Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 9.4%
Reported IBUs: 60
It's Friday, and I have a hankering for some Whiskey/Bourbon and beer. About Hoppin' Frog:
Hoppin' Frog is a "small, hands-on brewery making very flavorful beers in the most flavorful beer styles." The brewery was founded by owner Fred Karm in 2006. The dude looks like he means serious business, and he has been brewing specialty beers since 1994. Karm came up with the concept of Hoppin' Frog, and has designed and produced 21 award winning beers at the Great American Beer Festival and World Cup.
The Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. adds the addition of whiskey barrels to the already spectacular B.OR.I.S. The Crusher Imperial Oatmeal Stout. The regular beer is one of my favorite all time Imperial Stouts, and definitely one of the best readily available Stouts in the States.
Like the regular B.O.R.I.S., this one pours into a opaque, pitch black body. You do catch some red tones as the beer pours out of the bottle into the glass, but once it settles it's all obsidian and squid ink and outer space or whatever lingo you use in your reviews. The beer also kicks up two fingers of coffee-brown/mocha head. The head on this beer is awesome, and swirling the beer in the glass kicks it back up. I'd like to think that's the oatmeal at work, but I'm not a thinking man. There's some nice lacing and glossy alcohol legs with this, and there is some carbonation on the sides of the glass. [edit: in bright light you do catch some brown on the edges, so this isn't the darkest beer I've had...not by a long shot]
Ugghhhh. Yeahhhh. Ohhh yeah. Mmm. Audible moans. That aroma is soooo good. It's up there with the Bourbon County Stout and barrel-aged Old Rasputin. Just delicious whiskey, oats, oatmeal, chocolate, truffle, and big coconut. There's some molasses and dark sugars, along with hints of fruit, and some hints of meaty notes as well. I'm also getting a dash of coffee. Just from the aroma alone you can tell that the barrel is well integrated with the base beer, and not overpowering.
Like a milkshake, this beer is dense as hell and super rich. Sometimes the Bourbon/Whiskey overpowers the Stout base and thins things out in an unfavorable way, but this beer's giant malt body stands up to the barrel and throws things down. There's an assault of rich oats, chocolate, coffee, roast, and dark sugars, all juxtaposed with big whiskey kick, and then complimented with some woody barrel notes. As this warms, you get huge brownie, hints of dark fruits and raisins, fudge, brown sugars, coconut, and molasses...and then the whiskey and barrel show up to remind you that life is shit but that sweet burn solves most of your problems. It's like chocolate for adults.
If you can't tell, I like this beer...I don't know if the barrel improves the base beer per se, it just adds another dimension of awesome. Sometimes you want that whiskey twist, sometimes you don't. The mouthfeel on this beer is huge. It's a full-bodied beer. Palate depth and duration are both outstanding (as with the base beer), and complexity is good. It's not as good as the Bourbon County Stout, but it's pretty darn close. This is also incredibly impressive for 9.4%. It drinks very dense for the ABV, but drinkability is good in that you don't pick up any overt alcohol. There is a little burn from the whiskey. Fat malts (chocolate, raisins, brownie, coconut) spiked with whiskey start things off; that rolls into coffee, roast, meat, more whiskey, more malts; the finish rolls in some nice barrel character and mild whiskey burn...dry, sticky, sugary finish. One of the best barrel aged Stouts you can get.
Like the regular B.O.R.I.S., this one pours into a opaque, pitch black body. You do catch some red tones as the beer pours out of the bottle into the glass, but once it settles it's all obsidian and squid ink and outer space or whatever lingo you use in your reviews. The beer also kicks up two fingers of coffee-brown/mocha head. The head on this beer is awesome, and swirling the beer in the glass kicks it back up. I'd like to think that's the oatmeal at work, but I'm not a thinking man. There's some nice lacing and glossy alcohol legs with this, and there is some carbonation on the sides of the glass. [edit: in bright light you do catch some brown on the edges, so this isn't the darkest beer I've had...not by a long shot]
 |
| Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. |
Ugghhhh. Yeahhhh. Ohhh yeah. Mmm. Audible moans. That aroma is soooo good. It's up there with the Bourbon County Stout and barrel-aged Old Rasputin. Just delicious whiskey, oats, oatmeal, chocolate, truffle, and big coconut. There's some molasses and dark sugars, along with hints of fruit, and some hints of meaty notes as well. I'm also getting a dash of coffee. Just from the aroma alone you can tell that the barrel is well integrated with the base beer, and not overpowering.
Like a milkshake, this beer is dense as hell and super rich. Sometimes the Bourbon/Whiskey overpowers the Stout base and thins things out in an unfavorable way, but this beer's giant malt body stands up to the barrel and throws things down. There's an assault of rich oats, chocolate, coffee, roast, and dark sugars, all juxtaposed with big whiskey kick, and then complimented with some woody barrel notes. As this warms, you get huge brownie, hints of dark fruits and raisins, fudge, brown sugars, coconut, and molasses...and then the whiskey and barrel show up to remind you that life is shit but that sweet burn solves most of your problems. It's like chocolate for adults.
If you can't tell, I like this beer...I don't know if the barrel improves the base beer per se, it just adds another dimension of awesome. Sometimes you want that whiskey twist, sometimes you don't. The mouthfeel on this beer is huge. It's a full-bodied beer. Palate depth and duration are both outstanding (as with the base beer), and complexity is good. It's not as good as the Bourbon County Stout, but it's pretty darn close. This is also incredibly impressive for 9.4%. It drinks very dense for the ABV, but drinkability is good in that you don't pick up any overt alcohol. There is a little burn from the whiskey. Fat malts (chocolate, raisins, brownie, coconut) spiked with whiskey start things off; that rolls into coffee, roast, meat, more whiskey, more malts; the finish rolls in some nice barrel character and mild whiskey burn...dry, sticky, sugary finish. One of the best barrel aged Stouts you can get.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
I'm going to go with a Decent Divine Brew, on this, which is the same score I gave the base beer. This is just a world-class barrel-aged Stout. You owe it to yourself to buy a bottle of this, especially considering how widely available and easy it is to get. As I said already, I don't know if the whiskey improves upon the base beer in any way other than adding whiskey flavor...so it really comes down to your mood. Tonight, I was craving a Bourbon/Whiskey beer. Pair this with some pecan pie, a cigar, dry chocolate cakes or desserts, creme brulee, or even a raunchy burger with some super aggressive cheese and sauce and onion rings. Mmm.
Random Thought: Drink this beer at cellar temperatures or warmer. I'm serious. This beer doesn't open up until it starts to approach room temps, and if you drink this cold you are missing out. I usually don't give this disclaimer because "to each their own," but this beer is factually better when it is warmer. If you don't believe me, read my blog. SCIENCE, BITCHES.
I'm going to go with a Decent Divine Brew, on this, which is the same score I gave the base beer. This is just a world-class barrel-aged Stout. You owe it to yourself to buy a bottle of this, especially considering how widely available and easy it is to get. As I said already, I don't know if the whiskey improves upon the base beer in any way other than adding whiskey flavor...so it really comes down to your mood. Tonight, I was craving a Bourbon/Whiskey beer. Pair this with some pecan pie, a cigar, dry chocolate cakes or desserts, creme brulee, or even a raunchy burger with some super aggressive cheese and sauce and onion rings. Mmm.
Random Thought: Drink this beer at cellar temperatures or warmer. I'm serious. This beer doesn't open up until it starts to approach room temps, and if you drink this cold you are missing out. I usually don't give this disclaimer because "to each their own," but this beer is factually better when it is warmer. If you don't believe me, read my blog. SCIENCE, BITCHES.
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