Hoppin Frog Mean Manalishi

Brewed by Hoppin Frog Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Akron, Ohio USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Bottle generously shared by Dickinsonbeer at jjpm74’s gathering. Poured a dark amber with an off-white head. Strong and very assertive piney and grassy hop aroma. Flavor follows with very bitter pine and grassy hops, though not as much body as I would like to balance out the bitterness with sweetness. However, I like the assertive profile of this hoppy beer, and a good effort from Hoppin Frog.

Wow. Huge hop presence in the aroma--great citrus and pine scents. Love the flavor. Enormous hop bitterness and flavor with just the right amount of malt to keep some balance. Very impressive IIPA from a very hot brewery!

This is some good stuff. Dank, resinious, pungent, everything a DIPA should be. Quite citrusy and piney with enough caramel malt sweetness to make a showing, albeit a pretty weak one, which is exactly what I want in a hop bomb. Big ups to Hoppin Frog, you guys are having one heck of a first year.

Deep, dark bronze, semi-compact head. Beautiful to look at and to sniff. Overloads of pine and grapefruit but the body is not watery, so it is all handled quite well. Woody, definite resin. Definitely nice and dry, as compared to some, and not tropical. A flat out citrus and pine bombshell. A tad tiring in it’s one dimensionality.

UPDATED: FEB 25, 2008 Bomber purchased at the brewery and drunk on 7/5/07. Pours out a clear copper, darker than most imperial IPA’s, and produces a medium to large off white head. Malt based aromas dominate intially, especially brown sugar, molasses, etc., but some pine and grapefruit add to the experience. Thick and resinous, medium carbonation, and a medium/full body combine for a great mouthfeel. Pretty malty in flavor, but the finish dries out nicely, although there is no extended bitterness. This brewery is really producing some good beer.

UPDATED: JUL 11, 2007 I cannot belive this was an ohio IIPA. Very similar to the west coasters. Aroma was very similar to hop 15 or pure hoppiness I cannot place which one. The palate on this was insane. There was not an overpowering malt flavor but it was balanced nicely. Finished pretty dry and left the mouth clean and ready for the next sip. Excellent IIPA, i need another bottle.

22oz bottle pours copper and fairly clear with a big offwhite creamy head that stays well and laces all the way down the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit and pine over sweet sticky caramel malts. Flavor includes lots of grapefruit and pine but also a good amount of caramel, toffee, and toasted malts. As this warms the sweetness from the malts become even more present. Great balance between the big hops and the big malts. Wow this is a great brew!!!

Bottle. Poured a clear copper color with a moderate frothy off-white head that lasted with good lacing. Heavy complex citrus hoppy aroma with a malty tone. Medium body with a slick texture and soft carbonation. Heavy bitter flavor with a medium bittersweet and small alcohol bite finish of long duration. This is a standout beer.

UPDATED: MAR 18, 2009 Bottle. Pours a hazy orange red, light yellowed tan head that dissipates to the sides and leaves a thin film on top. Aroma is strong but not overly pungent, will good amounts of citrus and pine hops, both brought down a bit to almost an earthy yet bright almost juicy presence...some lemon zest, light brown sugar and caramel can be detected as well. The flavor starts out kind of bittersweet: toasty caramel malt dancing around with grapefruit and lemon peel a tinge of apricot...which comes to a halt mid-way with a wave of aggressively bitter pine/grass earthy/spicy hops wallop the tongue with a resinous bitterness that sticks and resonates throughout the finish. Sturdy medium body, sweet with a light bitterness in front and bitter with a tinge of sweetness in the back...fruity/spicy elements woven throughout. For a Midwest IIPA this is one of the better ones I have had. It gets even better as it warms...the sweeter elements come out a bit only to subdue the bitterness a bit while the bright spots get brighter and the tropical fruit elements seems to peek out a bit more as well. Good Midwest IIPA? Hell, this is as good or better than some of the West coast hop-bombs I’ve had. Excellent stuff. No other beer has quenched my thirst for hops like a fresh one of these. Perhaps if I lived on the west coast the case would be different, until then this is my top IIPA.

Bottle: Poured a nice red color with a light tan head. Aroma is oozing with piny and earthy hops. Flavor, caramel up front, and some other smooth malty sweet notes, with some really nice pine and earthy hops in the flavor, I got some hints of juicy citrus notes, but it was really leaning towards the pine. I thought it was really well balanced, lots of hops for sure, but enough of a malt backbone to pull it all together. Great beer.