TedE Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I had the opportunity to sample this one at Snallygaster. In all honesty, prior to that event I had not heard of this beer and had not been keeping up with Bell's new offerings in general, but apparently it's been around for a few years (but maybe not distributed widely?). A friend and I went for a sample of this and Bell's Hopsolution just to compare the two DIPAs they were pouring and to see how they differed from HopSlam. The Oracle was the clear winner of the two, and in my mind surpasses the current iteration of Hop Slam. I'd even go so far as to say that The Oracle c. 2014 is closer to what I remember HopSlam tasting like 5-6 years ago than HopSlam c. 2014. It has a malty, toffee/honey backbone that I recall being the hallmark of that beer, and it balances the intensely fragrant hop nose very nicely. Very squarely in my wheelhouse. I probably wouldn't even bring it up had I not seen a 6-pack for sale the other night that jogged my memory and noted another apt comparison to HopSlam: the $27 price tag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Where did you see it for sale? I thought it pretty much sold out instantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers2000 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I also tried it during Snallygaster and thought it was delicious and well done. I also liked the Wedding Ale that they had (I'd never seen it before). Not worth $27 for a six pack, but very well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedE Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Where did you see it for sale? I thought it pretty much sold out instantly. Bloomingdale Liquors at 1st and Rhode Island NW as of Sunday night. They've really picked up their beer game recently and stock a nice assortment of rarer offerings, but almost always toward the high end of the local price range (I think they had Founders KBS at $20+ per 4-pack). Anyway, they usually don't sell out too quickly, so if you're looking for The Oracle at any price I'd give them a call. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Bloomingdale Liquors at 1st and Rhode Island NW as of Sunday night. They've really picked up their beer game recently and stock a nice assortment of rarer offerings, but almost always toward the high end of the local price range (I think they had Founders KBS at $20+ per 4-pack). Anyway, they usually don't sell out too quickly, so if you're looking for The Oracle at any price I'd give them a call. Thanks for the hint on a good store! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treznor Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 So, had Oracle last night. I'd had it before a couple years ago and liked it. Last night... I thought it was pretty horrible. Huge alcohol tasty and just not a lot that redeemed it. I've heard similar things from others this year. Anyone else? This was draft, which might make a deference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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