Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS The Crusher

Brewed by Hoppin Frog
Style: Imperial Stout
Akron, Ohio USA

Bottle with ample gracias to MrBunn. Pours balck with minimal, fast disappearing tan head. Aroma is mild, some malt, roast, typical impy nose. The flavor, however, is world class. Initially anise, cherries, plums, vanilla, coffee, roasted malts, chocolate, bourbon/whiskey, and lighlty roasting wood chips. I have a highly untrained palate relative to most experienced beer raters, and it’s fully under assault by this brew. Excellent ABV burn as it goes down. This is a big brew, of course, but it is balanced enough to pull its punch until the very end. And even then, it uses soft gloves. Wonderful stuff.

22oz bottle (Courtesy of BeerandBlues2 at RSRIZZO’s tasting) 8/9/09-Pours black with a little head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, and oak. Taste was the same with some cherry undertones. This full bodied brew KICKS ASS.

Thick black pour with mocha brown pour. Bourbon aroma, roasted malt, coffee. Taste is vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, bourbon. From my notes and memory, this seems thinner than the reg. B.O.R.I.S. Nonetheless, it is a very tasty beer. Nice aftertaste- it really sticks around. Lacing on the glass. Worth $18 a bottle.

Bottle at Ørsted Ølbar - shared with Jannik. Black - Brown head. Sweetness, oakey, light bourbon, whiskey, ashtray, smokey, cocoa, chocolate, nice hoppy, smooth body, light sharpness, roasted, vanilla, coffee, high malty. Very nice smooth.

Had this side by side with the regular BORIS.I loved the boozey nose on this brew.The pour was dark and gloomy.Flavors of roastedness, wood, whiskey, vanilla and some maltiness.The body was thinner than the regular.It was definately a warming brew that left some warmth in the belly.

Bottle. Did a side by side tasting of this with the regular Boris so I could appreciate what both had to offer. This beer was very good. The aroma was primarily whiskey and coffee. The flavor was coffee and malts, a hint of vanilla and just traces of the whiskey. Which was surprising. I enjoyed the flavor of this, but I think what i missed was the thicker mouthful that the regular Boris gives me. I want a thick stout, and regular Boris gives me that. This version was a bit thin and watery for me to totally love it. Although it is a VERY well done barrel aged beer which is rare to come by.

The barrel aged version of Boris was a little disappointing. I though the barrel aging of this already spectacular beer would make it even tastier.......it did no such thing. Poured midnight black with a small chocolate ring. Some medicinal cherry and faint wood flavors in both the nose and flavor. This is a good beer don’t get me wrong, I would take the standard Boris over the Barrel aged any day.

22oz bottle batch 1, courtesy of Reed415. Pours pitch black with a small tan head that recedes fairly quickly leaving some spotty lacing on the way down to a minimal collar. For lack of a better word, the aroma is dark, really dark. It’s got a massive dark roasted malt aroma with lots of toasted oats as well. Some bakers chocolate follows and only a subtle barrel presence with a little oak and hints of whiskey. One of the least intrusive barrel aromas I’ve smelled recently. The taste is more of the same and I’m definitely surprised the whiskey doesn’t show more. The dominant flavors are dark roasted malts and dark chocolate. I’m also very surprised by the level of dark fruits in this one - lots of chocolate covered cherry flavors. There is definitely some oak in there, but the whiskey is really, really subtle, and vanilla is more dominant flavor. The mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth with the oats making their presence felt. The carbonation is light and the body is medium to full. This is a solid BA stout and I can’t decide if I like this or the regular version more. What I do like is that the barrel character is not overpowering and the the underlying beer still dominates the flavors. It’s a sweet and roasty stout with hints of whiskey which make it very drinkable for a BA stout.