Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale

The other half and I headed to her family’s for the holidays. We were lucky and didn’t hit any traffic. We spent a few days with her mother and stepfather and it was really nice. Everyone was very friendly and the food was really tasty. They live in Connecticut, but not that far over the New York border. Anyways, this was a brew that I picked up a few weeks ago. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 8.6%

Style: Winter Warmer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “The essence of Christmas is captured in this very bottle. Perfectly blended spices compliment Frosted Frog’s rich malt flavors, creating the ultimate Christmas experience. Celebrate the holidays as you savor this very special seasonal offering.”

Random: It’s been over a month since I’ve had a beer from Hoppin’ Frog.

This beer poured with a one finger, cream-colored head that dissipated slowly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, ruby-red color with light carbonation. The nose had currants, cinnamon, nutmeg and fruit cake. The taste started with gingerbread, raisin and figs along with fruit cake. After a few sips, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon came through. It also had some booze warming on the end. The body was on the thick side with lighter carbonation than expected. The finish was long with a lot of holiday spice and booze warming at the back of the throat. For $10.49 a bomber, this was a moderately priced holiday beer that packed the spice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout

We’re back from Philly. Well, at least I am. The other half took the morning off from work and I dropped her off and came home to do my chores and then I’ll go back in a few hours to pick her up. While I’m waiting for the laundry to finish, let’s see how this beer that I enjoyed on “International Stout Day” was.

ABV: 9.4%

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Made from our B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout, that was rated one of the World’s 50 Best Beers, and won the Gold Medal at the GABF in 2008. BARREL-AGED B.O.R.I.S. has picked up rich characters of vanilla, dark fruit, oak, and spice. It’s unbelievably complex and savory.”

Random: I just watched last week’s episode of “American Horror Story.” I’m starting to really get into it.

This beer poured with half a finger of tan head that was slow to dissipate and left no lacing on the glass. It left a slight crown on top of a dark brown, almost black body with high carbonation visible. The nose has deep notes of espresso, followed by booze and vanilla. Dark chocolate was present as well along with warm oak. The taste was just amazing. I got notes of vanilla and warm oak with dark chocolate and espresso. There were some prunes as well with a touch of bourbon. The end of the sip had a bit of booze warming, but not to the point of being off-putting. The body was thick and silky with moderate carbonation. It had a really long and warm finish with espresso, booze and oak. This was a really impressive beer and one that I would definitely have again, even thought it was $17.49 a bottle, it was definitely worth it.

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0

Hoppin’ Frog Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale

After a long hiatus, I’m back with a few brew reviews. This was a review from a month ago, when I finally broke down and started purchasing some pumpkin beers. I saw this one had just come in and I really like the few offerings that I’ve had from the brewery.

ABV: 8.4%

Style: Pumpkin Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “There’s a place just south they call Frog’s Hollow, with cauldrons afire in Fall, and they only speak in whispers of the name. There’s a brewery they say who has the secret, of spices picked just right. With a crying shout, they’ll knock it out, and hand you this Frog’s delight.”

Random: As usual, my football team looks like crap this year. Our #1 and #2 QBs are out on injury…

This brew poured with a half a finger of pure white head that dissipated very quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear amber color with huge amounts of carbonation visible throughout. The nose smelled exactly like fall to me. I got lots of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. So far, so good. A bit of ginger came through on the nose. The taste was reminiscent of a really spicy ginger snap. Ginger is the dominant flavor up front, but then some nutmeg and allspice came through as well. The pumpkin aspect was a bit muted, but the flavor profile was really strong on this one. Despite the 8.4% ABV, the booze was really hidden. The body was a medium thickness with high carbonation. The finish was long with ginger. This was a really enjoyable fall beer that I would definitely have again.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0

Hoppin’ Frog D.O.R.I.S. The Destroyer

I’m already updated with my posts for the week. This is quite exciting, especially since I have a bunch of great beers in the newly stocked beer fridge. This is a brew that I brought up from the beer cellar. I’ve been trying to drink some of them while they’re in their prime. I brought one or two up lately that just didn’t stand up well to aging. This beer happens to be the big sister of B.O.R.I.S which I had in October of 2010.

ABV: 10.5%

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This extreme Double Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout will overwhelm, satisfy, and destroy your taste buds like no other!! D.O.R.I.S. is even darker, hoppier, and stronger than our gold medal winning B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Stout. Dry-hopped and first wort hopped with the finest American hops for a great Imperial Stout experience! Enjoy the darkness!”

Random: I’ve had this beer aging since May of 2011. I’m curious to see if the age helped the heat on this one.

This brew poured with a half a finger of tan head that dissipated slowly and left very little lacing on the glass, but had a crown on tan that hung around throughout the review. The body was almost black with no visible carbonation due to the color of the beer. The nose  presented with dark chocolate, espresso, a touch of booze and a touch of smoke. The taste was espresso, dark chocolate, some oatmeal and caramel. After a few sips, a modicum of hops came through as well. What did not come through was a lot of booze. From what I’ve read on different beer sites, this one is hot when fresh, so I guess aging this bad boy was a great idea. The body was like motor oil with very light carbonation. This sipped like an after dinner drink for me. The finish was long with espresso and dark chocolate. This was just a great beer. It was complex, flavorful and the aging really tamed the heat. I have to say, this is a bit better than its little brother. It’s dangerously drinkable, incredibly flavorful and a great sipper after dinner. Grab a few of these and throw them in the cellar for a year or two.

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0

Hoppin’ Frog Outta Kilter

And, back to the backlogged reviews. I don’t even remember when I reviewed this one. I remember when I was starting to get into beer, I would search out Hoppin’ Frog, specifically because I heard that B.O.R.I.S. was absolutely amazing, which, in fact it was. But, I haven’t had any of their other beers, although I’ve seen them around Jersey a lot more.

ABV: 8.2%

Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Rich, malty flavors of caramelized and toasted grains dominate this strong Scotch ale. A hint of rye adds a crisp, Scotch-like, old-world beer character, reminiscent of a simpler life from centuries ago. ‘It is a wee bit heavy'”

Random: This is only the second Hoppin’ Frog brew that I’ve had.

This one poured with a thick, one finger, cream-colored head that took forever to dissipate. It left no lacing on the pint glass. The body was a cloudy, reddish color with a huge amount of visible sediment throughout. I could also see a lot of carbonation in the body. The nose had some rye and smoke which I really enjoyed. The taste started with big and sweet caramel malt and then the rye came through with some spice. At the end, I got smoke that lasted through until the finish. After it warmed a bit, I also got some candi sugar. The body was definitely heavy and had medium carbonation. The finish was relatively quick. The one thing that I would ding this beer for is the presence of booze. It really wasn’t hidden at all. Despite that, this was a really nice beer that I would definitely have again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Hoppin’ Frog B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher

I had a bomber of this while I was watching the Eagles lose. So annoying. They looked like absolutely crap without Vick. Kolb the franchise quarterback? I think not. They should have drafted a quarterback, made Vick a starter and gotten rid of Kolb, but that’s just my opinion. This brew allowed the loss to be a little more palatable, although it still stung. This is also the first Hoppin’ Frog beer that I’ve had. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the beer.

ABV: 9.4%

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Trivia: This brew won gold at the 2008 GABF in the Imperial Stout category. If it’s good enough for the boys in Colorado, I guess it’s good enough for me.

Random: The same year, another one of my favorite stouts took bronze: Great Divide Yeti.

This beer made for a pretty pour. It poured with a two finger tan head that dissipated quickly. It surprised me that there was no real lacing on the glass. The body itself is dark brown, almost black. There is no light getting through this bad boy. On the nose, there is a lot of coffee, hints of vanilla and some chocolate. This smells good. It almost reminds me of Founder’s Breakfast Stout. The nose invites you to come in and savor this brew. On the taste, you get everything that was on the nose. It actually tastes a lot like Yeti too. There’s definite coffee notes and hints of oatmeal. Some chocolate and vanilla notes come through as well. This is a well-balanced beer. The mild carbonation and flavors make this a smooth, almost silky beer going down. The booze is completely hidden. This is definitely a dangerous brew. The finish lingers with hints of coffee. I would definitely have this again.

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0