Cinnamon Dream
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

 

 

Got in a BIF from Ozzylizard. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 3/9/2025. Pours hazy very dark ruby/brown color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with great retention and spotty soapy lacing on the glass for the ABV. Aromas of big cinnamon, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, nuts, light molasses/cocoa/melanoidin character, and yeast earthiness. Taste follows with cinnamon, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread/crust, nuts; light molasses, cocoa, coffee, melanoidin character, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/grassy bitterness and cinnamon spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy/bready malts and some sticky spice/hops in the mouthfeel. Lingering sticky spice dryness after the finish, with no cloying/astringent flavors. Light increasing warmth of 9.4% after the finish. Very smooth sipper for the big ABV. Great balance of all flavors, and it aged great on the spice presence. Great brown ale malt complexity. No complaints.

2023-05-07
16oz can split between a pair of WABL sample glasses. Can is dated MAR 09 2025. @Ozzylizard sent it to me in NBS BIF #17.

Pours a dark brown, not hazy, small head. Smell is cinnamon, cinnamon, a ghost of chocolate, and more cinnamon.

Taste is cinnamon bitterness first off, like cinnamon bark, without much sweetness to balance it. I get a little bit of the cinnamon spiciness after a bit. A nutty sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, spiciness actually gives it a bit of a carbonated feel. Overall...it's not bad, but it's way too much cinnamon for me.

Cinnamon Dream from Hoppin’ Frog Brewing. On room temperature shelf at Franklin beer, Franklin, PA, 17/12/21. Stored at 40 degrees at home. Reviewed 10/06/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom of can “BEST BY MAR 29 2021”. Served at 43.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 53.7 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), translucent.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. When rear-lite, light penetrates to bring out the true ruby color.
Head – Small (Maximum 1.7 cm, aggressive center pour), almond, medium density, short retention, diminishing to broken pieces of a one mm bubble ring fed by effervescence and several tiny rafts of bubbles.
Lacing – None
Aroma – 4 – Distinct cinnamon from at least a 30 cm away. No malt, no yeast, no hops.
Flavor – 4.25 – Cinnamon predominates with roasted malt and a hint of chocolate following. No yeast, no hops. Neither sweet nor bitter, just very neutral. No ethanol (9.4 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Immediate gastric warming occurs and pushes the upper bounds of comfort, synergy between ethanol and cinnamon. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, almost creamy, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 I have to admit that cinnamon is my favorite spice so any brew where I can smell and taste it is good in my book. It’s a cinnamon ale and it’s brown – does that make it a brown ale? I lean toward a spiced ale/winter warmer.

 

Muddled dark brown with red edges and a thin tan chain of carbonation around the surface.

The nose explodes with really dusty cinnamon far in front of a touch of apple. These aromas are met with flavors of toast and nuts on the palate, but it's totally dominated by cinnamon, while notes of tree bark and a touch of dried fruits try to fight through.

The medium body has a bubbling froth before a semi-dry, sticky finish.

I'm not sure what the intent was, but it wouldn't be a stretch to call this a Christmas Ale--it's a lot like a Brown ale version of Frosted Frog.