No, the headline isn't a typo. I have compared and contrasted a fresh Hopslam and a 3 year old HopSlam. Now before you all scream foul at an aged Hopslam, I did not age it myself. Well, not the full time. Suffice to say that a former manager not named after an occupation provided me an exchanged Hopslam that was a year old...for free. I naturally jumped at the chance and proceeded to let it age 2 more years. Now we (we, as I have brought a friend known only as The Mysterious Stranger) have consumed and rated these beers side by side. Let us move forward:
Bell's Hopslam 2012
It seemed proper to let age go before beauty in this case. Also, the complexities this beer could give off would have been destroyed by the intense hops from the fresh Hopslam. The nose hints at the age on this beer as we got aromas of chocolate, caramel, raisins, oak, and vanilla. You don't often see these aromas in the nose. The taste shows far more hops than I could have dreamed of, with soft hints of grapefruit and pine resin. The finish is dry with odd flavors of licorice, bread, and roast beef. While age definitely diminished this beer, it was far better than I could have hoped for.
Mike and The Mysterious Stranger's Rating - 8.75/10
Bell's Hopslam 2015
By now the coffers of many of the stores have started running dry on this Winter DIPA. Still, I was determined to find this review while it was fresh and post it. Did I say find? I mean...The nose is very pungent with aromas of grapefruit, citrus, cracked pepper, and herbal notes. The taste is more bitter than usual and provides flavors of grapefruit, tangerines, mint leaves, and lemon zest. The finish is quick and crisp with hints of citrus and honey. The finish dissipates far too quickly and leaves you wanting a bit more. Still, the nose and the front more than make up for the ending flop.
Mike and The Mysterious Stranger's Rating - 9.5/10
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