Well it’s that time of year again. Time for some Hopslam! While I’m not to keen on paying $20.00 for a sixer here in Panama City, FL, it is a great beer. Very reminiscent of Pliny, according to a rep at Bell’s they use almost the exact same hops, but slightly less bitter and with a little slickness from the honey. I swear I tasted more honey in it last year, but my wife says I’m crazy!
All in all a great beer and if you can find it, it’s definitely worth the money. Also do not age this beer! Drink it while you got it. I can’t wait to get home from work today and start the weekend with a couple HopSlams!
I agree that last year Bell’s Hopslam was sweet, malty and Huge Amounts of Hop Flavor… it was so citrusy! I’m not looking forward to $20 for a sixer either but I’ll buy one just because. Until this year I’ve liked my beers with more bitterness, but since my tastebuds have changed I’m anxious to see if Hopslam tastes the way I remember it… I hope so! 8)
I had some Hopslam last year. It was amazing. I wish I could compare it to Pliny but, alas, I am not able to get it in my area. I will have to look for more Hopslam.
What hops are they using in Hopslam? Citra and Centennial?
I really liked it. Its not an IPA so don’t be fooled by the name. Its way more flavor than bitterness. I thought it was an IPA when I bought it so I was dissapointed in that aspect (then) but overall its AWESOME. Even lightweight BMC drinkers can handle it… other than the high abv…
It is dry hopped with Simcoe, so that is similar to Pliny the Elder.
6 different kettle hops are stated on the web site. I had seen some info on the web from the brewery in years past on what was in there. A homebrew club came up with this, and it matched the note on the internet.
Simcoe, glacier, centennial, more glacier, vangaurd, crystal, Hallertau. Dry hop with Simcoe.
Simcoe and Centennial in the kettle and dry hopping reminded me and A LOT of my friends of the “beer” they had brought back from California for us, just a couple months ago. Since this isn’t a free country I guess beers can’t be compared to one another in their similarites, not that they are exactly alike, but similar. But I’ll just enjoy my 18 remaining HopSlams and keep my thoughts to myself!! ;D
geez man - that was tongue in cheek what I said above, take it easy. Pliny to me is in a whole 'nother league than Hopslam, and they’re really in pretty stark contrast with one another.
Enjoy the Hopslam - its good stuff man (just not as good as Pliny ! Cheers!
You know, I knew brewers were good people. I was just joshing with you guys!! I know that Hopslam is not in the same league as Pliny, and as I drink my second one, I see why. Sorry to have offended anyone with my comparison, I really know that my palette is not refined enough to distinguish different flavors, that’s why I will never make it to the BJCP. I only say a beer is ok, good, great, or amazing! Hopslam is definitely great, Pliny is amazing!
But I definitely love brewing beer and ultimately, drinking it!
By the way, any one have a clone recipe they can share? I’ve never tried Hopslam. I brewed a cloned Pliny recipe someone posted on this website and it was so close to the real deal. I had a blind tasting, and half of the people tasting could not distinguish which was the real Pliny.
I had plenty of Hopslam last year and it was $16 for a six. Now it is $18 for a six here and I just can’t do it for that price when I could try to clone it and spend roughly the same amount for 5 gallons. Thanks for the hop info, I might try this.
The Pliny the Elder recipe has been given out in a homebrew format by Vinnie, so yeah,it is close.
Found this on the internet. No idea how close it is, never brewewd it, just have the file stored on the computer. IBU’s are too high, but which calcualtion did they use? It was from a Homebrew club in Tenn. I think, but could be wrong. If it turns out to be close, let us know.
All Grain Recipe - Bells Hopslam ::: 1.089/1.020 (6.5 Gal)
Grain Bill (75% Efficiency assumed)
13 lbs. - Maris Otter Malt
2 lb. - Munich Malt
1 lb. - Aromatic Malt
1/2 lb. - CaraPils
3 lbs. - Table Sugar OR 4 lbs. - Honey (end of boil)
Hop Schedule (93 IBU)
2 oz. - Simcoe [13%] (75 min.)
1 oz. - Glacier [5.6%] (60 min.)
1.5 oz. - Centennial [10%] (20 min.)
1 oz. - Glacier [5.6%] (15 min.)
1 oz. - Vanguard [5.5%](10 min.)
1 oz. - Crystal [3.5%] (1 min.)
1 oz. - Hallertau [4%] (1 min.)
2 oz. - Simcoe (Dry Hop in Secondary 1 week)
Yeast
1.3L starter of WLP001 or WY1056 IF you have a stirplate. If you do not have a stirplate, make a pale ale or something below 1.050 with WLP001 or 1056 and use 200 ml of that yeast for this beer. If you choose Safale S-05 use 2 properly hydrated packs.
Mash/Sparge/Boil
Mash at 150° to 152° for 75 min.
Sparge as usual
Cool and ferment at 68° (make sure you control your temp!)
I don’t think anyone was saying one was better than the other, just that the two beers are not all that similar, except for having lots of hops and high alcohol.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Bells. Love that 2 Hearted Ale! Just got my hands on a 6er yesterday at the local Bevmo. Came in at $16.00 which is the most I’ve ever paid for a 6 pack. Hope its good. I’ll be brewing today and plan on cracking one of these bad boys at flame out!
I feel like this years batch has much less pineapple than I remember from previous batches. True to previous batches I get a lot of grapefuit, citrus and hop spiciness.
Hint of alcohol with a high drinkability, this has cut a couple of my drinking sessions short, luckily I am within walking distance of a few bars that have it on tap.
I had Hopslam at the Indiana Winterfest last Saturday. While a decent beer, I found it to be overbearingly hop vegetale. The hopping is plainly apparent, but the green chlorophyl undertones of having had too much hop matter on the beer predominates to me. Not a beer that I would wantingly drink. While Hopslam is a different style, it does not hold a candle to Two-Hearted. Hopslam was brewed to be extreme and they succeeded. I’ll pass.
I will have to look for more Hopslam.
! Cheers!