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B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher
Hoppin' Frog Brewery
- From:
- Hoppin' Frog Brewery
- Ohio, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #147 - ABV:
- 9.4%
- Score:
- 94
Ranked #2,276 - Avg:
- 4.23 | pDev: 9.22%
- Reviews:
- 1,070
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 03, 2024
- Added:
- Nov 10, 2006
- Wants:
- 291
- Gots:
- 571
This Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout will crush you like no other! This is the grand-daddy of all stout styles, with an intensely deep roasted and full bodied flavor. A robust hop character adds a refreshing balance.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pahn:
Reviewed by Pahn from New York
4.27/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.27/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle into a wine glass.
Appearance: Free pour yields a half inch tan head that quickly dissipates to nothing. Pours solid black and leaves occasional streaks of short lived lacing.
Smell: Lots of dark chocolate and roasted malt. Smaller notes of chocolate cake and plum. Heavy booziness comes out eventually, but it doesn't dominate away the other good smells, which themselves deepen over time.
Taste: Same heavy dark chocolate and roasted malt from the aroma, with mild sweetness and grain flavor. Tiny amount of plum. Very aggressively hot and bitter finish.
For the first several sips, there's a lot of good flavor up front (chocolate, growing plum influence, roasted malt, pastry like sweetness), which just gets pummeled away by the giant heat and bitterness (60 IBU sounds right; it's not like it's overhopped, just that the bitterness is harsh). By the end of the first glass, though, the two experiences somehow reconcile and blend into relatively hot, pleasantly bitter sips with steadily deepening flavor.
Once the flavor gets fully balanced, it stays there, and is just about perfect. Reminds me faintly of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, but might be a little better. Excellent.
Mouthfeel: Thickly full bodied. Higher side of moderate carbonation. The bitterness and alcohol heat overshadow the silky smoothness and bring the score down, but it's still a good mouthfeel.
Overall: At first, I thought the beer was a bit simplistic and over the top. Once the flavors really clicked, though, I couldn't get enough. Will get this one again, definitely.
This is a great beer. I like oatmeal stouts to be a bit smoother feeling, but that's my only complaint here.
Mar 26, 2011Appearance: Free pour yields a half inch tan head that quickly dissipates to nothing. Pours solid black and leaves occasional streaks of short lived lacing.
Smell: Lots of dark chocolate and roasted malt. Smaller notes of chocolate cake and plum. Heavy booziness comes out eventually, but it doesn't dominate away the other good smells, which themselves deepen over time.
Taste: Same heavy dark chocolate and roasted malt from the aroma, with mild sweetness and grain flavor. Tiny amount of plum. Very aggressively hot and bitter finish.
For the first several sips, there's a lot of good flavor up front (chocolate, growing plum influence, roasted malt, pastry like sweetness), which just gets pummeled away by the giant heat and bitterness (60 IBU sounds right; it's not like it's overhopped, just that the bitterness is harsh). By the end of the first glass, though, the two experiences somehow reconcile and blend into relatively hot, pleasantly bitter sips with steadily deepening flavor.
Once the flavor gets fully balanced, it stays there, and is just about perfect. Reminds me faintly of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, but might be a little better. Excellent.
Mouthfeel: Thickly full bodied. Higher side of moderate carbonation. The bitterness and alcohol heat overshadow the silky smoothness and bring the score down, but it's still a good mouthfeel.
Overall: At first, I thought the beer was a bit simplistic and over the top. Once the flavors really clicked, though, I couldn't get enough. Will get this one again, definitely.
This is a great beer. I like oatmeal stouts to be a bit smoother feeling, but that's my only complaint here.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by tradershmulie from Connecticut
4.66/5 rDev +10.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.66/5 rDev +10.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Beautiful deep rich almost black pour. Good clingy head, did not disappear.
Not much noticeable on the nose.
Delicious. Smooth, silky.
For the "simplest" of the R.I.S. styles from this brewery, it is great.
Mar 03, 2024Not much noticeable on the nose.
Delicious. Smooth, silky.
For the "simplest" of the R.I.S. styles from this brewery, it is great.
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts
4.33/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Best by 8/22/26
I can’t believe that after having over 20 beers from Hoppin’ Frog that I’ve never had this OG BORIS, the basis of their entire RIS program. I’ve had many of its variants and other beers in the same family tree so it’s cool to see where it all comes from. Let’s crack it open and find out what it’s all about
Pours almost completely pitch black with a finger of creamy dark tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing
The nose shows a nice balance of fruity and bitter notes. I’m picking up on aromas of burnt coffee beans, black licorice, black cherry, raisin, dark toast, tobacco, vanilla bean, caramel, light molasses, and cacao nib
It’s more of the same in taste but it’s a bit smoother. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting molasses, black cherry, raisin, black licorice, leafy hops, red grape, brown sugar, toffee, and cacao nib. The swallow brings notes of burnt toast, black cherry, cacao nib, caramel, leafy hops, tobacco, molasses, red grape, and baked apple
A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes mostly dry with a balanced bitterness
More than the sum of its parts honestly. It’s just a very well done RIS
Feb 11, 2024I can’t believe that after having over 20 beers from Hoppin’ Frog that I’ve never had this OG BORIS, the basis of their entire RIS program. I’ve had many of its variants and other beers in the same family tree so it’s cool to see where it all comes from. Let’s crack it open and find out what it’s all about
Pours almost completely pitch black with a finger of creamy dark tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing
The nose shows a nice balance of fruity and bitter notes. I’m picking up on aromas of burnt coffee beans, black licorice, black cherry, raisin, dark toast, tobacco, vanilla bean, caramel, light molasses, and cacao nib
It’s more of the same in taste but it’s a bit smoother. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting molasses, black cherry, raisin, black licorice, leafy hops, red grape, brown sugar, toffee, and cacao nib. The swallow brings notes of burnt toast, black cherry, cacao nib, caramel, leafy hops, tobacco, molasses, red grape, and baked apple
A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes mostly dry with a balanced bitterness
More than the sum of its parts honestly. It’s just a very well done RIS
Reviewed by beerbully from New Jersey
4.21/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L- Black, opaque....1 finger mocha head with great retention.....lacing is thick and sticky
S-Roasty and bitter......chocolate.....coffee grounds
T-Similar to the nose....dark chocolate, not as bitter as the nose would suggest.....
F- Thick and creamy.....low carb.....
O- Thick enjoyable beer....bittersweet.....tastes like an RIS
Dec 02, 2023S-Roasty and bitter......chocolate.....coffee grounds
T-Similar to the nose....dark chocolate, not as bitter as the nose would suggest.....
F- Thick and creamy.....low carb.....
O- Thick enjoyable beer....bittersweet.....tastes like an RIS
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington
4.39/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a quarter finger, milk chocolate head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, coffee, molasses, graham crackers and cocoa. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, full bodied coffee, bakers chocolate and light licorice. Smoky chocolate and coffee finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I've had the bigger version of this (T.O.R.I.S.) and enjoyed everything I've tried so far. This is a fine RIS with great flavor depth, nice smoky char and great coffee and chocolate. If this was available in my area, it would join other fine stouts in rotation. These guys know how to brew a stout.
Nov 14, 2023Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho
4.12/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.12/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz can pours out like used motor oil at midnight; thick and viscous with a fluffy brown head. Roasty and complex nose and palate, with lots of dark, roasted malt, coffee, oatmeal, rich licorice, some molasses. Really good stuff all around.
Nov 07, 2023Rated by CruzinCooler from New Jersey
4.35/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.35/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Love it
Sep 10, 2023Reviewed by cwm51662 from Indiana
4.56/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
This isn't so much a review as synchronicity. I had a choice at the local liquor store between this and North Coast Old Rasputin. As I sipped this, I said to myself (just prior to rating) this tastes a LOT like Old Rasputin. And when I rated it, I came up with 4.56- exactly what I rated Old Rasputin! This is a good thing, because I like a thicker, richer stout, and this qualifies. The aroma right out the can is knockout, and after the first couple sips, I doubt I could tell it from OR.
Nov 12, 2022
B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher from Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
2858 ratings
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