Happy Hopslam Day!

I've been meaning to write about beer for quite some time now.  If I have one vice, it's beer.  Let me give you a little background on what to expect in these posts.  I do not care for domestic beer, so pretty much anything made by Bud, Miller, or Coors will not be found on these pages.  And yes, I am aware they own shares or have "microbrews", which I'm sure I will try at some point, but I'm going to be honest, I think the big three make crap beers.

What I'm going to focus on is craft beers and microbrews.  Right now in the US, 85% of the beer market is the big three.  The rest of that 15% is all of the small breweries fighting for sales and devotion from customers.  If you are a big beer fan, I highly recommend the movie Beer Wars, which does a great job of showing the state of the beer market and how we are JUST NOW getting back to the level of differing beer production that this country had pre-Prohibition.  If you enjoy beer, this is a great time to go out and try something different.  I hope these posts will help push you in a different direction and outside the box when choosing your next beer.

Lucky for me, it's the best time of year for beer because it's time for Hopslam!  A double IPA made by Bell's Brewery, this is an extremely hoppy IPA that blows away anything else I have ever had.  I was at my favorite beverage store this morning at 11am just so I could make sure I got a case (and I'm still looking for a refrigerator keg of it next week).  It's in high demand and for good reason.

Hopslam this year is just as delicious as in the past.  Bright and floral, it's almost sweet in the citrus-like finish and explodes with hoppiness and flavor.  Too many hops can cause a beer to go bitter, but the honey they add really keeps that in check and results in a most delicious beer.  It's extremely crisp and bright, and I highly recommend this to any who enjoy beer.