Bullfrog Ale
Issaquah Brewhouse

 

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of fruity yeast are present in the nose along with some hints of honey.
T: Much like the smell, the taste is dominated by flavors of fruity yeast—green apples stand out in particular, although there are some hints of bananas.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The yeast used in this beer tastes a lot more like an English Pale Ale compared to a German Hefeweizen.

 

I used to live in Issaquah before the original owner sold to ROGUE. I used to go there with friends and drink pictures of BULLFROG is was lemony, hopsy, a beer you could almost chew . Then it sold to ROGUE and they washed out the lemon crusted pipes the beer used to go through and probably changed the recipe. Best beer I have ever tasted! Sorry for our loss. I brew my own Popular Mechanics 10 best "CASCADE ORG/CORRI PALE ALE AND i WISH IT WAS AS GOOD AS THE ORIG. bullfrog.

 

 

This beer poured out as a hazy yellow color with a tinge of orange in there. The smell of the beer gave off some soft aromas of wheat and hints of clove. The taste of the beer was average in my opinion, it felt like it was too light in flavor. The mouthfeel was also on the lighter side giving me the impression that this was a little watered down or something. Overall this brew wasn't something I'd rush back to the store and buy more of. I can't see spending money on this one again.

 

Interesting looking bottle at Arctic Liquors, around $4. A little help on what style the beer is would be nice on the label.

A: Poured a turbid gold color with a white head, some pretty pronounced chunks of yeast in this one. Looks like a decent hefe.

S: Really doesn't smell like much, a few faint hints of yeast, but nothing of the style. Pretty boring at this point.

T: Doesn't taste too much like a hefeweizen at all. Has some qualities of a slightly roasted amber ale is what really stands out, a few hints at honey, and a light hint of honey at the end of it. Maybe just a hint of bitterness here. I don't know if they were going for anything in particular here, but this really doesn't do anything for me. Really pretty boring and not a lot of flavor.

M: Medium body with a fair amount of carbonation, kind of sticky as well, fairly smooth going down. Feels okay.

D: Wow, this beer is really disappointing. Easy enough to drink, but I just can't really find anything to get excited about. There is absolutely no description of what this beer is on the bottle, or what they're shooting for. A little help there might go a long way. Not a total waste of money, but I'm definitely disappointed with this one.

Da Frog comes out a hazy golden orange, white head tries to pop up, but quickly dies.

Very light aroma and taste of wheat and coriander, not a whole lot going on here. Plenty of hops in the finish to make for a crisp and semi-stinging quaff. Not even close to a hefe, just an average wheat beer - certainly not worthy of bomber status (which implies bigger beer). No yeasty goodies on the unfiltered bottle bottom - yeah, I took a "Flying Leap" from the pan into the fire.

Aww, it's a decent wheat - but not worth the bomber price.

The colorful silk-screened bottle of Bullfrog I purchased at the Issaquah Brewery offers no description of its contents. It just invites us to "take a flying leap" - presumably a leap of faith. It might have been nice to know in advance that Bullfrog is an American style wheat beer.

I must admit, I drank the full bottle and didn't surmise that this was a wheat beer at all. The surprising cloudiness and translucent goldenrod color suggested as much. But the rest of the beer projects a humble pale ale recipe delivered with an almost homebrew-ish simplicity. A light, citrus-sweet nose emerges early then shifts to a doughy yeastiness. A bright white head dissipates fast and leaves no lace. And the taste has a sweet simplicity suggesting low attenuation with modest hop citrus flavor.

Bullfrog is not entirely without appeal and could serve as a workable crossover beer for those accustomed to thinner bodied lagers. But its overall demeanor is rudimentary and humble. Even the carbonation is low.

Cloudy, turbid dark bronze,looks like apple cider with a slight white head that leaves a tiny bit of fine lacing on the glass. This beer smells of peanut butter and bananas to me (must be Elvis's fave) with a touch of floral hop. Tastes of mild fruity yeast and lemon with just enough bitterness to almost balance. Chewy mouthfeel with a nutty finish, very filling. Not the best beer Rougue has to offer, more American than hefe IMO.

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Spirit Haus, Amherst, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4" off-white head over the clear dark golden brew. Head falls at a moderate to quick pace, with average to good lacing. Aroma is mostly vegetal and bitterness. Taste is lightly sweet upfront, the slightest wisp of wheat character in the middle, and generic bitterness to close. Mouthfeel is prickly, and drinkability is ok. Like no hefe I've had before, and that's not particularly a good thing here. Calling Clara Peller: "Where's the WHEAT?!?"

Bottle served in a .5L Schneider Weisse glass.

Appearance: hazy light yellow, pale head 2 fingers high

Smell: complex and spicy, peppery

Taste/Mouthfeel: hops and wheat, not the traditional banana, refreshing

On par with most of the American hefeweizens. I still think the Bavarians do it more justice.

Pours a light golden-pale with a small off white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is medium sweet with orange, floral hops and light spice. Flavor is citrus, light floral and spice. Light ot medium body, thin texture. Finishes medium and floral. Very nice balance that makes this a good session beer.

Poured this 22 oz. brown bottle into a Weeping Radish Hefeweizen glass. No date. The body was cloudy with sediment and the dull color of a butterscotch disk. No head! Not right.

Smell was lightly lemony. Some yeast aroma. Not much else.

Taste was light fruitiness. Sweet and bitter were well balanced but bland. Ever so slight banana flavor. Thumbs down on this one.

Mouthfeel was medium in body, light in carbonation. Overall this was a big disappointment. i actually poured the last third out-I decided it wasn't worth the calories. I hope this was old, otherwise it would be extra disappointing.

Hefeweizen, really? Ohhh-k. Pours a cloudy golden straw color. Check. A soft white head with not much staying power and lacing overall.

The nose has a more generic malt aroma with no real hint of wheat. Some biscuit and pale malt a hint of honey as it warms. On the backend there is some citrus hops but no real hint of German hops at all. There is a more American ale yeast with some hints of DMS. No banana, no cloves.

The taste is similar. The malt comes out with a sweeter malt profile with a more noticeable wheat and honey notes coming out. Some minor spice notes, mostly from the wheat and a touch of white pepper. The yeast again is more along the lines of a US wheat. Some cleaner flavors but no banana and no cloves. Some butyric that is off setting in the finish and the DMS comes out as it warms. Hops are limited but some hints of citrus.

The body is light to moderate. Carbonation is limited as well. Overall more US wheat to me, but leaving style aside, there are some off flavors that really deter this beer from being rated higher.

22oz. bottle, poured into a half-liter Spaten glass.

Cloudy orange, swirled & poured the yeast. Creamy white foam, slight flourishes of lacing here and there. Nondescript aroma, not offensive, not interesting. Some vague malt and dried florals. It gets spicy down the road as it warms up.

Holy snickerdoodle. Nutmeg and cinnamon cookies. In a nutshell, this is what i'm tasting. Peppery, prickly carbonation. This tastes great, but it's no hefe. Cookie Ale, ok...i'm sold. This is pretty good stuff. Creamy feel, dry spicy aftertaste.

Overall not bad. I'd drink this again. At least it sets itself apart and tries something different. Kudos to that.

Pours an extremely cloudy orange with a pretty big white head. It looks like carbonated orange juice.

The smell, I hate to say it, is almost nothing but sulfur. The only way I can describe it is to say it smells like someone farted in my glass. Sorry, it's just that bad. The taste is a little bit better. There is a light sweetness, though without any of the phenols associated with hefes. There is a fair amount of hop bitterness on the finish as well. However, the real drawback is the funky sweet corn flavors that take center stage.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and overall pretty good. Drinkability is low considering how bad it smells and tastes.

Bottle courtesy BA Klynch..Thanks bro!

Pours murky gold with a thin, off-white head. Not much retention or lacework.

Aromatics lead off with a lemony wheat twang and some oddly placed fruit. Strawberries.
Faintly spicy also, but beyond that it's pretty done.

The mouthfeel is light and carbonation is low. A bit thin and watery.

A blend of lemon zest, berries, and faint black pepper on the pallet. Bitterness is firm and dry, and theres a minerally crispness that follows through.

Finishes very quick except for some mineral-dryness.

Fairly clean and uneventfull for a Hef, but for a bonus bottle in a trade, certainly drinkable!