I hate phony beer snobs..........

I hate phony beer snobs. They can ruin an enjoyable glass of beer with their pompous attitude and psuedo beer knowledge. With the amount of time I spend in the local Old Bag of Nails Pub in Mansfield, Ohio, I am unfortunately bound to run into a few now and then. On one of my more recent trips to enjoy and sample the elusive Bell's Hopslam, the experience was tainted  leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. The atmospere of OBON was warm. The manager Don, was as always, the most generous of hosts, providing food pairings and samples. The Hopslam was flowing. I was content as I sat down at the bar. Before I could even order my first Hopslam, the phony beer snob reared his ugly head and began to speak. Leaning over, he sneered, "Bet your wife won't let you order anything but Coors Light or Bud Light." I responded with a simple "My wife is the one who told me the Hopslam was being tapped today." I could feel her temperature rise sitting next to me. He continued to interject into our conversation about our beer choices, insulted my wifes beer choice of the Left Hand Milk Stout and then went on to correct her about the %ABV of the beer she was drinking. He was wrong, but it didn't really matter because it was clear what we were dealing with. He continued on complaining about the pub and the free food, and insulting the bartenders and Don.

I tried to not let the beer snob ruin my tasting. The 10% Imperial IPA had a smoothness I had not experienced before in any IPA, let alone an Imperial. Normally, an Imperial is harsher and has more of a butterscotch sweetness.  I found myself sampling larger tastings of the beer and found my glass quickly emptied. The balance was amazing. This light amber IPA starts smooth with a spicy citrus aroma and finishes slightly sweet with the alcohol hidden in the background. Do not confuse this with a session beer. This is a beer that one has to be careful with, keeping this in mind I ordered my second and final Hopslam.  Unfortunately, this beer is only available in January, but it makes the experience more worthwhile, doesn't it?

Upon leaving the OBON, my aggitated wife decided to order the snob a beer he wouldn't appreciate, but deserved, the Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing.