T.O.R.I.S. The Tyrant - Barrel-Aged
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Poured from a pint can bought at the brewery. The body pours an oil with almost no head. No lacing throughout.

Nose and taste feature a heavy bourbon with notes of bourbon, chocolate, bourbon, and more bourbon. A malty char is there, available as the pour warms.

Mouthfeel is heavy with a bourbon sweetness that approaches cloying but does not get there for me. YMMV. Carbonation is present but minimal.

Overall a spectacular beer for fans of bourbon barrel aged stout.

 

 

BBA Toris the Tyrant from Hoppin’ Frog. Picked up at the brewery on 08/04/22, $ 11.73 (Including tax)/16 oz can ($ 0.733/oz). Stored at 40 degrees after receiving. Reviewed 28/05/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “BEST BY JAN 12 2025”. Served at 61.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried imperial pint. Final temperature 65.3 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Black (SRM 40), opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.3 cm, aggressive center pour), initially chocolate but quickly fading to brown sugar, high density, average retention, rapidly diminishing to a 0.2 cm crown and a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – None – as expected at 13.8 ABV
Aroma – 4.25 – Baker’s chocolate and a bit of char. No yeast, no hops.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with bitter chocolate followed by bourbon. No yeast, no hops. No ethanol (13.8 % ABV as marked on label) taste or aroma. Immediate gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends less bitter with distinct bourbon on the exhale.
Palate – 4.25– Full, creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 WOW!

Somehow I’ve managed to avoid the base beer so we’ll go straight to dunking it in the barrel like a malty Oreo. 16 oz. can on my favorite weekday, Wednesday.

Black & inky. Only a hard pour gives it any ‘fro at all & it lasts about as long as Top Chef when I turn the TV on. Smells like mash day with a glass of bourbon at the nose & chocolate on your fingers. Like.

T.O.R.I.S. The Tyrant successfully cleared all the phlegm I didn’t know I had clear down into my belly. Holy heat, Uhtred, this tastes like it has twice the alcohol the label boasts. Once I’ve hidden my keys I return to find hard whiskey, booze-soaked cocoa, & enough malts to make the brewer of Black Tuesday blush in embarrassment. Secondarily is roast & something thick & mucousy which I’d guess is the oatmeal. I could drink plenty of this. Wouldn’t remember it, but hey, memories are overrated.

I might feel like hell tomorrow but I’ll sleep like a (drugged) baby tonight. A very good beer that would jump a notch if not for having a literal shot of whiskey in the can…never thought there could be too much.

 

Poured at 57°. Fizzy reddish tan head that vanished immediately leaving no cap retention, ring nor lace; body is black as coal with a thin ruby edge when held up to the light; thick legs sheet the glass on swirl. Bourbon and chocolate nose; boozy exhale. Taste follows - lots of hot chocolate laced with generous bourbon shots; bittersweet baker’s chocolate; dark fruit - cherry, plum, fig; bitter roast/ toasted/burnt pumpernickel bread; sweet bourbon finish. Thick heavy minus body; almost chewy smooth feel; alcohol burn on tongue; face warming heat from 13.8% abv; light carbonation. Overall, a World Class BBA RIS!; boozy chocolate bourbon balls with bitter roast counterpunches; great feel/great taste; can’t wait to drink again.

 

 

 

 

10/19/20 bottle @ home

 

Bomber from Tavour. Near black pour, tiny ring of beige head. Big boozy aroma, sweet, roasty. Taste begins with booze, chocolate, brown sugar, roadt malts. Burn continues all the way through to the finish. Lingering dark chocolate flavors.

Tavour purchase. 22 oz bottle, poured June 19th, 2020. Shared with my wife. :)
A nice, dark, "thick" pour. Bourbon stands out in aroma has I hold it to my nose, as does oaky, chocolaty, malt notes.
The taste is wonderful: bourbon stands out but doesn't overpower the other flavors. Oaky, chocolaty, vanilla, molasses (?) stand out as well. Medium carbonation, leaves a pleasant taste on the palate afterwards. Glad I have a second to enjoy, because this is definitely an outstanding stout.

 

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Had 5/31/19.

Pours a very dark brown, definitely opaque, with a short head and some spotty cling. Aromas of bourbon, dark roast malt, char, molasses, chocolate, cocoa, oak, raisins, some caramel, light figs and prunes, some smoke. Smells great. The flavor is similar, and just as great- bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, cocoa, molasses, raisins, some caramel and prunes, char, light vanilla. Very smooth, a great full body, well carbonated.

The bourbon escalates the already great base beer, lots of aromas and flavors, as roasty as you want an RIS to be. Very enjoyable and well worth a purchase.

 

 

 

 

A - Pours a motor oil black with a one finger brown head. Light soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is dark chocolate, vanilla and bourbon.

T - The taste is dark chocolate, espresso, roasted malts, molasses, vanilla, oak and bourbon.

M - Full body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - This is a huge BA stout. Tons of dark roasty flavors with a good amount of bourbon heat in the finish.

22 oz bottle from debierliefhebber.nl enjoyed at home. Pours a pitch black colour with a dark brown head that has a small layer retention. Aroma's are dark chocolate, bourbon, bonbons, vanilla, slightly alcoholic. Retronasal it's roasted malts, dark chocolate, a bit alcohol, light toffee. Flavour is roasted moderate bitter and moderate sweet. Strong alcohol feel, warming the mouth and throat for a long time. A bit too hot actually. Full bodied. Long finish with roast, moderate bitter. Good stuff, despite the alcohol heat.

 

Sent in a NBS BIF ninja from ozzylizzard

Look: pitch black with a dark brown head. Good lacing throughout.

Smell: great mix of oak, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and hints of caramel.

Taste: follows the nose with a great blend of everything. The barrel is really helping balance the strength of the base beer.

Feel: full-bodied and creamy. Nice dry finish.

Overall: just a really done BA oatmeal stout.

 

Serving: Bottle
No date (Consumed May-14)


A:
It pours about as thick and black as could be with barely a suggestion of head. No retention; no lacing. (3.5)

S:
Thick cocoa and dark fruits aroma with molasses, vanillins, roast nuts, coffee, bourbon sweetness and rye-like zip. (4.25)

T:
Chocolate-covered figs, cognac, espresso cream, cherries, sweet-spice combo from the barrel, baker's chocolate, general roast/alcohol bite. (4.5)

M:
Big bodied, a little thin though, prickly carbonation, lingering warmth and whiskey spiciness. (3.75)

O:
At once very nice and very disjointed.
This is a behemoth, no doubt about it. It pours pretty crappy looking. The aroma is immediately sticky and unctuous with dried dark fruits and chocolate, coffee acridness and general big roast character. The flavor is along the same lines. Big barrel character, chocolate and coffee notes, some highlights and sweet-tart cherry flavor and a fairly boozy finish. It is a monster to drink and I feel like the carbonation is a little much for as big as it is, but the beer on the whole and the feel in particular kind of smooth out as it warms. On the whole this is a decent beer. It is great in some ways and left me wanting in others. I guess that after a certain point with the Boris beers they have to get a bit out of whack since they are damn substantial to begin with. If this was a little smoother, more balanced and looked better it would be another home run in my book. I do want to note here that I served it at 50º and it consistently mellowed, richified and generally improved as it got closer to room temp. As with the others, don't be afraid to drink it practically warm. It was not my favorite of the BORIS beers but it is definitely a nice beer that is worth looking for. As it is, though, it is "just" very good. These are all nice beers and this one just happens to be the most tyrannical I guess. (4.25)

Jet black body; head is thin and fizzy. Excellent blends of whiskey, baker's chocolate, charred grain and oats in the aroma. The taste is rich and dark, highlighting notes of cocoa and chocolate chip cookies; definite whiskey flavor; bitter; faint hint of dates. Heavy body; thick and chewy; definite alcohol warmth burning through the residual sugars.

Like a previous reviewer, I wasn't sure whether to review this beer here or create a new listing. But, since the base beer is barrel-aged T.O.R.I.S and the ABV are the same, I guess this is the best spot for it. In this case, this version is "Rocky Mountain Barrel Aged" T.O.R.I.S. The label does state this beer is "(a)ged in very special Colorado whiskey barrels..." and is a "...rare version...". Without a doubt, this is one powerful and tasty dark beer, rich and complex, with a distinct barrel aged whiskey kick. Good stuff...

 

Not sure if this beer belongs here, but I will put here for now. Most of what I have tried from Hoppin Frog have been quaffable beer. This monster of a beer is Rocky Mountain Barrel Aged with high alcohol content. The beer is 54 degrees and served in a tulip glass. The pour on the beer produced a one finger dark tan head with decent retention. The beer's head dissipated somewhat slowly. The head was creamy and foamy and left no lacing on the glass. The color of the beer SRM 38 dark brown nearly black and opaque.

The aromas of the beer are caramel, dark roasted malts, figs, dark stone fruit, coffee, chocolate, wood, cinnamon, molasses, brown sugar, toasted sugar, earthy, grassy, floral, cereal grains, Maillard, alcohol, whiskey, anise, bready, and resin.

The flavors in the beer are bready, loads of oatmeal, caramel, toffee, dark roasted coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, oak, molasses, earthy, grassy, floral, smokiness, alcohol, tobacco, leather, whiskey, dark stone fruit, cinnamon, orange, char, dark roasted malts, and raisin.

The mouthfeel is creamy, intense, and coating.

The body of the beer is full, low carbonation, and a full finish.

This beer is incredible. As the beer rises past 60 degrees, the characteristics in the beer come alive. The beer is velvety, creamy, luscious and very intense. The alcohol in the beer is hidden. I am blown away by the complexity of this beer. I thought that it was overkill but give me this beer any day.

 

 

 

look: lush dark brown with a dark mocha head. Nearly opaque. Messy lacing with an oily sheen.
smell: Rich with dark fruits, vanilla, bourbon, and dark chocolate.
taste: much like the nose. Some sweetness up front countered by a dry char bitterness in the finish.

 

Taste: Intense, massive dark malt, barrel woody notes, bittersweet coca, vanilla, dark fruit, warming finish. Complex, robust barrel oak, malty bold boozy nose. Black/Brown, opaque, no head just a "wine film on the snifter glass. Heavy full body. Match up to 3Floyd's Dark Lord R.I.S.

22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky dark brown head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal ring of lace eventually. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, fudge, licorice, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, nuts, and dark bread; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness. Increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not too overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, fudge, licorice, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, nuts, and dark bread; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness. Light pine/herbal hop, roast/char bitterness; and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, fudge, licorice, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, dark fruits, nuts, dark bread, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/char bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness, and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/slick, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Lightly increasing warmth of 13.8%, with mild barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Russian imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, bourbon barrels, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/tannic/drying finish. Amazing balance of super rich malt complexity, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with nice earthy hop presence. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Did not prefer it over the base beer, definitely more boozy. More mellowed out on the hop/char bitterness from barrel aging, but still retains a good amount of drying hop character overall. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing spot on style example as expected.

Big boozy aroma, this beer pours black with a thin dark brown head. This is a big beast of a beer, lots of roast and dark fruit notes as well as some vanilla and oak. There's more then a touch of alcohol heat here as well, with some real warming going through the chest after a swallow. The finish is full of roast and chocolate notes, with a little bit of toffee. This is definitely a sipping beer for a winter night. Full bodied, slick mouthfeel, and mild carbonation make it a bit heavy.

Very boozy. Very awesome. I cannot wait to open the bottle.