Hopslam Dunk.

Contrary to the title, there were no doughnuts involved. However, there was Hopslam and March Madness! Sounds like a killer combo to me!

Ive been waiting for a Hopslam for what seemed like ages. I've heard from everyone and their brother that it is the greatest beer ever conceived and that I needed to try it. Every time it hits Taco Mac (A restaurant I frequent with 300 beers that are somehow always fresh), it is gone before I even get a chance to see the bottle. This beer certainly gets the award for most elusive beer I've heard of, I'd swear it's the Loch Ness Beer.

Lo and behold, I get to Taco Mac and one of the managers tells me that he has saved a beer specially for me. Of course all of the others sold in no time flat but they managed to keep one from the angry mob of thirsty customers with thick wallets. Yeah, its elusive AND pricey, what's new?

My server brings me a bottle with what appears to be a guy flattened by a giant hop from heaven on it and after a quick trial whif, I pour it into a room temperature glass. The smell is of citrus, hops, honey, and a slight floral edge.

To the tongue, it is extremely smooth for a 10% imperial IPA and I can taste grapefruit and honey behind the wall of hops. The hop profile is very good, it comes in, takes a powerful presence, and leaves you with a nice bitter reminder that it is lord of this beer.

So far, so good, right? Not really. After all this hype, price, and difficulty finding this beer, I expected God Himself to bless it with holy water. It wasn't THAT great, especially for $8.50 (restaurant price) for the bottle. I'll certainly put it in my top 10 IPAs and definitely buy one next time I see it, but I'll probably meet bigfoot first. Overall, its an 89 on my beer scale. Frankly, for the price, I'll take two Hopsecutioners or Loose Cannons.

-Brew long and prosper