B.O.R.I.S. #100 - Hoppin' Frog Brewery

dbc5

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured in Duvel Tulip.

A: Essentially black with a dark brown head. Head retention is fairly minimal although a consistent ring hangs around for the glass's duration.

S: Bittersweet chocolate. A bit less coffee than traditional BORIS. More dark fruit sweetness than the standard version.

T: Taste was a bit roastier than anticipated based on the nose. The chocolate is certainly there and a nice creaminess is imparted by the oats. A sweeter offering than the standard version.

M: Nice and thick, thicker than many other offerings within the style. Not overly carbonated although carbonation can be found on the tongue with each sip.

O: Overall, this is another solid offering from Hoppin Frog, although I do prefer normal BORIS to this variation. The sweetness in this one steals the show and takes away from the upfront roast I find so enjoyable in HF's flagship beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:01:56 | More by dbc5

Abio

Belgium

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

04-29-2013 14:15:46 | More by Abio

ldhughes3

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-14-2013 23:17:50 | More by ldhughes3

marshmeli

New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-01-2013 14:37:59 | More by marshmeli

LambicKing

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

03-07-2013 03:40:03 | More by LambicKing

Hanzo

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-04-2013 07:34:32 | More by Hanzo

josephwa

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-21-2013 17:44:01 | More by josephwa

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15.5%

01-17-2013 23:25:06 | More by Thorpe429

Lukass

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

01-03-2013 01:08:29 | More by Lukass

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into snifter; bottled in late Fall 2011, so this is a year old now. Pours pitch black color with a small dark tan head with decent retention that reduces to a thin lace that lingers. Slight spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, coffee, molasses, bread, light char, oatmeal, and light dark fruits. Damn nice aromas with good balance, strength, and complexity; can definitely see the bready toast character from the English malts. Taste of big dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, coffee, molasses, light char, toast, biscuit, light nuttiness, raisin, oatmeal, and light tobacco. Light roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, caramel, toast, molasses, toffee, biscuit, dark fruit, oatmeal, and light tobacco on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic balance, complexity, and robustness of flavors; with a very pronounced malt backbone and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy, thick, and slick mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent Imperial stout! Great balance and complexity of highly robust flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering as expected.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 06:10:17 | More by superspak

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

11-28-2012 17:39:26 | More by BMart

leprechaunandfatman

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

11-12-2012 00:38:32 | More by leprechaunandfatman

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Side by side with regular BORIS. The beer is black with a thin, oily beige head. The aroma brings delectable scents of malt, bread, toast, roast, chocolate. The flavor is smooth and velvety. A bit better than the standard version perhaps? Overall, quite tasty and worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 04:16:59 | More by Huhzubendah

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Figured I should try this "English" variant while I still had the chance. Tickers gonna tick, and all that... Anyway, this stuff pours a deep obsidian topped by a finger or so of dark tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, cocoa, molasses, and a kiss of coffee. The taste brings in more of the same, with the cocoa being joined by a dusting of dark chocolate powder. Things are fairly sweet, but there's enough bitterness in the roast and coffee to balance things out very nicely. The body is a straight medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a smooth, mildly creamy feel. Overall, there isn't very much difference that I can find between this BORIS and the "American" one, but I can tell that this one is slightly creamier. Either way, they're both tasty, so I'm not gonna nitpick...

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 20:27:10 | More by TMoney2591

jdkoch

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

09-01-2012 17:52:09 | More by jdkoch

raznug

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: This beer pours a deep black color and is topped with 3/4" of tan colored head that tends to linger.
Smell: Roasted malts, chocolate, and dark fruits are the first aromas that I can smell. They are followed by vanilla and toffee.
Taste: The taste follows along side the aroma, dark chocolate and roasted malts. It has a creaminess that regular Boris doesn't. It has a sweet finish with coffee overtones. Very tasty.
Mouthfeel: 100 has a medium body to it, wish it was a bit thicker but if that is the one knock of this beer it has to be a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 13:48:45 | More by raznug

jeonseh

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a glass

A - Dark brown with chocolate brown foam that sits on the edge. Looks to be medium body and leaves a slight coating on the glass

S - Smells of dark chocolate, light caramel, roasted coffee, vanilla, and slight bitter hops

T - Sweet vanilla and caramel up front. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee in the middle that gives it a nice balance. Finish is roasted coffee, light orange peel and caramel. A nice and complex stout!

MF - Nice, creamy mouthfeel with light carbonation. Slightly sticky . The finish is roasted coffee and slightly astringent.

O - A really solid stout. Has a good and complex flavor profile that balances between roasted coffee and sweeter caramel.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 03:13:17 | More by jeonseh

siege06nd

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

My first experience with BORIS...

A. Wow, the blackest beer I have seen. Absolute black hole here. Spectacular deep, rich brown head emerges with a brownie batter consistency. About two finger, but slowly calms down to a half finger. A quick swirl and it erupts again. Lacing is uniform and gorgeous. Perfect.

S. Chocolate crumbles, some nuttiness, coffee roast, light dark fruit, and a little bit of sweet, zesty hops. Very chocolate and roast forward, but in a rich, creamy way.

T. Follows the nose with melted and slightly singed baking chocolate, mild coffee roast, vanilla, caramel, and a kiss of sweet/zesty hops. Delicious. The only hint of booze is the warming sensation as this goes down.

M. Perfection. It's thick, creamy, and perfectly balanced. It's coating without being cloying. Full flavored and moderately carbed.

O. I found it hard to believe that a beer so easily obtained could be so excellent. Just goes to show you how little rarity matters in (but, unfortunately, how much it can influence our perception of) the quality of the beer. This is a knockout, a homerun, the best RIS I have had. Amazing work, HF. The real question: is Batch 100 that much different from the regular? I doubt it, though I have never had the regular. Either way, it's a near perfect stout and well worth the accolades it has received. Hoppin' Frog really needs to build a brewpub, it's a shame a beer this good is made in an industrial park garage.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 15:17:36 | More by siege06nd

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.48/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

For their 100th batch of the undisputed most popular beer, their BORIS the Crusher takes on a minor face lift that foregoes the doldrum-neutrality of the crisp malts that comprise U.S. beers and and initiates the fuller flavored and textured biscuity malt of England.

Like the other versions of BORIS, the beer pours with a motor oil viscocity of opaque inky black beer and slowly separates the mocha colored head from the liquid with a thick and structured attitude. No lacing necessary, the beer's foam stance fades to a dainty necklace of lace and lucky to retain anything to stand out against the oiliness of port or cognac.

Rich aromas of fruit nearly rival that of roast and chocolate as a licorice-like character charges the nose in more aggressive ester character than is usually found in stouts. But the balanced nose celebrates the malty-rich scent of burnt caramel, bready starch, dark chocolate, espresso, walnut, rum, and grape.

Flavors take over first with rich chocolaty sweetness that's met with espresso roast and bitterness before weaving in elements of cola nut, red grape juice, black licorice, caramelly bourbon, mild vanilla, oak, and slight vinous sherry or port character. Where the balance lies heavily in the espresso, cherries, chocolate, fruit, and alcohol the beer is always complemented by accessory taste and sensations that seem to make a new impression at every turn.

About as full bodied as stouts get, this beer should be served with a fork. Chewy, oily, rich, and completely mouth coating, the beer's supple carbonation allows for the most succulent texture of velvet and silk to complement the sweet and smoky roast, milk chocolate, heavy cream, and creeping alcohol sweet/warm textures. Long and savory, this beer sees no finish as the linger of taste and texture extends pleasantly into the next sip.

Forget about pairings, this sweet fruity and roasty ale satisfies the palate and stomach with every bit the reward as the most die hard death-by-chocolate whatevers or post dinner lattes. The different malt varieties here versus that of the standard but world class BORIS might add a more fortified maltiness but the differences are minute. What's not subtle is the tilt toward fruity grape, licorice, and port that this variety exudes.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 05:07:01 | More by BEERchitect

woodjjacct

Illinois

5/5  rDev +20.8%

04-24-2012 01:48:58 | More by woodjjacct

scott2269

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-19-2012 15:44:24 | More by scott2269

DangerDawg

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-19-2012 02:07:57 | More by DangerDawg

Zaphog

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -15.5%

04-01-2012 17:07:15 | More by Zaphog

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-27-2012 18:23:58 | More by imperialking

originsbrewery

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

03-27-2012 01:25:38 | More by originsbrewery