Bullfrog Magic Beans

Brewed by Bullfrog Brewery
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Williamsport, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Bottled February 2009; Sampled May 2009
A solid, but soft pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three-finger thick, tan colored head that slowly subsides and leaves some nice lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a dark amber to light brown color that shows a lightly hazed, red-amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of toasted malt and cocoa, with even a bitter chocolate aromatic note as well as a touch of roast coffee aromatics. These last are surprisingly burnt in character with even the sharp, burnt notes that I associate with a deeply roasted coffee. I don’t get much in the way of separable barrel aromatics or fermentation character; there seems to be a soft spiciness that might be due to the oak presence. I’ll have to come back to the aroma because all I really smell is dark malt and some light cocoa notes.

Nicely sour, in fact it is almost shocking after not getting any sense of the tartness based on the nose (this isn’t as tart as a bracing Lambic though it is quite nicely sour). There is a significant lactic note that lingers on the tongue, but in the finish a chocolate notes starts to infuse itself on the palate presence after the beer has left my mouth. Some toasted bread crust notes are also here in the flavor, but at times it can be drowned out by the lactic tartness. The advertised vanilla is actually quite subtle, it comes into play as an oral-nasal infusion that is almost most noticeable before each sip actually touches my tongue, it is more of a sensation than an actual flavor or aroma (if that makes any sense), but it does seem to become a bit more noticeable as the beer warms up. I think a lot of the subtlety of the vanilla is caused by the fact that this beer is bone dry; a bit of sweetness is needed to make vanilla a bit more of a familiar presence. This really has a rich toasted whole grain and cocoa note to it; these notes are quite interesting and I can’t quite tell which comes from the grain and what from the chocolate.

My second pour has me focus on the nose again. I do now get the tartness, as there is an up front lactic note here that is easily over-looked. The toasted malt and cocoa note is still the most noticeable thing here, but there is a touch of grassiness now, and the perceived roast notes seem to have died out. I think that I was getting so much roast aromatics initially because of the lactic acid influence. My second pour and the warming up of this beer has me noticing a tart, plum-like fruitiness, perhaps a soft tart berry note, . This beer is fairly light bodied, if not for the lactic tartness (that also provides a touch of slickness) this would be as quaffable as the lightest of beers. The oak barrel provides a sort of backdrop of spice and woody structure; it is not overly noticeable on its own, but instead subtly influences and boosts some of the other flavor components.

At first I approached this beer as a chocolate, vanilla infused, oak aged Saison and this really isn’t that at all. It is a sour beer (most definitely no longer a Saison) that has been subtly infused with chocolate and vanilla, while the oak barrel plays a truly secondary role, barely noticeable on its own. Quite interesting, even perhaps a bit more interesting than I expected. I almost was expecting a bit of a cacophonous mess, but this is certainly quite well integrated and tasty.

750ml pours a clear copper with some creamy, white head. Nose is cocoa pods, spanish peanuts, earthy, brown sugar. Flavor is very nutty, dried and ground peanuts, dark chocolate, toasted bread. Finishes dry.

Thanks MrChopin. Garnet orange pour with a small offwhite head. Graham cracker and biscuit followed by caramel and toffee, finishing with earthen poo, veggies, and hints of cocoa nib. Ehhh... Not good.

Thanks to MrChopin for bringing this one! Hazy brown pour. Nose holds vegetal notes, mushrooms, spinach, manure, and a touch of fruit. The flavor brings more sweet cherry out, but it’s really tough to get past that bizarre okra-like presence. Ehhh.

Bottle shared by MrChopin. Pours clear tawny with a medium, fizzy off-white head, medium retention with good lacing. Aroma is spices, peppers, light coffee, caramel and toast malt, and light lactic notes. Flavor is malty, sour, dates, light alcohol, peppers, earthy coffee, and a dry finish. Full body, medium warmth and carbonation.

translucent chestnut, thin tan head with decent ring. Vegetal tang in nose, heavy cocoa and light celery, bit rooty. Flavor is less green, light acrid burn in finish, celery, nearing bloody mary, peanut. Decent carbonation, astringent malt and chocolate finish.

750mL thanks to MrChopin. Pours a clear amber to red with a thicker, tan head. Sticky lace. Nose is dark fruits, small vegetal character like bell peppers. Very green. Sticky grenadine comes through. Taste is gritty, ashy, small booze character. Very odd. Not the biggest fan.

Very hazy thick light brown pour. Thin light tan head. Kinda smells like dirt. Maybe some chocolate. Very vegetal and earthy. Flavor is dry and lightly tart. Roasty with some chocolate and coffee. Dry finish.

Bottle shared by MrChopin: Pours a clear amber copper with a stringy-lacing off-white head. Has a unique toasty dark caramel and cocoa nose with some espresso and oak. Starts with pretty good fullness and fine carbonation with a touch of roasty coffee and light fruity tartness before a slightly vinous finish. A unique and fairly complex brew.

Bottle courtesy of MrChopin, thanks! Light brownish yellow color, small tan head. Aroma of caramel malt and soda bread. Taste is boozy date soda. Very odd.

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this retired gem. The beer pours a brownish-amber color with an off-white head. The aroma is very odd, with a lot going on. I get what appears to be a nut brown ale, with a lot of cocoa and vanilla mixed in. There is also a big peanut butter component mixed in to the aroma. The flavor is fairly different than the aroma. You still get the nut brown notes, with some cocoa and nut notes, but that is where the similarities end. I get a lot of Belgian yeast notes, with some orange and lemon notes also mixed in. There is a little bit of funk from the yeast, but not any real sourness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Overall, a very odd beer that has a lot going on. I really liked it, even though I have no idea if this is what the beer was supposed to taste like.