B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink - Barrel-Aged | Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Brewed by:
Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Ohio, United States
hoppinfrog.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.40%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by StoutSnob40 on 11-21-2013
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 310 | Reviews: 29
Reviews by Jeffo:
4.67/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Got this one from Hotpipes a while back. Love the base beer so very happy to try this variant. Cheers!
From a bomber into a snifter
OG: 1.107
IBU: 60
Aged in Kentucky Whisky barrels
Drunk after BORIS Bairille Aois for comparative purposes
APPEARANCE: Pours out pitch black, like thick, sludgy motor oil, producing a two finger, medium looking, creamy, mocha colored head with good retention. Jet black body with next to zero carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a full cap and coats the sides of the glass. Soon a swirl wisp and ring are all that remain but they do leave some nice falling dots of lacing as the glass empties. A menacing imperial stout for sure.
SMELL: Lots of butterscotch, caramel and toffee notes, whisky, milk chocolate and sweet cream notes. Chocolate milk shake qualities are in there. Chocolate fudge with Werther’s Original butterscotch candies. Sweet cream and oaky wood aromas in there as well. Really beautiful, and could be the same beer as Aois. Awesome.
TASTE: Whisky and oak notes initially, with butterscotch and sweet cream up front. Milk chocolate, caramel and more oak and whisky at the swallow. Big, bold and lingering finish of butterscotch and caramel sweetness, sweet cream and chocolate milk shake, whisky and oak notes. Some bitter chocolate fudge offers a nice touch of balance to all the sweet malt and barrel flavors. Alcohol and whisky are wonderfully measured as well. Basically just as decadent and lovely as Aois. Perhaps a touch more whisky presence here, but the differences are minimal. Fantastic.
PALATE: Fuller body with medium levels of carbonation. Lots of weight and plenty creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes rather sticky. Less heat lingers than in the Aois variant. Can’t get any better in the department. This is how an imperial stout should feel.
OVERALL: This is just great. Equally as good as the Aois variant, and given how similar the two beers are, you could have told me this was a different bottling of the same batch and barrel treatment. Lots of similarities in the aroma and flavor profiles, while the feel on this one is perhaps a touch heavier and less hot, which really puts this into the next stratosphere. Perhaps a bit less butterscotch and slightly more wood flavors sets this one apart from Aois, but as far as overall quality is concerned, not to mention enjoyment, these two are about as good as it gets. Excellent. Thanks again hotpipes. World class stuff here.
2,481 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Got this one from Hotpipes a while back. Love the base beer so very happy to try this variant. Cheers!
From a bomber into a snifter
OG: 1.107
IBU: 60
Aged in Kentucky Whisky barrels
Drunk after BORIS Bairille Aois for comparative purposes
APPEARANCE: Pours out pitch black, like thick, sludgy motor oil, producing a two finger, medium looking, creamy, mocha colored head with good retention. Jet black body with next to zero carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a full cap and coats the sides of the glass. Soon a swirl wisp and ring are all that remain but they do leave some nice falling dots of lacing as the glass empties. A menacing imperial stout for sure.
SMELL: Lots of butterscotch, caramel and toffee notes, whisky, milk chocolate and sweet cream notes. Chocolate milk shake qualities are in there. Chocolate fudge with Werther’s Original butterscotch candies. Sweet cream and oaky wood aromas in there as well. Really beautiful, and could be the same beer as Aois. Awesome.
TASTE: Whisky and oak notes initially, with butterscotch and sweet cream up front. Milk chocolate, caramel and more oak and whisky at the swallow. Big, bold and lingering finish of butterscotch and caramel sweetness, sweet cream and chocolate milk shake, whisky and oak notes. Some bitter chocolate fudge offers a nice touch of balance to all the sweet malt and barrel flavors. Alcohol and whisky are wonderfully measured as well. Basically just as decadent and lovely as Aois. Perhaps a touch more whisky presence here, but the differences are minimal. Fantastic.
PALATE: Fuller body with medium levels of carbonation. Lots of weight and plenty creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes rather sticky. Less heat lingers than in the Aois variant. Can’t get any better in the department. This is how an imperial stout should feel.
OVERALL: This is just great. Equally as good as the Aois variant, and given how similar the two beers are, you could have told me this was a different bottling of the same batch and barrel treatment. Lots of similarities in the aroma and flavor profiles, while the feel on this one is perhaps a touch heavier and less hot, which really puts this into the next stratosphere. Perhaps a bit less butterscotch and slightly more wood flavors sets this one apart from Aois, but as far as overall quality is concerned, not to mention enjoyment, these two are about as good as it gets. Excellent. Thanks again hotpipes. World class stuff here.
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More User Reviews:
4.45/5 rDev +2.3%
This shit is tasty. Big bourbon. Smooth. Vanilla and bourbon on a big roasted chocolate stout. Mouthfeel is smooth and warming. I would take a case of this bomb.
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This shit is tasty. Big bourbon. Smooth. Vanilla and bourbon on a big roasted chocolate stout. Mouthfeel is smooth and warming. I would take a case of this bomb.
162 characters
4.79/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Motor oil thick and a smooth 9.9 ABV. I just wish I had more that the one bottle.
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look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Motor oil thick and a smooth 9.9 ABV. I just wish I had more that the one bottle.
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4.87/5 rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: I poured soft so almost no head but my second pour I was aggressive and the small head that did appear was mocha in appearance
S: Like soft bourbon no head snapping bourbon very vanilla smelling
T: this is where this crushes it has the soft notes of bourbon but with a very roasted, sweet, chocolate with no harsh booze taste although you can taste it in the background the vanilla smoothness of the bourbon shines through, with notes of oak and very little if any heat
M: Great texture you get the fullness you expect from a ba stout but I was expecting more of a residual thickness booze but it doesn't cling much
O: Insanely great BA beer the base being pretty damn good never hurts I haven't had the regular BA B.O.R.I.S. in long time but this is an astonishingly good beer seek it out!
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look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: I poured soft so almost no head but my second pour I was aggressive and the small head that did appear was mocha in appearance
S: Like soft bourbon no head snapping bourbon very vanilla smelling
T: this is where this crushes it has the soft notes of bourbon but with a very roasted, sweet, chocolate with no harsh booze taste although you can taste it in the background the vanilla smoothness of the bourbon shines through, with notes of oak and very little if any heat
M: Great texture you get the fullness you expect from a ba stout but I was expecting more of a residual thickness booze but it doesn't cling much
O: Insanely great BA beer the base being pretty damn good never hurts I haven't had the regular BA B.O.R.I.S. in long time but this is an astonishingly good beer seek it out!
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4.14/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Unbelievably perfect-looking stout: solid, deep and dark black, topped with a solid dark brown head with fantastic retention.
Bourbon notes are fairly subtle on the aroma, with coffee and roasted barley taking front and center.
Flavor has a similar bourbon strength - which is to say, relatively mild - which grows as the beer warms (including vanilla). Noticeable slightly sour oak heat throughout. Chocolate is more prevalent than coffee on the palate.
Lovely thick feel overall; more thick than most BBA stouts. Long finish; extremely minor alcohol heat.
This is an excellent and remarkably understated BBA stout. It falls well short of the standard established by GI, and I would put it noticeably below FW's offerings, but it's extremely tasty and well done across the board, and below 10% ABV to boot!
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look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Unbelievably perfect-looking stout: solid, deep and dark black, topped with a solid dark brown head with fantastic retention.
Bourbon notes are fairly subtle on the aroma, with coffee and roasted barley taking front and center.
Flavor has a similar bourbon strength - which is to say, relatively mild - which grows as the beer warms (including vanilla). Noticeable slightly sour oak heat throughout. Chocolate is more prevalent than coffee on the palate.
Lovely thick feel overall; more thick than most BBA stouts. Long finish; extremely minor alcohol heat.
This is an excellent and remarkably understated BBA stout. It falls well short of the standard established by GI, and I would put it noticeably below FW's offerings, but it's extremely tasty and well done across the board, and below 10% ABV to boot!
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4.15/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A big thanks to Jeff for this one. 22oz. bottle into a Founders snifter. Shared with schen9303.
Pours big and bold like motor oil. Pitch black with just a thin wisp of cocoa colored head floating atop the brew. Lacing is spotty and stringy with moderate stick. Huge, oily legs coat the glass. Menacing!
Nose is chocolate, coffee, fudge, vanilla, dark fruit, sweet soy sauce and roast all swimming in a sea of booze. A bit hot though still pretty complex.
Opens chocolate, cocoa powder, dark fruit and roasted malt. Sweet fudge, soy sauce and booze in the middle with hints of dark fruit, coffee, leather, tobacco and oak at the finish. Ends hot and boozy with a sweet, sticky aftertaste. Heavy and enticing.
Full bodied with low carbonation. Smooth, slick and oily in the mouth and hot and heavy going down. Finishes messy with a relatively clean aftertaste that nevertheless coats the palate. Very rich.
BORIS has always been a huge beer and this version is no different. Big and bold from the look to the taste to the feel, if you want something that embodies the imperial stout style, look no further!
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look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A big thanks to Jeff for this one. 22oz. bottle into a Founders snifter. Shared with schen9303.
Pours big and bold like motor oil. Pitch black with just a thin wisp of cocoa colored head floating atop the brew. Lacing is spotty and stringy with moderate stick. Huge, oily legs coat the glass. Menacing!
Nose is chocolate, coffee, fudge, vanilla, dark fruit, sweet soy sauce and roast all swimming in a sea of booze. A bit hot though still pretty complex.
Opens chocolate, cocoa powder, dark fruit and roasted malt. Sweet fudge, soy sauce and booze in the middle with hints of dark fruit, coffee, leather, tobacco and oak at the finish. Ends hot and boozy with a sweet, sticky aftertaste. Heavy and enticing.
Full bodied with low carbonation. Smooth, slick and oily in the mouth and hot and heavy going down. Finishes messy with a relatively clean aftertaste that nevertheless coats the palate. Very rich.
BORIS has always been a huge beer and this version is no different. Big and bold from the look to the taste to the feel, if you want something that embodies the imperial stout style, look no further!
1,110 characters
3.95/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.
Appearance - Black with some edge transparency. Still stains the glass. Medium khaki collar.
Smell - Lots of bourbon. A little nutty. Oaky. Some coffee roasted malt.
Taste - Straight bourbon. Sharp boozy liquor flavor. More chocolate. Bitter and oaky in the finish.
Mouthfeel - Boozy. Medium heavy. Not as rich as I'd like.
Overall - Lots of barrel and liquor. A far cry from regular BORIS, but good.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.
Appearance - Black with some edge transparency. Still stains the glass. Medium khaki collar.
Smell - Lots of bourbon. A little nutty. Oaky. Some coffee roasted malt.
Taste - Straight bourbon. Sharp boozy liquor flavor. More chocolate. Bitter and oaky in the finish.
Mouthfeel - Boozy. Medium heavy. Not as rich as I'd like.
Overall - Lots of barrel and liquor. A far cry from regular BORIS, but good.
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B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink - Barrel-Aged from Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Beer rating:
4.35 out of
5 with
310 ratings
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