Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher

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

Serve in Snifter

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BORIS starts so big you wonder if it’ll be a palate crusher...but it remains complex and powerful to the syrupy, chocolatey, caramely end. It’s a heavy imperial--the kind that commands your attention...sipped this one by the fire, sans distractions...an experience to recommend.

Bottle thanks to OhioDad! Poured a higher-viscosity deep deep brown with a deep caramel head that rises and recedes quickly to form a dusting and loose-bubbled ring. The aroma is where this brew really shines! Deeply-roasted and smoke-kissed darker chocolate, molasses, burnt coffee, a touch of vanilla, and licorice dance brilliantly together across the nose. The flavor holds nothing back either, with smoky chocolate and coffee, subtle, but well-placed pine bitterness at the edges and tip of the tongue, burnt molasses and licorice accents, and coffee bitterness and warmth through the long and satisfying deep, roasty, and warm finish. Full-bodied and enjoyable all the way through the sticky finish. Fantastic!

Pours a thick, rich, dark brown, almost bordering on black, with a creamy deep tan head. The aroma is rich with roasted coffe, dark fruit, and chocolate. A complex array of flavors greet the tongue including, coffee, roasted and chocolate malt, plum, and smoke. The stout is full bodied and coats the mouth at the finish. One of the best stouts to try.

UPDATED: JUN 8, 2007 22 oz bomber courtesy of BigErn. Pours to a jet black color, with a thick, creamy, tan head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is awesome, with big aromas of cocca, dark chocolate, mild roast, and piney hops. The palate is oily and viscious on the tongue, with big, robust flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, coca, roast, and more chocolate. The oatmeal makes this beer silky and creamy as it goes down. BORIS The Crusher finishes with more wonderful dark chocolate, coffee, and roasty flavors up front, then ends with a good piney hop bite that lingers. Very robust, very flavorful, very drinkable Imperial Stout. It hides its 9.4% abv very well, so beware. A wonderful sipping brew, and an idea match to rich deserts, I found BORIS The Crusher to be one impressive beer.

UPDATED: JUL 8, 2007 boris the blade?YOU MEAN BORIS THE SNEAKY FUCKIN RUSSIAN....(bottle from grbdg....MANY THANKS!)pours a nice black body.when held up to light it tries to shine through but just cant quite make it.i also recieved a beautiful dark brown head that didnt stick around for to long.as the head simmered down it left nice lacing on the sides of the glass.the aroma is a wonderful mix of oatmeal cookies,roasted malts,smoke,chocolate,dark fruit,and coffee.flavor mixes the armoma with a strong alcohol finish.mouthfeel was fairly full,and the finish was dry and bitter.right now its just a little to bitter and hot for me.good thing i have one more bottle cuz a year could do this thing some good.(RE-RATE ON JULY 08 OF 07)seems like some of the bitterness and alcohol has faded a bit.im picking up more chocolate and brownies now.it seems to be aging nicely.

UPDATED: JAN 6, 2011 Thanks to Captain Cougar for sharing this one at the pre Cask Ale tasting. As expected, a black pour with a firm head of light brown. Lots of dark roasted, almost burnt coffee in the aroma. The flavor some across as big and dry with lots of roasted malt. Not as sweet as many Imperial stouts. Very well balanced. Re-rate 1/6/11 As good if not better. +taste from previous rating

Huge thanks to Ohiodad for this one. Thank you, Scott. The aroma is a bit muted, but chocolate, tobacco, roasted cocoa powder and mild wood smoke make a low key play at the olfactory senses. It smells good-ish, but could smell so much better. <P> The body is a deep black and pours gloppy and this beer stands out in appearance. The head is massive, but not bubbly, and is an incredibly dark mocha color. It is impossibly lasting. Anyone who has seen me drink a new beer knows it takes me five minutes to smell it. Well this head stands strong for that whole period, diminshing only slightly and leaving almost uninterrupted lacing on the glass. <P> Fore is tobacco ash, smoke, burnt and roasted malt, black chocolate and bitter burnt malts along with bitter hops. It’s fairly brutish. I’d prefer some fruit or even mildly sweet chocolate or cream notes. That being said I could see how this would be mother’s milk to some palates. It’s just not to mine. It’s still decent and you can feel the influence of oatmeal in the very creamy mouthfeel.

Pours a very dark brown with a brownish head. Big, beautiful aroma, chocolate and cigar ash, but in a good way. Alcohol is present. A bit of roasted nuts. The body isn’t a full or rich as expected.

1/24/07: Bottle.
Toasted coffee nose with added whiffs of brazil nuts. Deep brown body with a rich, darkened tan head – nice and creamy. Touch of lace. Abundant malt flavor. Coffee, roast, nutty, and Novocain. Tongue numbing and very warming. Finish is bitter and also sour. This beer would be good to cook with – pot roast liquid or even a gravy ingredient,

Bottle... Pitch black ale with a small, creamy, light brown head. Excellent retention. The nose is all dark chocolate, coffee, smoke, dark fruit and toasted pistachios. Chocolaty, burnt flavor with medium sweetness and moderate bitterness. Not boozy. Full-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Finishes toasty, lightly bitter and drying. Props to kmweaver for sharing his bottle!