IIPA at 75th Street This Week

Just a very brief note - 75th Street Brewing will be putting an Imperial IPA on draught this Wednesday (2/25) and will have it available in the firkin keg this Friday (2/27).

Not Quite a Slam Dunk

We went to Flying Saucer on Friday night, the objective being to get some food and a pint or two of Bells' new Hopslam Imperial IPA. 

I love Bell's Brewing. Their stouts are great, Two Hearted is a wonderful IPA, their Old Ale is delicious, their Winter White is always a favorite... but the Hopslam was honestly a bit disappointing. The citrusy-grapefruity flavor was nice, but overall it was just way too sweet. Lots of honeysuckle and fruit flavor overwhelmed the predominance of the hops, likely an effort to balance the beer. I had a hard time finishing my one goblet, and that's saying something given how much I love an over-the-top IPA. I just don't like drinking hop syrup. 

Most of the reviewers on beeradvocate.com, however, love the beer.  If you tend to find yourself agreeing with them, you'll probably like it. My own preferences lean more toward the less sweet imperials, such as Rogue's I2PA or Avery's Maharaja (or, if we could get them out here, Dogfish Head's 90 minute, Stone's Ruination, or Moylan's Moylander).  Hopslam reminded me of a slightly less intense Dogfish Head 120 minute. 

It's worth trying, and Flying Saucer gives you an opportunity to do so without having to commit to an entire six-pack. Gomers in Midtown & Royal do not have Hopslam (as of 1/23) but Lukas off 135th does. Due to the limited availability of the beer, they're only allowing purchase of one 6-pack per customer. At $16 each, I'm not sure it's worth picking up more than that. I may pick one up just to compare to my experience of it on tap - and perhaps to keep a bottle or two to compare to next year's batch.