Hop Heathen - Hoppin' Frog Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black as night, a very roasty version of the style. The taste is a range of roast, nutty, hop presence but not so IPA. A well balanced good range of roast malt, chocolate. Freshly ordered from Lueken. A different spin on this style that is normally more hop-centric.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 05:32:11 | More by northyorksammy

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hoppin' Frog Hop Heathen Imperial Black Ale, Hoppin' Frog Brewig Company, Akron, Ohio. Here comes the gobbledygook: "An uncivilized amount of American hop spiciness along with a chocolately malt mix of dark roasted flavors create this inventive and tasty new beer style! What you get is the best of both worlds, a flavorful brood of dark malt and satisfying, assertive American hops. Raise you glass in a toast--to the Hop Heathen within you!" Just one note: are they using word "brood" they way they think they are?

8.8% ABV, 83 OG, 70 IBU

Appearance: fully black, brown head, settles down in no time.

Aroma: Big, grassy hops leave up, out, and in your face, surrounded by dark, roasted malts.

Taste: Warm, roasty, bitter, sharp and strong. Citrus-y hops are fairly smothered by the dark malt. Oddly enough, the flavor starts out big, then peters out. There's just not much "there" there. Or, any "here" here. Another hoppier porter, but not quite hoppy enough, and the high alcohol starts to intrude.

Huh. There's nothing really wrong or bad out of this. It just doesn't do anything for me. The body is full, but the texture is too blase, and the mouthfeel nothing but dull.

A bit of a let-down, since I like the last Hoppin' Frog so well, but the next should be better. Will that be my next beer? It's an imperial stout, …maybe not...maybe for my nightcap...

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 07:24:03 | More by feloniousmonk

MasterSki

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased at Binny's Lakeview. Served in a plastic cup on Freddy's boat. Guessing this is about two months old, even though it only reached Chicago shelves recently.

A - Tan foam settles to a thin cap and splotchy lacework. Very dark near-black body, with some brownish glints to it.

S - A nice mixture of brown sugar, milk chocolate, citrus and piney hops, and dank herbs.

T - This is the kind of Black IPA that I like - lots of chocolate, caramel, and mild roast characters in the malt bill, but without the astringent black malts found in many beers of this style. Pleasant piney hop bitterness, and perhaps a touch of citrus.

M - Medium body that's sufficiently hefty for the 8.8% ABV. Moderate carbonation, creamy texture, and a fairly dry finish. Not much alcohol presence considering this is more of a double Black IPA.

D - Really nice beer - kind of wish I'd gotten to it a tad fresher, but the malt bill was interesting enough to support the beer when given a chance. Not terribly priced for Hoppin' Frog either at $9.99.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 14:59:34 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This looked impressive just by looking at the bottle. Grabbed on and opened it up later that night. This beer poured out as a really nice looking black color with a brown colored foamy head on top. The smell of the beer is damn near perfect... It's got a wonderful aroma of roasted chocolaty malts blended with the big lively hops that are used in there too. The taste is right up there with the nose. A stunning combo of hops mixed with dark malts for one of the most impressive and balanced black IPA's I've ever had. The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated with a creamy body to it. Overall this beer is really good in my opinion. I am very impressed and I could enjoy this one again and again.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 02:50:25 | More by Knapp85

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep black with ruby mahogany brown highlights, forms a thick tan khaki head. Fine even lacing forms as it fades down, to the body. Aroma has earthy piney big hop accents, with dark roasted malts bringing out hints of caramel and dark coffee roasts. Hints of dark chocolate, herbal leaf and tobacco notes. Flavors are big roasted malts and herbal leafy hops combining nicely on the palate. Roasted malts, dark coffee, dark chocolate flavors combine with herbal leafy earthy hop bitterness, very nice cohesion here. Often times these black ales tend to clash a good bit. The mouthfeel is silky smooth with a bit of heat in the back end nice linger bitterness from the herbal hops, coexists with the the dark roasted malts just fine. Overall a big hoppy beer that will be well worth the investment if you come across the newest Ohio black ale I've seen on the market.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 19:22:12 | More by WVbeergeek

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours black, with a couple fingers of rich looking mocha head. This stays robust and frothy looking in the glass with a smooth ½ finger that leaves thick sticky lacing back. The aroma smells fresh, floral, citric and a touch spicy in the nose, while notes of cocoa and smoky roast come in off the edges. Those hops pretty much get the biggest push here though.

The taste is a rich mix of roasted coffee, sticky chocolate and green citrus flavors. A spicy and leafy bitterness flows throughout. The profile here is pretty even between malt and hops, leaving this equal part burnt and bitter on the finish. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied, with a firmness in the mouth that is both sharp on the tongue initially and then creamier along the back. Hops add a nice underlying oiliness to the feel that helps keep this smooth, while alcohol mainly just adds some strength to the overall flavors and feel here.

This was a pretty darn nice take on an American Black Ale, with both hops and malt being represented well in equal fashion and this drank great for a nearly 9% beer. Hoppin' Frog had fallen off my radar a bit over the last couple of years but I’m glad I picked this one up, as these guys really know how to do these big beers right.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 20:32:47 | More by Kegatron

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Aroma is both smoky and hoppy - got me doing a Pavlov’s dog - with hints of mocha and molasses. Pours a rich, deep sable a whisker above black with a fairly thick and fine-bubbled tan head that leaves some good lacing. Flavor - ooh, what flavor, crossing the best features of an IPA with the best features of a stout/porter. Hoppy, a little grassy, minimal bitterness, with notes of molasses, chocolate and quality coffee. Absolutely lip-smacking! Firm texture has a good amount of fizz. I love black ales, and I love hoppy beers, so the black IPA (an oxymoron, if you think about it) or Cascadian Black Ale is my fave.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 18:28:17 | More by Cyberkedi

largadeer

California

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Eric.

Appearance: Dark brown with ruby highlights, topped by two fingers of foam.

Smell: Cocoa and roast, resinous hops. Evergreen, a little mint. Clean yeast profile. Really pleasant aroma. Leans a bit more toward dark malt than hops, but it works.

Palate: Pine, a bit of citrus and mint, cocoa, roast. Medium bodied with sticky resinous bitterness. A ton of pine flavor. Excellent black DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 16:57:36 | More by largadeer

kylehay2004

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: single finger head with nice lacing on a very dark brown body.

S: lots of earthy and well blended citrus hops with a nutty and roasty presence. Each are well represented and complement rather than exclude the other.

T: very roasty with earthy hops up front and the coffee and roast in the middle with a sweet citrus hop character in the finish which is surprising as one would expect a bitter finish with this level of hop and coffee presence.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: This one is very well made. Both the roasted flavors and IPA flavors are represented to a high level. Its also very easy to drink. it has complex transitions which flow very nicely.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:28:43 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with one finger of medium brown foam in an opaque, black body. The head settles at a moderate law and leaves good lacing on the glass.

S - A strong espresso aroma with notes of pine and grapefruit in the background.

T - Green pine hops up front with a bit of sweaty hop character and lots of sweet, coffee. Dark caramel and more sweetened espresso in the middle and a finish of fruity hops, caramel, coffee, and mild bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - There is a lot of dark malt and a lot of hop flavor here, but a surprising lack of bitterness considering how much the hops and dark malt are emphasized. An enjoyable beer overall, but it would be more drinkable with a little more bitterness to balance out the syrupy sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:30:23 | More by nickfl

smakawhat

Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real solid three finger tan head, it's going nowhere, styrofoamy and stuck and solid with clumping lacing all around. Sits on a real dark walnut black to brown, with just a hint of red there too. Aggressive, real nice looking.

woah on the nose, this is ripping dirt and earth like hops, mixing with a great ripping coffee bean action. Dirt soil and fresh ground coffee, how fun is that! Smells more like coffee than beer.

Hit that palate and it's all that and a bag of chips. Creamy milky light bodied depth. Coffee richness with a malt milk body. Hop angle on the finish is a bit burried, but a mix of lots of milky chocolate, and burning coffee. Perhaps that long roast is being brought out with the bittering hop angle. There's a bit of lime astringency from perhaps hop character, but it hints of coffee acidic sourness more so.

Oh man this is really good. Seriously winning brew, big bold, without a heavy boozy quality. Flat out excellent! A java bean heads dream, and this from a Black IPA and not a stout. Stunning work!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 01:08:30 | More by smakawhat

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like pine and citrusy (grapefruit) hops, roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, and some coffee. I think the taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but the flavors seem to be stronger overall in comparison to the aroma. There's also a nice lingering bitter hoppy and roasty finish. Good balance between the hops and malt in both the aroma and flavor. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's coating and a bit sticky with moderate carbonation. Overall, I think it's a very good brew. $9.99 a bottle, I'd certainly buy this again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 20:57:58 | More by bluejacket74

Durge

Connecticut

4.29/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

An opaque black-brown color with a healthy light brown head and thick, serious lacing. The aroma brings an impressive deep coffee/licorice malt with herbal hop nuances. Uniquely outstanding. The flavor is no disappointment with lots more heavy licorice malt and floral/herbal complements. The hop quotient is not obvious but I believe it is working to create the unusual tastiness of this black ale. I do get some alcohol edges but it is not very distracting. It's medium-full bodied with a bit of a dry and ultimately satiny feel. Carbonation is modest but adequate. This is a big, beautiful creation, yet another triumph from the Hoppin' Frog.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:44:21 | More by Durge

superspak

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle date but this was a recent release. Pours a fairly pitch black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some good spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, pine, roasted malt, dark chocolate, light char, herbal, citrus rind, biscuit, floral, and earthiness. Damn nice aromas with incredible balance. This is one of the most balanced hop/malt aromas I have ever had on a black ale. Taste of big dark chocolate, citrus rind, grapefruit, pine, roasted malt, caramel, biscuit, herbal, floral, and earthy spiciness. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, citrus, citrus rind, pine, herbal, floral, and caramel on the finish for a good bit. Awesome balance of hoppy flavors with a very robust malt backbone. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice creamy and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding Black IPA. It is a perfect example of what I really like to see in a black IPA: Big roasted malt backbone with a balance of hops that is not overpowering. Incredibly well done.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 03:30:55 | More by superspak

prototypic

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hop Heathen pours a dark mahogany brown color. It’s reminiscent of dark chocolate. It’s not opaque. Backlighting shows some nice garnet highlights at the edges. A tan head rises to about a finger in height before falling back. Retention was definitely on the shorter side. Lacing was a little sticky, but very light overall.

The nose is good. It kicks off with a nice mix of dark malts. There’s a bit of roasted, chocolate, and sweet caramel malt. Hops follow quickly and are very aggressive. They feature mostly citric notes of grapefruit, pineapple, and orange. There’s definitely a piney aspect there, as well. Hops definitely take center stage in this one. The malts add a nice dimension, but they’re clearly secondary in the overall mix. Alcohol is noted, but doesn’t come through too strong.

The flavor is excellent. Very impressive. The malt base is diverse. It features a mix of bittersweet dark chocolate, sweet caramel, and roasted malt flavors. It’s an excellent base. Hops are definitely strong and flavorful. Grapefruit and pineapple flavors are noted throughout. They’re certainly piney, as well. They do add a nice bitter kick to the flavor. It’s balanced to some degree by the malts, but it remains a little bitter. Roasted coffee and charred barley emerge on the tail. Alcohol is blended well for nearly 9%. It’s not warm or hot at all. Finishes hoppy and slightly charred.

Hop Heathen has a medium body. Carbonation seems active, but feels nice and soft. It goes down smooth and easy for a bigger beer. Perhaps a little too easy for its size. This bomber is not much of a challenge.

Hop Heathen is a really nice release from Hoppin’ Frog. I continue to be impressed by their beer. Two things you can count on from Hoppin’ Frog doing right – big stouts and hoppy beers. This one falls into the latter category, but does feature some really nice dark malt flavors. Very good stuff. Summon the heathen in you and find a bottle! You’ll be glad you did!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 03:34:08 | More by prototypic

nrbw23

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a black color with a nice foamy brown colored head. Head becomes a thin layer of foam on top of the brew and leaves some nice lacing.

S- Quite a bit of hops here in the nose. Mostly tropical fruits and pine. Picking up some sweet malts, chocolate and quite a bit of roast.

T- Quite an awesome balance between the hops and malts. Nice and hoppy with a good amount of sweetness too. Good amount of chocolate and roast with a good amount of hops.

M- Medium in body and carbonation.

O- I really enjoyed this brew for sure. Its very solid.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 19:02:12 | More by nrbw23

nlmartin

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I am a fan of darkly roasted malts in beers. I am also a fan of palate striping hoppyness in a beer. Black Ales should be a natural to my taste buds. Its like chocolate and peanut butter. You put peanut butter in my chocolate. No you put chocolate in my peanut butter. Whats my point? Sometimes a black ale leaves me wanting more dark roasted malt or hanging on for more hops. Anyhow, this beer was chilled and served in a pint glass.

Ap- As promised the body of the beer is black. No opaqueness to light noted. The is a creamy nugget coloration. The head resolved to a short ring of foam. The lacing on the glass looks like the glass has been coated in pancake batter. So in short this beer looks very inviting.

S- The bottle claims an uncivilized amount of American hop spiciness. I am not really getting a notion of uncivilized hoppyness in the nose. Yes the beer delivers a nice hop aroma floral notes, citrus, grapefruit, a quick blast of pine. Actually the hops smell very inviting. As to the malt profile I am getting a nice milk chocolate, dark chocolate kick to go along with nice dark roasted malty flavors. Its almost roasted enough to suggest a lightly roasted coffee.

T- The beer is definately delivering the best of both hoppy and malty beers. Well balanced darkly roasted malts with chocolate flavors plenty of hops to go around delivering a counterpoint of bitterness and citrus / pine flavored notes.

M- Medium bodied very smooth. The carbonation is very gentle but by no means still.

O- I found this beer very satisfying. The flavors are well balanced. If this was bottled in six packs I would seek this beer out more often. Well played!

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 10:13:25 | More by nlmartin

Dope

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a very dark brown with a big and dense chocolate milk colored head. Fades slowly, leaving an almost solid wall of thick lacing behind.

S: Oh yeah, loaded with pine and grapefruit. Strong chocolate and grainy sort of coffee and earthycharacter follows it up nicely. Get a little bit of garlic/oniony hops too, like summit perhaps?

T: Creamy, very creamy. Up front there is again, pine and grapefruit with just a hint of garlic and onion. Not as strong as in the nose. Big bitter chocolate in the middle with some coffee, like dark chocolate covered coffee beans. Ends with some lingering char and bitter bitter chocolate. A little bit of pine and earth. Creamy and smooth like an oatmeal stout.

M: As mentioned above, very creamy and smooth like an oatmeal stout. A touch chalky. Medium/heavy body. Nice.

O: One of the better black ales I've had. A lot of them are super duper hoppy, which isn't a bad thing but they become almost like regular IPAs at that point - no roasted malt character. This one is better balanced. Good balance of hop flavors amongst themselves as well. Nice bitter chocolate and a creamy, chalky sort of body. Very enjoyable and drinkable. Probably second only to Wookey Jack and Stone 15th.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 02:51:17 | More by Dope

TexIndy

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass. No dating info that I could find. It was solid black in color with evidence of good carb streams breaking on the surface. It has a good sized, brown head that settled into a good collar and covering film. Good lacing with lots sticking.

The aroma was grassy and resinous hops mixed with equal dose of roasted and chocolate malts. Seem to be a good balance between the two. The taste was also well balanced and started with the hops then the malt sweetness overtaking it at the end. It wasn't bad in any sense but it just didn't excite me all that much either. Easy to drink for sure but also not sure I'll remember it tomorrow. Solid mouthfeel with good carb and sweet aftertaste.

Overall, a good serviceable brew but, as stated above, it just didn't stand out or really make me want to find another. I'd drink if given one but wouldn't seek it out either. Not available here in TX - got from Hoss. Rotation - one is enough; maybe on tap if best choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 01:44:21 | More by TexIndy

Damian

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Drank from a 1 pint 6 fl. oz. (22 fl. oz) bottle purchased at Julio's Liquors, Westboro, MA
Served in a pint glass

The beer poured super dark brown (bordering on black) and was topped by a one-plus finger tall head of stiff, dense, caramel colored foam. Sheets of thick, sticky lacing coated the glass.

The aroma was pleasant but not quite as assertive as I was hoping it would be. An even mix of roasted malts and piney hops dominated. Mild cocoa notes. Touch of smoke. The nose became more punchy as the beer warmed. Espresso notes came through strong.

The flavor profile was quite similar to the nose. Lots of roasted malts on front end. Some coffee and chocolate. Hint of smoke. The hops hit hard mid palate. Initially, they were citrusy, but they turned more piney and bitter as the beer moved along the palate. The finish contained a nice mix of roasty, smoky malts, espresso and a bitter, pine needle-like hoppiness. At 8.8% ABV, this beer hid its alcohol prowess quite well.

The mouthfeel was fairly non-descript. Medium bodied with a crisp, moderate effervescence.

Tasty, interesting and quite drinkable, Hoppin' Frog's Hop Heathen is a really solid beer. However, as one of the highest rated American black ales in the world, I was expecting a bit more.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 02:54:05 | More by Damian

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

reviewed from notes 7/29/12.

poured into duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Black bodied beer with 1 finger tan head that drop to a thin cap. a bit of stoppy lace.

Smell: Chocolate and charcoal malts. Pine hops with a touch of grass and herbal notes.

Taste: Pine and grassy hops. Charcoal note with roasty malts. Hint of chocolate. Has a really chalky and green finish to it that is moderately bitter. The aftertaste is kind of wierd and a little distracting.

Mouthfeel: a medium thin bodied beer with moderate carbonation. It drinkable, but has that characteristic hoppen frog watered down mouthfeel.

Overall: This is middle of the road. NG Black Top and Firestone Walker Wookey Jack are the best black IPA's that I have tried. This one is a long way off from those beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 19:44:18 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

babaracas

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque very dark brown with two finger tan head, settles with thick lace for the first few inches. Smell: mildly roasty, caramel, earthy, citrus note. Hoppy Porter-like. Oh, and buttery... Taste: caramel, sugared dark fruit, quickly in to pine, tropical fruit, citrus rind. Sugary. Medium bodied, lightish carbonation. It misses, but not by much.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 04:45:47 | More by babaracas

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 22oz bottle

Appearance - Dark black with a creamy tan 1 inch head and lot sof sticky lacing. Looks like a nice porter.

Smell - Roasted malts, chocolate, brown sugar, coffee, light hop presence, grape, orange, rasin, plum.

Taste - Nice coffee/chocolate bite at first sip. Malts are roasty, and hops are made up of strong dark fruits, lots of plum and rasin. Brown sugar and mollasses add sweetness to a rather bitter drink. Near the finish some pine and orange does come out. Alcohol is masked well but there is a trace of warmth in the afertaste.

Mouthfeel - COats mouth with malts, hops and sugars. Tounge gets alot of malts and chocolate, dark fruity hops and sugars. Palate gets more of the same with some citric fruits at the end. Aftertaste is malty, bitter and coffee.

Overall - Awesome, one of the best black ipas. A perfect balance of porter and ipa, balanced and truely smooth and drinkible. Hard to believe its almost 9% alcohol, drinks like a 5% porter. Worth a drink for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 23:30:00 | More by wvsabbath

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours pitch black with a nice tan head. Smell is loaded with pine hops with a nice touch of grapefruit as well. The taste is bitter. Loads of bitter. Pine needles, dark chocolate, hop bitterness, and a bit of coffee throughout. Very complex all the way through.

Finishes bitter with that touch of grapefruit cleaning up a bit. Youll leave still in shock of everything going on.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 03:11:05 | More by VncentLIFE

TheHoppiest

Ohio

4.88/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a tulip glass. The bottle bears the now-familiar toasting frog, but this label has him grayed-out, rather than in color, with a black background that really makes this offering by Hoppin' Frog stand out compared to its other bottles. I wonder if the ale inside merits such special treatment!

Pours a dark, dark brown that is just a tinge of auburn away from being pure black. Starts with a good 1" head that reduces at a moderate pace, leaving tan lacing down the sides.

The smell is an interesting mix of piney hops and roasted chocolate malt. The chocholate malt gives this an almost coffee/mocha like aroma that overtakes the hoppiness as the brew sits.

Tastes phenomenal! The roasted malt gives this a thick, creamy taste that seemlesly melds into a piney hopped finish. Chocolate, everygreen, resin, and mild breadiness combine for a smooth, yet assertive taste. Finish is mildly bitter, but leaving the tongue somewhat dry. Coffee notes develop more as it warms, and while there are stout-like qualities to this brew, the hoppiness is more prominent, and the feel is a bit thinner. Almost more like a porter, but there is simply "more" here than you'd find in a typical porter.

Medium to full-bodied, this is smooth at the starts, with a sharper bite to finish.

An excellent brew, this is the second absolutely fabulous beer in a row I've had from Hoppin' Frog. Simply put, this small operation out of a warehouse in an industrial space outside Akron, Ohio is putting together some of the best beer to be found. Hop Heathen is a seasona/one-time release so far as I know, so absolutely grab it if you can. Still, if you can't, grab anything else you can find; you won't be disappointed!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 00:57:15 | More by TheHoppiest