Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale - Hoppin' Frog Brewery

fo5s

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle poured into a tumbler. Marks the first pumpkin of a number that I have stocked up for the next month. No dating on the bottle.

A- aggressive pour yield a minuscule head, but carbonation looks to be OK if minimal. Not a good start. (second pour is crispy, active carbonation that subsides quickly. not normal for a beer...more like champagne?)

S- Bottle states this has Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove. This myriad comes together in a strong nose that flows from the glass. Think I'm getting more cinnamon than anything else, but it's tough to distinguish here.

T- The montage arrives. Sweet (albeit thin) malts hit the palate along with a blast of spices. Well melded - there's nothing overpowering. Well balanced spices, and not over the top. Definitely multi-dimensional in contrast to many "one trick pony" pumpkin beers that rely on 1 spice. Maybe I've been drinking too many oktoberfests, but I swear this is based off of one. The body is surprisingly small / thin for something this big, but that's not a bad thing.

M- feels good. Carbonation is muted, as the pours would suggest. Smooth on the tongue.

D- for a (comparatively) big pumpkin beer, this is highly drinkable. Spices are not tedious, which is a plus. Compared to the likes of a Weyerbacher imperial pumpkin or Southern Tier pumpking I can put a bomber of this back much easier (granted I believe those are higher ABV).

Overall a great pumpkin beer. Honestly not what I was expecting from Hoppin Frog, but very solid all around. Thought this would be bigger - it's huge on taste, but the body is kept small enough that its a drinker vs. a sipper. Well done, Hoppin Frog, and at a fair price point.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 03:24:17 | More by fo5s

JackieTH

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours straight orange, clear, very nice but lacks any head to speak of, there's no retention, and no lacing, so a little disappointed with the appearance. Smell is toffee, buttery crackers, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Taste is fantastic. Sweetness initially, which fades into flavor..Buttery cracker crust, pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, a bit of spice from clove and ginger. A little more sweetness squeaks through here and there to add to the complexity. Very nice, delicious. Firm, creamy, medium mouthfeel. Alcohol is noticeable, but in a good way, in that it lets you know your drinking an imperial ale and not eating grandma's state fair blue ribbon pumpkin pie. Well balanced, and finish isn't cloying at all, its sweet at times, but you wouldn't describe Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin as 'sweet', and that's what makes it extra good, and hence, this bad boy is right up there and maybe surpassing my all time favorite Pumking.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:26:36 | More by JackieTH

TommyBuckeye

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Marco - thanks for getting this for me!

A - Has a cloudy cider look with little head retention. Had to poured hard to get a head

S - Pumpkin pie in a bottle: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin even some yeasty breadiness for the crust!

T - Nice ale with roasted nutiness. Tate as it smells with the spices and pumpkin.

M - A little thin but still nice. Spices up front with a slight (but good) bitterness towards the end

D - A nice pumpkin brew. The spices are not overpowring and are great throughout. I've had a few pumpkin ales and this truley is the best I've had.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 22:52:21 | More by TommyBuckeye

nlmartin

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer has been hanging around my beer fridge for several months. Always I found another beer to drink. Wish I had tried this beer sooner. The beer has been chilled since October of 09. The beer was served in a wide mouthed chalice.

Appearance: The beer has a clear orange coloration. The head of the beer is biege and quickly resolves. Specs of lacing remain behind on my glass.

Smell: There is pumpkin lurking around in this bready beer. The spice mix in the beer is well done brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and cardamon. Well done!

Taste: The flavor of the beer closely mirrors the aroma. The spices are well incorporated. The beer is a bit sweet no hops are really noted to tame the sweetness; however, the spices keep the sweetness in check.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability: The body of the beer is almost full. The body is also very smooth and slick. The beer disappeared from my glass rapidly. I look forward to having this beer again come the Hallows season. Well Done!....

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 02:15:27 | More by nlmartin

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Strong aroma has a strong spicy overtone, mainly cinnamon, with pumpkin and subtle malty tones as well. It pours a pretty clear amber with a thick, fluffy, fairly persistent white head. Flavor is malty and spicy with a nice pumpkin-pie overtone and a hint of caramel. Texture is rather fizzy, leaving a spicy finish and a tingle that hangs around for a little bit. This is an excellent autumn beer, perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving!

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 21:37:30 | More by Cyberkedi

shoky01

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From bottle into pint glass.

A: Orange ambery, honey colored. A bit translucent. No head or much lacing.

S: very cinnamon, nutmeg and just spicy. More sweet potato than pumpkin. Reminds me of walking Michael's.

T: Very spicy! Cinnamon is very strong. Pumpkin is kinda hangin around but not the most prominent. I like it.

MF: eh.

OA: I really liked this, want more! Haven't found a lot of pumkins I like this one was over the top Stallone style.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 06:33:26 | More by shoky01

Jesse13713

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I missed out on this offering last year, so I am quite looking forward to the bombers I picked up.

Appearence - No head whatsoever on the pour. Little to no lacing on the glass. A cloudy sunset orange color in the glass. Appears to have low carbonation. Poured into my Weyerbacher pint glass; as the site reccomends.

Smell - Brown sugar and pumpkin right away. A little heavier aroma of cinnamon than I expected. Smells sweet with vanilla hints and dessert notes. Best described as smelling like pumpkin pie.

Taste - Ahhh. This is the pumpkin beer I've been waiting for. I've had Ichabod, post road, smuttynose, shipyard, and many others. So far, they have all been tasty; but lacking in pumpkin taste. This Hoppin' Frog festive offering perfectly complements the recent cooling autumn nights. Awesome to drink with the changing weather. A punch of spice hits your throat at first. The traditional cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar attack my taste buds. Surprisingly, a sweetened vanilla bite is intertwined with what appears to be fresh mint. I could be wrong with the spice here, but I somehow taste fresh mint. It compliments the spices well as they transition over to strong, viny pumpkin. The pumpkin here is strengthened by the spices and vanilla and is just absolutely delicious.

Mouth feel and overall - The strong mixture of spices blends well with vanilla and pumpkin. The spice thankfully does not overpower the gourd notes. This is a welcoming change to some of the overspiced brews I've been experiencing. Medium-bodied. Sweet in all the right ways; like pumpkin pie. I will definitely be stocking my fridge with this brew until the snow covers the streets.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 21:30:44 | More by Jesse13713

GilGarp

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber served cold into an Ohio State pint glass. Ohio beer in honor of the election and hoping it goes in the Democrats' favor.

Frog's Hollow is a deep amber color with a slight haze. The head is thin and settles fast.

Aroma is very pleasant if you enjoy pumpkin pie spices. Mildly sweet and nicely spiced.

Flavor is much the same with a sweet caramel and pumpkin malty base. Lightly hopped for bitterness and very well-judged on the level of spice.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and low in carbonation which fits the style.

Overall a very good pumpkin beer. One worth seeking out if you enjoy the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 03:25:38 | More by GilGarp

dbmata

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best pumpkin beer of the season. Strong sweet, malty character backing up a spicy and bold pumpkin flavor. Spicing is handled with a deft hand, the beer never tastes like a pumpkin pie, but keeps the nutmeg qualities.

Beautiful yellow-amber color, and a head like a good guest, stays just long enough and knows when to leave - quickly. AS a pumpkin ale it is bigger than normal, and has a strong flavor, it would be hard to drink more than a bomber, but this is one to savor.

Top notch, this is the top beer of my two favorite pumpkins for '11.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 03:45:12 | More by dbmata

Richardberg

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - poured into a tulip. Slightly hazy/fizzy amber, bordering on ruby. Not much head.

S - baked pumpkin pie. Easily the most authentic pumpkin smell this side of Southern Tier's Pumpking. This one's a little more roasty (vs smelling like a just-harvested pumpkin patch), and it bumps up the darker spices (clove/nutmeg, especially clove) to match, plus a smidge of sweetness to remind us it's all in good fun. Result: perfection.

T - just like the smell, unbelievably. The pumpkin pie replica continues unblemished from start to finish. No signs of an off-color aroma or aftertaste. If I had to criticize, I'd say it has a little too much allspice and/or cinnamon, but we're splitting hairs here. Another well-deserved (and rare) 5.

M - light to moderate body, decently slick, enough fizz to keep things moving.

D - let's not kid ourselves, it's a strongly flavored 8.4% beer. but please, don't let that stop you. if you like pumpkin beers in any form you must try this.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 03:50:42 | More by Richardberg

BeerVikingSailor

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber poured into Hoppin' Frog pint glass.

Had this last year when it first came out and loved it, and was eager to try this year! The fact that this beer just won the GABF Gold Medal in the style is pretty impressive for my hometown HF boys....congrats "Frog's"! I am a big fan of Pumpkin beers in general and have tried like 30 of them...think there may be room at some point for a separate category for the newer, more potent Double or Imperial Pumpkins which have cropped up over the past few years...the differences between one like this and a "regular pumpkin" like Shipyard Pumpkin or Buffalo Bills, are quite prounced, and akin to the differences between a regular IPA and DIPA....anyway, I digress...

Beer poured nice copper / orange color, head pretty light and nice carbonation...smell is pretty yummy, lots of spices, esp. cinnamon and the ginger is in there pretty strong, I like it!

Taste is pretty delicious IMO, really a nicely balanced brew that pulls off the delicate malt / hop / spice mix in a nice way, really quite good.

Mouthfeel is also good, slight alcohol / ginger burn at the end, body is a little light, but that makes it drinkable to me, if too heavy / sweet like many other Imp Pumpkins out there (i.e. ST Pumking), then that makes it not as drinkable, I think they pulled off another winner with this one!

I put a few of these aside in my cellar last year, along with some other heavier pumpkins, so will be interesting to sip alongside the new release for 2010 to see how they stack....nice job once again, Hoppin' Frog!

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 18:59:13 | More by BeerVikingSailor

RedSpecial1

Florida

4.97/5  rDev +29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a lovely orange-amber color, practically pumpkin colored, with practically no head. The smell is of definite pumpkin pie spices, with cinnamon and ginger with hints of nutmeg - a classic blend. The taste matches the smell pretty much, giving it a classic pumpkin pie taste. The flavor is well rounded with a smoother alcohol finish. The overall mouthfeel is fairly light, but still coats the mouth with flavors, and the higher ABV isn't overly noticeable either. Overall, this is a great example of a tasty, but not cloying, pumpkin beer. It's very well spiced, and avoids the trap of being a one note drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 23:49:37 | More by RedSpecial1