Hoppin Frog Fresh Frog Raw Hop Imperial Pale Ale

Brewed by Hoppin Frog
Style: American Pale Ale
Akron, Ohio USA

22 oz bottle
I was surprised to see this in distribution but I guess some bottles made it out of the brewery. Retailing at the typical $7.99 this was a nice beer for the season. I hope it becomes a regular in the annual lineup. It is already solid and with a little tweaking can really set itself apart from the crowd even more. I may just have to get more before it disappears from the shelves.

Aroma / Appearance - Foamy and delicate the head floats above a mahogany liquid like the residue left after a wave hits the beach. A light sheen of lacing betrays the fact that this is only borderline sessionable. Sweet and citrusy it smells a bit like a rose garden in full bloom. The malty backbone gives a nice structure for the hops to rest on.

Flavor / Palate - The start tastes a bit like dry maple wood. The fluid mouthfeel then turns sweet and bitter. Freshly hewn cedar transitions to a hoppy finish that sticks in the throat at about half strength. Borderline sessionable this would eventually hit you but one bottle was not too tough to polish off especially if you like savoring well made beers. If this one ever gets into wide distribution be sure to give it a try.

Served from a 22 oz bottle with a special thanks to Andy with the sweet hookup! Pours a crystal clear amber-ed gold with a frothy white head. The aromas are full of an earthy floral hop bouquet with a solid spiced malt underbelly. The flavors are fresh hops that are very nectar in essence. The mouth is not overly dry or bitter and the lower carbonation really lets the tongue taste the wet hops. A really nice beer. I always enjoy seeing Ohio represent!

Bottle from new Crown downtown. Pours clear pale golden/brown with foamy off-white head. Nose is fresh citrus hops, slightly piney. Taste is smooth fresh and very pleasing citrus hops with some tropical fruit and rounded out with a decent amount of pine. Some caramel malt and slight breadiness come through as well to balance the brew as a whole quite nicely. I may have to go back for another soon.

Bottle picked up from Fred Karm at the brewery. It’s nice to have a brewery that values its customers, have a head brewer who is willing to chat, oh, and he brews darn good beer. Anyhow, this has a nice clear copper color and has a sudsy tan head. Aromas are sweet malt with lots of citrus and tropical fruit hops. Mango and oranges, a little bit of pine... nice nose. The flavor is no less impressive. I’m a little skeptical about wet hopped harvest ale type beers following a few bitter (err... not-so-bitter) disappointments, but this beer delivers. First off, this has an aroma. Second, the malt and hops balance well against eachother. The hops profile that comes through in the flavor is heavily piney, which sticks to the palate and lingers in the aftertaste.

Bottle from the brewery on release day. The beer pours a clear copper-orange color with a medium thick and foamy off-white head that dissipates steadily. Sticky rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of resiny hops, malt and citrus. Full body with flavors of citrusy hops, bready malt and spices. Notes of watermelon at times too. The finish is soft and hoppy, leaving a spice and fruit aftertaste. Enjoyable throughout.

Many thanks to Dogbrick for picking me up a couple bottles from Akron. Pours clear copper with a thin off-white head. Malty aroma with some grapefruit and spicy hop character. Citrusy flavor up front with some spiciness and some sweet malt on the back end. Very good and held on to some APA characteristics.