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B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink - Barrel-Aged
Hoppin' Frog Brewery
- From:
- Hoppin' Frog Brewery
- Ohio, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 9.4%
- Score:
- 96
- Avg:
- 4.35 | pDev: 9.89%
- Reviews:
- 29
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Oct 08, 2018
- Added:
- Nov 21, 2013
- Wants:
- 143
- Gots:
- 68
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by maximum12:
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
4.28/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.28/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to fiver29 & CaptCleveland, two of my favorite traders, who each sent me a bottle of this...that landed on the same day. The first went down at a tasting, here's the second 22 oz. bottle meeting its maker. Split with my wife.
Pour is like the arc of a typical Hollywood movie: expected. Black, low carb. Nose is background noise: shoots of bourbon, chocolate, sweetness, but really not much going on. Subtle or weak? Depends on how it tastes, of course.
B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink has a stellar platform before it even hit the barrel, & it shows. My first couple sips turn into glass-draining gulps; my lips lock onto the edge of the glass. The base beer of chocolate, slight roast, & fist-humping malts are complemented to the edge of nausea by the barrel. Bourbon, vanilla smooth out the edges of a beer that didn't have any in the first place. So slick I could pour this into the engine of my Audi for lubrication (well, technically, my poor old Audi is now dead, but I don't want to weep into this exceptional beer, so we'll save that for another day). Perfect in the mouth. Even after it's gone down the hatch, I can feel the warmth coating my tongue & palate. Drinkable? Sheet. I could have gone through this bomber in record time.
Well, yes, I do like this beer, thank you. Why did I share the other one with my stoopid beer friends? I hate them. They dranked my good beer! Anyways. Marvelous beer, this one is a half-skip from elite stardom. Love.
Jun 19, 2014Pour is like the arc of a typical Hollywood movie: expected. Black, low carb. Nose is background noise: shoots of bourbon, chocolate, sweetness, but really not much going on. Subtle or weak? Depends on how it tastes, of course.
B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink has a stellar platform before it even hit the barrel, & it shows. My first couple sips turn into glass-draining gulps; my lips lock onto the edge of the glass. The base beer of chocolate, slight roast, & fist-humping malts are complemented to the edge of nausea by the barrel. Bourbon, vanilla smooth out the edges of a beer that didn't have any in the first place. So slick I could pour this into the engine of my Audi for lubrication (well, technically, my poor old Audi is now dead, but I don't want to weep into this exceptional beer, so we'll save that for another day). Perfect in the mouth. Even after it's gone down the hatch, I can feel the warmth coating my tongue & palate. Drinkable? Sheet. I could have gone through this bomber in record time.
Well, yes, I do like this beer, thank you. Why did I share the other one with my stoopid beer friends? I hate them. They dranked my good beer! Anyways. Marvelous beer, this one is a half-skip from elite stardom. Love.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by richj1970 from Alabama
4.25/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 22 oz.bomber
A: Pitch black with smallish one finger deep mocha head. Settles fairly quickly to a thin cap with moderate lacing.
S: Sweet bourbon, rich chocolate, and espresso with hints of vanilla and coconut.
T: Chocolate fudge, vanilla, espresso, and molasses. Subtle charred oak notes.
M: Full bodied with fairly light carbonation. Creamy texture with a lightly sweet finish.
O: Excellent barrel aged stout. Very enjoyable indeed.
Apr 09, 2017A: Pitch black with smallish one finger deep mocha head. Settles fairly quickly to a thin cap with moderate lacing.
S: Sweet bourbon, rich chocolate, and espresso with hints of vanilla and coconut.
T: Chocolate fudge, vanilla, espresso, and molasses. Subtle charred oak notes.
M: Full bodied with fairly light carbonation. Creamy texture with a lightly sweet finish.
O: Excellent barrel aged stout. Very enjoyable indeed.
Reviewed by M-Fox24 from New Jersey
4.5/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: An elegant, creamy, mocha pour, topped with an off-white/brown head; moderate retention with lacing
S: Whiskey and bourbon complemented with the convolutions of vanilla, oak/wood, espresso, butterscotch, chocolate, malt, and subtle coconut. Had to delve into the deep sea to pull out some more dark fruit and certain vinous frills
T: Lots to be found here, and can tune in and out to the preference: wood roasted espresso, chocolate, vanilla, molasses, lingering dark fruit in the faded background. The balancing of the flavors/of everything going on is remarkable
M: Dangerous at creamy and sticky; smooth, full body, moderate carbonation
O: Hoppin’ Frog does it right; the time and precision shows. The excessive niceties were extremely well balanced yet the complexities linger on...these fellas know their way around a stout
Nov 19, 2016S: Whiskey and bourbon complemented with the convolutions of vanilla, oak/wood, espresso, butterscotch, chocolate, malt, and subtle coconut. Had to delve into the deep sea to pull out some more dark fruit and certain vinous frills
T: Lots to be found here, and can tune in and out to the preference: wood roasted espresso, chocolate, vanilla, molasses, lingering dark fruit in the faded background. The balancing of the flavors/of everything going on is remarkable
M: Dangerous at creamy and sticky; smooth, full body, moderate carbonation
O: Hoppin’ Frog does it right; the time and precision shows. The excessive niceties were extremely well balanced yet the complexities linger on...these fellas know their way around a stout
Reviewed by Davepoolesque from Massachusetts
4.23/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours out super dark. Toasted coconut, bitter dark chocolate, vanilla, some oak, hint of cinnamon spiciness and a little bit of booze sweetness. Medium, very dry mouthfeel. Classic Hoppin' Frog bitterness. This is pretty good.
Apr 15, 2016Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
3.89/5 rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
3.89/5 rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Black with a puffy, bubbly burnt mocha head.
I get vanilla up front with the oak, which helps emulate toasted marshmallow, while BORIS comes in with a fudge and woody nut decadence. However there's a noticeable but moderate heat from the bourbon, and a bit of a soft drink mixed in, most reminiscent of Dr. Pepper, thinning the body out.
It's no secret I'm not a huge fan of bourbon barrel aging, but I find this to be less offensive than so many other offerings. It's nicely done. Smooth and dry is how I like it if it has to be done to a stellar stout. It's not as dry as others I've had but it's well on its way. It's just not as good as the hype-inducing name suggests. Personally, if I absolutely have to drink a bba stout, I enjoy BA DORIS, and especially BORIS 200, much more. However, I find the results of barreling their barleywines and strong ales to be much more successful than their stouts.
Dec 18, 2015I get vanilla up front with the oak, which helps emulate toasted marshmallow, while BORIS comes in with a fudge and woody nut decadence. However there's a noticeable but moderate heat from the bourbon, and a bit of a soft drink mixed in, most reminiscent of Dr. Pepper, thinning the body out.
It's no secret I'm not a huge fan of bourbon barrel aging, but I find this to be less offensive than so many other offerings. It's nicely done. Smooth and dry is how I like it if it has to be done to a stellar stout. It's not as dry as others I've had but it's well on its way. It's just not as good as the hype-inducing name suggests. Personally, if I absolutely have to drink a bba stout, I enjoy BA DORIS, and especially BORIS 200, much more. However, I find the results of barreling their barleywines and strong ales to be much more successful than their stouts.
B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink - Barrel-Aged from Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
311 ratings
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