Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher

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

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: JAN 6, 2007 Sampled on 1/05/2007 at River’s Bend. Thanks Matt! -- Let me start off by saying that Hoppin Frog "BORIS The Crusher" Imperial Stout is probably the best new beer offering from Ohio and will probably retain that title all the way through 2007... It is completely black in color and has a large, thick brown head. The aroma and flavor are both rich, robust, complex, and mouthwatering! This beer is packed full of roasted malt, dark chocolate, espresso, cocoa, vanilla, and something else in the background that really adds to the complexity and intrigue of this beer that I can’t quite put my finger on yet (tobacco?, molasses?, raisins/dark fruit? - I’m just not sure!). The alcohol presence is noticeable, but is very complementary to the overall taste and complexity. This beer is even better than the Founder’s Breakfast Stout. It is less sweet, but richer, more complex, and has more dark chocolate and oatmeal in the aroma, flavor, and texture. "The Crusher" is full bodied (almost chewy) and is very SMOOTH and creamy on the palate. Overall this is a very impressive Imperial Stout and by far the best and my favorite of the Hoppin Frog brews (although they are all pretty damn good!). I bet that this beer would also age superbly and would also be even more awesome it were also offered in bourbon-barrel aged version! -- I have no doubt that this will make the Top 50 list soon and quickly surpass Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout. Actually, this beer is so good that I have a feeling this beer will make it into the Top 20! -- 22 oz bottle.

Bottle picked up at Consumer’s Beverages in Niagara Falls. Pours a dark/ opaque brown/ black colour with a pretty big bubbly dark tan head with full walls of lacing. Smells like some coffee and milk chocolate like malt, quite sweet. Tastes rather sweet, with chocolate and some coffee bitter and malt. Really smooth.

Tap @ beer temple. Pour pitch black, with a small, creamy, thick mocha brown head. Aroma is packed of coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, caramel, roasted malts. Taste is sweet up front, with a rather long and bitter aftertaste. Full bodied, with a semi-flat carbonation.

Color, black with brown chocolate milky head. Nose, milk chocolate, pear, cherries, dark chocolate, fudge, green apples. Taste, dark chocolate, coffee, pear, toffee, rasberries, licorice, green/red apples. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aroma of chocolate, oatmeal, coffee, malts, more alcoholic as it warms. Pours black with thin mahogany head some lace. Taste chocolate, brown sugar, coffee, sweet malts, very complex. full body, slight bitterness. thick and dry on palate. slight bitter coffee, alcoholic finish. fantastic imperial!

Pours pitch black with a medium tan head. Aroma is roasted malts and coffee. Flavor is roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and hops. Exquisite.

15 cl. draft tasting glass @ Delirum Hoppy Loft // black but not the blackest of black, little tanned head // smell is cocoa (main), light liquorice, some toffee, chocolate, smooth dark fruits, touch integrated roasted malts with a certain dash of vanilla // taste is cocoa, plenty of mocha, coffee, sweet upfront with some smooth integrated dark fruits, going into a roasted (smooth) and reasonably lasting bitter finish, touch hops & hop bitterness in the finish // smooth touch oat body // light body // solid but not a high flier within the style // apparently in the states the price point of this is very sweet

The Beer Pipeline strikes again!! Thanks Tony, I had been meaning to track this one down for some time. Pours a ruthless and opaque brown-black into my Minneapolis Town Hall glass, thin very dark tan head, spotty to poor lacing. Nose is very oaty, which is something I like, and quite sweet... Reminds ne a bit of homemade chocolate pudding in terms of aroma, lots of easy to pick out mocha notes here too. Very accessible and soft nose, while still expansive and complex... Flavours are moderately sweet, with soft carbonation and lots of oats, red licorice, and fudge. Big black forest cake in the midpalate... Big, decadent, soft, and dessert-like without being aggressively sweet or boozy. Great stuff!

Wow! Black as used engine oil, and about as viscous. Strikingly similar to FBS, just a little boozier. Roasty and bitter but smells like a bowl full of oatmeal. Delicious!

On tap at Beer Temple. Black, brown head. Aroma of coffee, hard roasted malts, chocolate, laurel, liquorice, moccha, sweet. Flavour is sweet, hard roasted malts, hops, chocolate, moccha, laurel, sweet and hard roasted bitter finish. Medium to full-bodied, soft carbonation. Had some Yeti-qualities imo. Good.

Draught@Viisi Penniä. Black color, tan head. Oaky aroma with vanilla and chocolate. Velvety flavor with sublime chocolaty notes, coffee and licorice. Very full body, light carbonation. Excellent example of the style.