Roasted Barrel-Aged Choco-Marsh Café BORIS
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

22 ounce bottle, no dating that I noticed on the bottle or label. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head that didn't stick around for very long. Small amount of lacing. I like the aroma a lot, the brew smells like milk chocolate, marshmallows, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt and oak. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some caramel, whiskey, and burnt/charred malt flavors. Barrel is noticeable but not strong, although I do think it shows up more in the taste of the beer than it does the aroma. Also, in general the aroma is sweeter compared to the taste. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good overall brew, definitely worth trying if you get the chance to!

At home with Lisa in July 2020. Really good.

 

Glossy black with a short but creamy mocha blanket settling to a curled ridge.

This "Roasted" variant is definitely offering a more caramelized char to it than the original, but it's otherwise right in line with the experience from the first batch released in Sept 2018, which says something both for consistency and also how long and how well these bottles hold up.

It's still fairly chocolatey, but at the same time a little more mature with that charred element. This has me veering a bit away from that Count Chocula descriptor, because it ultimately makes it quite a bit more mature, a little more bitter and boozy. A substantial warmth comes up from the belly on this one, while again the barrel is mostly lacking, it's got a noticeable increase in heat. It's also fairly viscous for a Frog brew, as the round, silky full body's light tingly carbonation comes to a semi-sticky finish.