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worth every penny

roasty, chocolatey, hint of coffee. a little sweet. rock freaking solid beer. would drink regularly if it weren't so spendy and hard for me to get.

strongly recommend trying this if you haven't

Price: $12.99 Served In: Snifter

Well, this is crazy. I was reviewing another Hoppin Frog beer, and a thought popped into my head: "Hey you crazy ticker, how many Hoppin Frog beers have you ticked?" So I went to the brewery’s main Ratebeer page and took a gander. That’s when I saw it: DORIS with no tick mark next to it. I almost had a seizure, as the narrator’s voice from "Beertickers" echoed in my head: "First you drink it, then you tick it...then you tick it...tick it...tick it..." The horrors! I had tried DORIS not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES, yet there was nary a tick mark to show this. Once was at DLD when I was plastered out of my mind, once was thanks to Kevin, and the other time, I have no clue who brought the bottle - Bozo the Clown for all I know. Sometimes I get "tunnel vision" when I’m ticking and can’t see anything but the beer and the glory. I believe it was Shakespeare who once said, "Alas, there is nothing so tragic in this world as an lost tick." I agree with this. Fortunately this tick hadn’t been lost forever. I had review notes e-mailed to myself from awhile back.

This beer is black, believe it or not. A thick brown head adorns the glass, and lacing remains when the beer is imbibed. This looks like a big one, with legs like a thunder-thighed beast-woman.

A roasty and chocolatey aroma wafts from the glass. Smells as rich as Richie Rich (my similes are very creative, I know). This is a roasty beast, it is. Some charcoal and bitter coffee come through as well.

The flavor has a little more caramel malty sweetness than I expected, but not nearly too much sweetness to throw it off balance. The roasty char lends a great dryness to complement the sweetness, some dark fruits and chocolate are in there, and there are hops.

Thick and slick on the palate. Medium-low carbonation, as this style should have. Very satisfying.

Double Imperial Stout, huh? I don’t quite buy that at only 10.5%, but it is a great brew. Comes in a level below the elite imperial stouts in my book. Being that this is my favorite style and this one probably scores better than 90% of other beers in the style, I hope to revisit this a fourth time, fifth time, and so on.

Served In: Pint Glass

Received this brew from Gibby not so long ago and have been waiting to enjoy this one. I absolutely LOVE B.O.R.I.S and can’t wait to try this. Drank from my Surly Darkness snifter.

Appearance- Pours a dark blackish brown with a nice half finger creamy dark brown head that settles quickly. Not much of a cap is left but a thin collar remains along with a bit of random spotty lacing.
Smell- Lots of raw grainy smells that I’m assuming is from the oatmeal. It’s earthy and beautiful and smells like freshly milled two-row. Plenty roasted as well with a dark coffee nose and earthy cocoa. Maybe a bit of a citrus kick but I don’t think the hops play a huge factor in the nose. It’s malty and rich and roasted.
Taste- Whoa there are really hops in this beer! I get a big bitter hoppy kick right from the start that mixes with the alcohol for sort of a boozy fruitiness. Dark fruits galore with some prune and raisin characteristics. Once your mouth acclimates the oatmeal comes through with a sort of toasted grainy maltiness along with plenty of rich dark coffee. Of course some chocolate comes through but really is an afterthought. The finish is rich and dark and nice and warm.
Mouthfeel- Thick and rich with a velvety smooth feel and nice light carbonation that is remarkably assertive considering the feel.
Drinkability- REALLY dug the shit out of this one. It’s so raw and grainy at times with a big oatmeal presence and a nice fruity American hop profile. As much as I love B.O.R.I.S I’d take this over it any day. It’s just bigger and bolder and really really tasty. Thanks much Jeff!!

Served In: Pint Glass