Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Just curious, is anyone on here able to find Bell's Hopslam where they are?

I've gone to both Jungle Jim's stores and the Party Source near me and none have it. The Jungle Jim's in Eastgate says they had it a month ago but sold out and are not getting any more in. I stop in pretty regularly but hadn't seen any...

Thought I had a lead on some when I stopped into a local shop tonight that sells Bell's but they too were out.

I've been wanting to try this for a while but always seem to miss it. Any help in locating some would be most appreciated!

[American Patriot]

I'm afraid I haven't really tried Ryan.

[Ryan Ruck]

Well, Hop to!



Seriously though, anyone that can find a 6er or even just an individual bottle, I'll pay for it and shipping.

eBay is still cracking down on beer and Beer Jobber has closed up shop.

[Ryan Ruck]

I'm on call this weekend so I'm taking it light tonight.

Just giving one new beer a try tonight...



A very interesting beer! Tastes of smoke and saison spice with some bitter bite to it.

Not the type of beer you down a lot of in one sitting but, a bottle/glass is certainly worth your time.

[Ryan Ruck]

I had this last night...



It's an Imperial/Double IPA and it certainly has the nose and taste of one but not nearly the bitterness that one might associate it with. Very citrus-y and earthy in smell and taste.

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight is one I've been looking forward to for a couple weeks and it just hit the shelves at my nearby Jungle Jim's this past week.

It is a collaboration Imperial IPA between Dogfish and Sierra Navada called Rhizing Bines.



Smell is herbal citrus. Taste is citrus and, interestingly, melon with practically no bitterness. Goes down very smooth, very drinkable! I like it better than the Southern Tier Gemini.

[American Patriot]

I've been drinking Corona Extra at home... lol Cheap. Lots of it. And I can buy it near by. lol

Been hitting Rock Bottom every day since they brought back the Class V Amber (My absolute favorite beer of all time) and wife and I have been trying to empty the tank. They think we're down to a few barrels left now. LOL

Oh... I even have the old banner from RB for the class V here at the house. Long story that one, but I won it... "in a drinking contest" LMAO

[Ryan Ruck]

I've been drinking Corona Extra at home... lol Cheap. Lots of it. And I can buy it near by. lol

Ewww, Corona!

It probably wouldn't be as bad as it usually is if they just switched to brown bottles. I have a feeling that would take care of a lot of the skunkiness that is typical with it.

You guys able to get Yuengling there? That's generally priced in the same neighborhood as Corona but is a much better brand. Shiner would be another good one priced similarly.

Been hitting Rock Bottom every day since they brought back the Class V Amber (My absolute favorite beer of all time) and wife and I have been trying to empty the tank. They think we're down to a few barrels left now. LOL

Oh... I even have the old banner from RB for the class V here at the house. Long story that one, but I won it... "in a drinking contest" LMAO

LOL!

[MinutemanCO]

Ryan, you are a true connoisseur. That's some excellent brew you've been sampling. I've got to try that Rhizing Bines. I don't drink enough for the price to be an issue. Had a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA most recently.

[Ryan Ruck]

Thank you sir! To be honest, my taste buds aren't as refined as some folks who give real thorough beer reviews but I try.

Definitely give Rhizing Bines a try! The melon was rather unexpected but good. Took me a second to put my finger on what it was. It won't break the bank either assuming you are able to pick it up retail. I'm sure price varies by location but my 750ml bottle was $12.

By the way, 2 other offerings Dogfish has out now are Birra Etrusca and Noble Rot. Both are very good! You might even be able to find Hellhound On My Ale and 75 Minute IPA still on shelves too.

[MinutemanCO]

I'll give a look at the nearest Daveco. I'm really hankerin for a deep aromatic ale. Ribs and homemade fries, too.

[Ryan Ruck]

I forgot to share this but, this showed up yesterday...

I finally got my hands on one! Suck it eBay!

It cost me $17 but I'll finally get to try it!





Next quest is more of Dogfish's 120 IPA. I tried one bottle before but it is awesome and I'd like to pick up a couple 4 packs. It is supposed to be hitting the shelves at the Party Source near me in the next couple weeks. The alcohol content is too high to sell as beer in Ohio so Jungle Jim's won't be getting any.

[American Patriot]

Are you serious? Can't sell it as beer? What's the A/C?

[Malsua]

Ohio has weird laws about booze.

It used to be that only state liquor stores sold hard liquor. That changed in the 90s and other places sprung up.

Most Diary mart/convenience stores just sell beer.

In NJ, anywhere there is booze, it's everything but it can't be sold after certain hours for package sales, but ok in bars. It's just foolish.

[Ryan Ruck]

The 120 IPA has been anywhere from 15%-20% ABV depending on year brewed. Last year's was 18%.

I forget what the cutoff is for alcohol content in beer in Ohio, a liquor store owner told me once. I think it is 10%, maybe 12%.

[American Patriot]

Ah ok. Well 18% is a wine level usually, or at least a barley wine type of beer. That's pretty high though for beers. Our meads usually hit 19-22% (we've had stronger ones, but they usually don't taste as good!)

[Ryan Ruck]

Didn't get a chance to post up my thoughts on the Hopslam that I drank this past weekend!

Definitely a good Double IPA! It surely lives up to its name with a big hop smell and taste. You can also just barely taste the honey it is brewed with. Another thing you can hardly taste is the 10% alcohol!



I also had a chance to try another Double IPA over the weekend, this one a seasonal that is somewhat hard to get from Great Lakes Brewing.



Another really good Double IPA! This one had more of a grapefruit smell and taste. Taste was also a bit sweet though not honey-sweet like Hopslam.

After this one, there is officially only one beer from Great Lakes I haven't had yet, Rye Of The Tiger.



Between the two, I think Bell's Hopslam wins out by just a little bit.

[Ryan Ruck]

Still on the hunt for the elusive 120 IPA, I stopped in at Party Source on my lunch break to see if any was in yet. No luck of course. Guy in the beer department says, "Any day now. Call in on Mondays and Thursdays. That's when our Dogfish distributor makes deliveries."

*sigh*

He recommended me tonight's sampling as an alternative to the 120:



It is Double Eye PA brewed by Mikkeller in collaboration with Lervig Aktiebryggeri (both Norwegian brewers, I have no idea how to pronounce the second!).

At $6 a 12oz bottle it is on the high side price wise but not too big of a hit.

Smell is fruity alcohol. Taste is very sweet and thick with an up front mild bitterness that doesn't really last and hops. Despite the smell of it, the 14% ABV is masked well.

My overall impression is that it is definitely in the same family as the 120, and it is surely a strong contender, but 120 is a more "refined" beer and still wins out.

[Ryan Ruck]

Interestingly enough tonight's second sampling is yet another Double/Imperial IPA. Not sure why all my recent selections seem to be of that variety, especially since I'm not the biggest IPA fan, but that just seems to be how things have shaken out.

Another product of Southern Tier who's Pumking and Creme Brulee I'm a fan of, this is called Unearthly.



Smell is grassy and taste is an interesting creamy, hoppy taste. Definitely a unique, easy drinking brew! It comes in at 9.5% ABV so not as big a kick as the Double Eye PA but it tastes like a good balance.

[Ryan Ruck]

Just picked this up today!





The hunt for 120 continues... Word from Party Source is they are going to be selling it as 1 bottle in a variety pack with a limit of one per household. They'll be sending out an email next Friday to announce it.