Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout - Hoppin' Frog Brewery

BrownNut

Florida

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Gold cap. No idea what batch that is. Bought Spring 2012 from a place with quick turnover. $15 something.

A - Black. Thin cap of tan head.

S - Chocolate, sweet malty bready malt, coffee, leather, faint wood, maybe a little whiskey? Very nice. Almost cognac nice.

T - Nice, coffee, fruity. Bitter unsweet chocolate transitioning into wood. The wood only becomes noticeable in the aftertaste and is subtle. The booze packs a seemingly disproportionate punch but is noticeable only on the exhale. I could light it. In the warm dregs at the end is where I perceive the most whiskey. Not so assertive as to be distracting. Nice.

M - Maybe the thickest and most viscous I've ever had. Pulls in like pudding. Yet somehow carbonation is still noticeable. What an interesting texture. Feels divine.

O - Fantastic. If I could add anything, it might be a touch of ash/char to give it one more note of complexity and sharpness against the thick sweet elements but it's pretty great as is, and the wood at the end does that to a degree.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 00:37:58 | More by BrownNut

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.45/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

650ml bottle 9,4% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
No bottle date.

Appearance: Boris appears thick and viscous during the pour (more so than I would usually expect from a sub 10% beer) and settles an inky black in the glass, with a strong backlight only revealing a little deep red along the edges. Even the roughest of pours doesn’t yield much more than a thin layer of dark tan bubbles, while a swirl coats the glass in a thick brown residue and heavy alcohol legs.

Smell: Oh wow, this smells fantastic! The whiskey barrels are certainly present (but don’t dominate the nose like bourbon barrels often do) and provide a fantastic creamy vanilla character to the beer, while the base beer provides notes of rich dark chocolate brownies, roasted malt, dark caramel and some molasses. As the beer begins to warm, a little dark fruit character becomes apparent alongside some liquorice and a little toasted malt.

Taste: Just as the nose suggested, this is absolutely delicious! Notes include: Deep roasted malt, rich dark caramel, bittersweet dark chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, liquorice and a little whiskey character in the finish. One of the few faults I can find (and it is a small one) is that as the beer warms, the barrel character seems to get a little lost behind the other flavours.

Mouthfeel: Given the appearance I wasn’t expecting there to be much in the way of carbonation, however surprisingly the carbonation is of a medium level and quite creamy. The body is just about spot on – full and quite sticky.

Overall: This was my first beer Hoppin Frog and I must say, I am very impressed. I can’t wait to get to the other beers I have from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 17:44:47 | More by Thehuntmaster

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -13%

05-22-2013 13:22:37 | More by SpdKilz

VirginiaJeff1

Virginia

5/5  rDev +16%

05-21-2013 19:31:26 | More by VirginiaJeff1

Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

05-21-2013 19:06:58 | More by Beerandboards

moonknight31

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-21-2013 14:20:55 | More by moonknight31

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

05-20-2013 19:43:59 | More by InspectorBob

mwgroove23

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -13%

05-20-2013 06:40:00 | More by mwgroove23

TreeBeard

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -13%

05-19-2013 20:40:58 | More by TreeBeard

ShawnMH

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

05-19-2013 15:33:43 | More by ShawnMH

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sexy beer. Very dark and viscus with only a little dark brown head. This looks very tastey. Right up my alley as far as BA beers are concerned.

Bourbon forward. The beer smells dark, rich, umami-y, and a little sweet. Not too much of a roast/smoke smell here. The bourbon notes are oak, booze, vanilla, and toffee.

Awesome flavor! Wow is this good. There is a very strong booze and oak presence, which I really love in a BB stout. The flavors follow the smell nicely, although there is a very roasty taste that is covered in the nose--obviously a side effect of some hearty dark malt. This roast covers the sweetness some, which I think there could be a bit more of. While the flavors are delicious, my only complaint is that the beer is a little two-dimensional. I would love for some more nuanced bourbon flavors to come across.

The mouthfeel is excellent. Creamy, low-medium carbonation, full-bodied, and pretty heavy. While there is a syrupy consistency, the oils don't linger too much making this more drinkable than many thick BB Stouts.

Overall this beer was very impressive. I don't know if it justifies the high cost to play, but at the moment I have no regrets!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:33:47 | More by lunarbrew

2beerdogs

California

4/5  rDev -7.2%

05-18-2013 13:54:27 | More by 2beerdogs

Honus1

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-18-2013 02:39:49 | More by Honus1

inanity

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +16%

05-18-2013 00:07:57 | More by inanity

carlosega

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-17-2013 16:46:56 | More by carlosega

raffy313

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-17-2013 02:21:40 | More by raffy313

JandJMD

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-17-2013 01:47:42 | More by JandJMD

Westuh

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -7.2%

05-16-2013 18:36:16 | More by Westuh

mvdillman

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%

05-15-2013 18:18:32 | More by mvdillman

KFBR392

Illinois

3.96/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark burnt brown head forms on the pour. About a half a finger then dissipates to the edges of the glass. Pours pitch black with above average thickness.

Smell: Bright licorice sweet front to this brew. Malt and barley hit on the body of the beer. Sweet molasses adds to the brightness of this brew. Oatmeal hits on the body as well as the bourbon accents are light.

Taste: The sweetness theme continues here. A smooth front transitions into an bright oatmeal and dark chocolate. Nice hoppy accents in the body give it a unique twist. The barrel accents are light, I could use more of a presence. A roasted malt back end pleasantly bites and sticks on the palette long after drinking.

Mouthfeel: Clean, the body might be a little light for an RIS but nothing to get upset about.

Overall: I've liked all the Hoppin' Frog Stouts I've had so far. I expected a little more out of this one being the barrel aged version but it is still a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:02:09 | More by KFBR392

jkoch7

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-13-2013 22:50:00 | More by jkoch7

vrbulldog22

Ohio

4/5  rDev -7.2%

05-13-2013 19:01:13 | More by vrbulldog22

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

05-12-2013 21:02:20 | More by twenty5

weaksauce

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-11-2013 18:40:15 | More by weaksauce

Lanstrum

Ohio

5/5  rDev +16%

05-11-2013 01:05:25 | More by Lanstrum