This week has been a big week for another famous Midwest annual beer release. While cases have been trickling to distribution in previous weeks, Bell's Hopslam started showing up in bigger numbers in all of Bell's markets. My friends in Michigan, where Bell's is located, don't get as worked up for the release but you better believe my Chicago beer friends go nuts.
Hopslam is a complex Double India Pale Ale that comes in at a heavy 10% ABV. One of the signature ingredients is honey, but I can't tell you I thought it was all that present in this year's release. Bell's strongly suggests enjoying this beer as fresh as possible. I got my cans at six days old, and even seven days later they changed quite a bit. All of this being said, Hopslam is a very good DIPA, but I don't think you need to go nuts trying to get it. If you miss it one year, you'll find plenty of other good options out there.