Sippin' Outta Sight
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Perhaps recklessly, two 8.45 fluid ounce cans have been emptied into a clear Imperial pint glass, nearly filling it. The head was modest, darkly tan and short-lived, so it worked. This is quite aromatic. There's plenty of dark chocolate and richly sweet cherry to stand up to any roasted malt and hopping. The vanilla isn't as pronounced. It probably just accents the chocolate and cherry flavors. The liquid is black coffee brown, almost just black. The taste is richly dark chocolate and cherry and it hides a significant amount of alcohol very well. The tongue doesn't notice the high ABV, but the esophagus certainly does. This is warming from the back of the mouth to the stomach. The body is rich and as smooth as it could possibly be. Meant for sipping, an occasional gulp really didn't hurt at all and that's scary. As with almost all high octane brews, the head didn't last and there was no glass lacing. It's a remarkably good flavored Imperial Stout, especially if you like chocolate covered cherries. Maybe it's better sipped, but it's so tasty and smooth, that approach may quickly be forgotten. This is truly among the best brews that bring over a 12% ABV you'll have. There will be no cracking open of a third can tonight.

Poured from an 8.45 oz can. I don't think I've had a smaller beer since I crushed some Little Kings the summer of 1985.

This one comes in at 12.6%. I'd like to thank the lawmakers of Ohio for dropping the ABV restrictions on beer.

There's a lot going on here, including a lot of medicinal cherry backed with coffee and a very slight alcohol aftertaste. We're definitely getting caught up with "can we do it that we neglected to ask if we should do it," but Hoppin' like its stouts and I wouldn't dream of saying anything that would change that in any way. You go, guys! Raise that monstrosity into the rafters, pull those switches, call for the lightning. It's alive! It's alive!

 

 

Bottled August 2018; drank 4/21/19 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A violent pour yielded a nice dark tan head; decent lace.

Luden's cough drop, vanilla & sweet milk chocolate notes in the nose. VERY sweet...

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Strawberry, milk chocolate & cream candy flavors up front; mild booze heat on the finish.

Way too sweet & a touch too boozy; bold, but not very good. I've had my last.

12 ounce bottle, 2018 vintage. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. I like the aroma a lot, the brew smells just like a chocolate covered cherry candy with milk chocolate, cherry, vanilla and roasted malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, with milk chocolate, cherry, roasted malt, vanilla, caramel, nutty and dark bready flavors. The cherry seems more artificial than natural to me, but that's not a complaint. It's also a very sweet tasting brew but not overpoweringly sweet. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's coating and smooth with a good amount of carbonation. 13.2% ABV is well hidden here. Overall I liked this one, definitely recommend this for people who like sweeter tasting brews and imperial stouts!

These past few have been good days for me to delve into my stash of RISs & see what's what in Whoville. Ooh, looky here! Another of my many purchases from the Friendly Greek Bottle Shop (FGBS). This'll work!

From the Bottle: "A very special Chocolate Cherry Martini Imperial Stout with heavenly swirls of ripe cherry and sweet vanilla flavors! Along with the savory and satisfying chocolate character of high-grade baker's cocoa, this is one great beer!! Sippin' Outta Sight is a recipe that will stand the test of time, and can be enjoyed for years to come."; "In today's fast-paced world, it's often difficult to find the quality that discriminating people deserve. For those who search for this long lost, undying commitment to the very best, let it be known that one beer will not be compromised - Hoppin' Frog!"; "50 IBU".

I Pop!ped the cap & got to hoppin' with a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. It quickly formed just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-brown head, but with limited retention, quickly falling to wisps. Color was an inky Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose lived up to its name with loads of sweet cherry and milk chocolate wafting up from its depths. Fair dinkum, but where was the bitterness? This reminded me of one of those chocolate-covered cherries from Whitman's. Hmm. Mouthfeel was creamy & silky. The taste was just far too sweet to really be enjoyable. It had a pronounced chocolate-cherry-vanilla flavor, but it was more candy-like than an AIS ought to be. Their verbiage seems to indicate that it can be (& perhaps is meant to be) cellared. I wonder if time might help to mellow some of the intense sweetness. In the interim, just gird yourself for what I can only think of as a dessert beer. Finish remained quite sweet & I felt like I needed some water to help wash it down. Like I said - sweet. REALLY sweet!

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter...and split thank goodness.
This beast pours a rich opaque with a subtle head of tan foam
that settles to a thin ring, subtle dusty pool, and shows some
spotty lacing. Nose of heavy cherry and subtle dark cocoa with
a cordial like note. Flavors follow the cordial summation with
a dark cocoa and cherry cordial note with touches of char and
a hint of smoke with marshmallow and dark breaded notes
mingling with a touch vanilla creme. Nice mouth feel; full body,
smooth, pert near hot and very warming, rich, low carbonation,
and a lightly dry cocoa heavy finish with cherries.

Another excellent brew in the desert category that is
worthy of trying at the end of a long night and splitting
with friends.

Cheers!

Starts off with a heavy cherry aroma, and pours an opaque black with very little light tan head. The cherry flavor is more subdued in the taste, blending with chocolate and vanilla notes. Decently balanced, and not too sweet to get cloying. There's a slick mouthfeel, and very low carbonation. A solid dessert beer.

12 ounce bottle into snifter, 2018 vintage bottling. Pours opaque pitch black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan head with awesome retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge juicy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, almond, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, leather, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of cherries, chocolate, vanilla, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge juicy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, almond, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/peppery hop, roast/char bitterness; and light fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, almond, toasted dark bread, dark fruit, light licorice/smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of cherries, chocolate, vanilla, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great hop/roast bitter/sweet and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly slick/tangy/acidic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Milding increasing warmth of 13.2%, with no booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome fruited dessert style imperial stout! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of cherries, chocolate, vanilla, dark/black/roast/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; with the mellowly bitter/tart/drying finish. Not overly bitter/charred. Outstanding balance of authentic juicy/jammy cherries, chocolate, vanilla, and rich malt complexity; with nice earthy hop balance against sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example.

Matte black with a surface of creamy dark tan swirls and a thin collar.

Smell is really maraschino and cherry cordial forward, evoking that bright red cherry skin, as well as milk chocolate, cherry gummies and a hint of wet vanilla.

Taste is also intensely cherry forward, like gummies on one end, but, due to the alcoholic strength, verging into cough syrup on the other. There's a little dark chocolate and charred roast, but it's very accurately martini-like with a strong booze running through the decadent flavors.

Smooth and slick with a lighter body than your normal Frog brew, it fills out with a slow to build round froth and finishes with a semi-dry heat. It does improve a bit and become a little roastier as it warms, but your old school BORIS lover will probably find this a bit flamboyant.

The extra potency of this beer really sets it off. This could be a serious hit with the chocolate martini lovers of the world, but it's a bit over the top for me.