Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged BORIS The Crusher

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

Big thanks to Brigadier for this trade. Brown-black pour. Thick, creamy, coffee-brown head fades to a film, leaves a few spots of lace. Aromas of cellar-dust, mint, vanilla, barrel, some of the brighter roasty elements, well harmonized but not particularly strong. Very thick, smooth palate. Flavor-wise, this is a banana split of a beer, fruity overtones meld with the rich, sweet chocolate malt base, bits of leather underneath, anise and cherry above. Long, warm finish with a bit of minty fire.

22oz bottle. I needed something good and a little stronger to take the stress out of learning my Job is going away in April of ’10. Poured a dark black color with brown edges and an averaged sized brownish head. Aromas of whiskey, vanilla, chocolate, lighter wood, and dark fruits. Tastes of chocolate, whiskey, vanilla, wood, dark fruits, and caramel. Light to medium alcohol in the finish.

Botella. Pitch black colour with a small rather short lasting dark brown head leaving a good lacing. Plenty of chocolate and alcohol in the roasty malty aroma along with dark fruits and some wood. Good filling mouthfeel. Sweet dark fruity chocolate roasty malty flavour with a pleasant bitterness. Roasty malty chocolate dark fruity woodish finish.

Bottle shared by Nick3 on BA at a tasting. Thanks, Nick! This beer definitely lived up to expectations. Pours jet black and thick with a small tan head and some good lacing. Aroma is caramel, toffee, whiskey, roast, wood, and chocolate. Flavor is similarly complex, yet balanced. All the typical imperial stout notes are in there - roast, chocolate, and coffee - as well as oak, whiskey, dark fruits, and spice. Whiskey flavor is balanced however and does not overpower like it does in some barrel-aged beers. Very smooth and creamy palate with low carbonation and fairly full body. Not at all boozy. Excellent beer overall.

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of chocolate, malts, slight vanilla, light roasting, and the slightest hint of alcohol. I was expecting a more complex, more bourbon-filled aroma. Poured pitch black in color with a small to medium-sized, creamy, dense, dark brown head that diminished but lasted throughout as a film on top of the beer. Opaque. Slightly sparkling. Tiny lacing. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, cookies and cream, slight bourbon, light vanilla, slight alcohol, slight wood, and a hint of maple. Medium to full body. Slick, then lightly dry texture. Average carbonation. Roasted malt, chocolate, light vanilla, and slight wood finish is lightly dry. 9.4%ABV is present in the aroma only, and barely at that.

Bottle: pours dark black, thick, with a thin tan head, aroma of whiskey, vanilla, roasted malts, light sweetness, medium bitterness, whiskey taste, some chocolate, fairly full body, a little sticky, just a touch of carbonation. Doesn’t have the chocolatey flavor of the original but defintely a good RIS....$18 is a little too much though.

Picked up a bottle at the Craft Ale House, pours a beautiful viscous dark black. the nose has whiskey, oak, vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate. First sip is strong toasted malt with bourbon, oak, tobacco, raisins, leather, coconut and smoke. picks up hard with cocoa like baking chocolate but the slight hop finish is clean and just perfect. God I love this beer.

Inky black pour with a small, off-white head. Rich full aroma of chocolate, oats, coffee and nicely balanced bourbon. It had a hint of soy like oxidation though. The flavor is loads more rich choclate, nice strong, black coffee rounded our with some heavy char oak and bourbon. The body is full, sticky, and oily with soft carbonation.