Shochu has a very distinctive aroma and taste. Maybe you found out already. The sweet potato kind, i.e., the kind gifted to you, has a stronger smell than that distilled from barley, for example.
But maybe the purple sweet potato variety like yours might be tamer. I have lived in Japan for 30+ years and still haven't develped a taste for it. (Japanese sake is another story, though!)
My favorite way to drink shochu is to squeeze fresh orange or grapefruit juice, add soda water, ice, and shochu to your liking. It's quite refreshing (and hides the smell and taste! HA!).
You mentioned Hoppy, which as you read is basically beer without alcohol. So, bars/izakaya serve it and you add the shochu to get the alcohol kick.
Let me know how you like and how you drink it. Cheers.