Bell’s Hopslam is a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style that has a pretty serious cult like following. Each winter when it is released in January it disappears from shelves as quickly as it came into the store. People have stalked delivery trucks just to be sure they could get their hands on some. Though with so many stores utilizing social media now, it is no longer necessary to do so.

Cases O’ Hopslam

Just look at what O’Bryan’s Wine got delivered last Monday. Roughly twenty cases. It disappeared before the day was over though. I personally bought an entire case. I believe that most stores in Ohio are now out of Hopslam. However Kentucky didn’t release theirs until this week, and I’ve heard that the Party Source still has some available.

2014 vs 2013

I set aside a couple of bottles from last year’s release in my continuously growing beer cellar. Normally an IPA is something that you want to drink as soon as possible, as hop profiles fade quickly with age. With that said I had read some somewhat positive reviews of cellar aged Hopslam. Personally in my taste taste I much preferred the fresh variety, though my wife (not much of a hop head) preferred the aged. I let her have my second bottle out of the cellar. For a much more descriptive comparison, check out what the Brew Professor had to think in a similar taste test.