopslam is different.  

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On 2/3/2017 at 7:32 PM, Rhone1998 said:

Other Bell's beers are still so good, though.  I don't know why Hopslam is different.  

Here's the thing: I think Bell's still makes something akin Original Recipe Hopslam.  They just call it The Oracle.

The recipe does change slightly from year to year, but production has almost tripled in the past couple of years from what I can tell.  Don's negative correlation between production and quality may hold here, but here's an even more cynical take: Bell's knows what a cash cow this thing is based on name recognition alone and has reduced the cost of the grain and hops bill which affects profit margin without tanking the beer entirely.

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On 2/3/2017 at 7:15 PM, DonRocks said:

I feel your pain, brother. I haven't lost much wine, but when I have, my neighbors heard my screams.

Don't even ask me about the time I went all day without eating, and a large Italian Store pizza being heated in my oven ended up face-down on the kitchen floor - this, at 10 PM.

Or the time my mom dropped the Thanksgiving bird on the floor when taking it out of the oven.  I was too young to remember, but evidently, it was not a good scene.

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