I always seem to miss it…not this time. ;D
I bought the last 4 pack in Dover.
Statewide there was only 10 cases allotted…maybe when the new site in NC goes operational we’ll see more of the seasonal stuff.
My brother in-law swears by this beer. He even bought two cases last year. That’s a lot of money. For me, I can taste a bit too much of the alcohol, and the finish has too much of a dry hoppy bite to it.
that’s what I recall about this one - but I will be buying again - supposedly, it will be in 12oz 4packs this year?
Yep 4 packs.
I didn’t get too much of the alcohol bite at 10%.
I have nothing bad to say about this beer other than I probably won’t get any more this year!
I’ll give the 2012 version another try this year.
Thanks for the heads-up. I put in a call to the beer maven at my goto beer store. If any lands here I’ll get some. Woo hoo!
My beer store tells me this will be available through ~ June this year in the 4-packs. It’s widely availble now, even the supermarkets have it.
Haven’t had it bottled yet this year but on tap it was wonderful.
I also haven’t seen this beer yet, but I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for it. Thanks! 
I really enjoy seeking out the next big hop bomb of the year, and there’s a lot to choose from! Zombie Dust, Hopslam, Ruination, Two-Hearted, etc.
I put “Hoptimum” on this level of great, hoppy beers. The opinions from Rate Beer may not agree, but I think the grading has a lot to do with supply/demand and buzz around the beer.
After more than 30 years of great beers and expansion, Ken Grossman and the team at SN are still striving for (and acheiving) a better tasting, fresher beer. Cheers to them!
I picked up a four pack of it and drank one yesterday. Very tasty, boldly hoppy, and not too much alcohol taste. It’s still very strong though, packing quite a wallop. This one is to be slowly drank and savored.
Picked up a bottle of this beer last weekend. I have to give it two mugs up. SN crafted on fine DIPA.
The hop aroma is very fruity and pleasant. This beer has a carnival of hoppy goodness. It has an orange glow with a moderate white head. The flavor is bursting with citrus hoppiness while a firm bitterness sets in. The maltiness is supportive but takes a back seat to the hoppy character. The finish is somewhat grassy and a light alcohol warming emerges. This beer can be dangerous. I really enjoyed this beer. I would love to have a keg of this beer on rotation in my house. I would also like to have a clone recipe for this wonderfully crafted beer.
I agree that this is a very nice beer. I really like it a lot. I would like it more if there was a little more maltiness though. It seems a bit overbalanced on the hoppy side for an IIPA, IMHO.
That said, I plan to pick up another case of it today. My goto beer store has 20% off all beer prices on Fridays. That brings the price down to $2.20/12oz. bottle.
I consider stone ruination to be one of the all time best hop bombs that there is, and it’s always available for me, which makes it even better. Add in that it’s only $5.50 a bomber and it’s better still. The stuff is just so incredibly drinkable, with a deliciousness rating that goes all the way to 11.
Honestly, I don’t think hoptimum is nearly as good, but not to say that it’s not tasty stuff anyway.
As for the ratings on BA or RB, I always take them with a grain of salt. There’s a bias towards extreme hop bomb IPAs and imperial stouts, whilst other beers tend to be rated in comparison to these (despite the fact that you’re supposed to rate “to style”). The normalization score (0-100, in style on RB) helps some though. Ratings, IMO, are best used to keep track of your beers (I have a lot of ratings, especially on BA). They are also good to get an idea of whether you should purchase/try an unknown beer.
Got ahold of some, wanted palate wrecker but it was gone. Not a bad beer. For me no big hop aroma or flavor, can just get a hint of its strength. Does have a very slow to come on nice bitterness that saves it. Needs more hops not malt, would try it again on tap but that’s it.
I have a hard time with this statement. I see this quite a bit and understand what you’re after but it’s so funny how we’re making IIPA’s and making sure it’s still malty enough. I know you’re in search of some balance but to me a IIPA is meant to be unbalanced towards the hops. When I buy a IIPA I’m looking for enough malt to know it’s a beer but it takes an extreme back seat to the hops.
With that said I think this beer, fresh, accomplishes just that. I like the hop forwardness and bittereness I get from this one. A great beer for less than 10 a 4 pack.
Dogfish Head 90 Minute and Rogue I2PA are two IIPAs that come to mind when I think of malt-hop ballance. Both are outstanding beers .
IIPAs are meant to be beers, not hop tinctures (IMHO)
This is not to say Hoptimum is not a very good beer, I just think it would benefit from a bit more malt sweetness.
I agree with you on 90 Minute. I consider that more of a barleywine than an IIPA. I haven’t had I2PA in awhile but I remember it being pretty balanced but more towards the hops.
I will continue drinking the Hoptimum though, fantastic beer.
I tried this last week and somewhat enjoyed it. It was a fun experience, but I prefer other DIPA over this. I think hop heads would enjoy this one!
Here’s my vid review on it for those who would like to check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN8P-fdXyyA