Port Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S.
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Port Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S. from Hoppin’ Frog. 22 oz bottle picked up at the brewery 24/05/23, $ 12.86 (Including tax)/bottle - $ 0.630/fl oz. Reviewed 04/06/23 (Review 3120). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 55.2 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 59.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.5
First pour – Deep Brown (SRM 30), allows a little light through while pouring.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, still opaque, even at the edges.
Head: Average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive center pour), mahogany lightening to burnt sienna, high density with a rocky top, quickly diminishing to a 0.3 – 0.4 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Heavy roasted malt. No hops, no yeast. No port, no barrels. No ethanol (10.5 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 4 – Begins slightly sweet and chocolate malty, no hops, no yeast. Moderate fruity port on the aftertaste, no barrels. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Medium gastric warming, stable.
Palate – 4.25 – Full; creamy; lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated personal container) Although the fruitiness of the port hangs on, it only compliments the routine tastiness of the D.O.R.I.S. – the roasted malt and oatmeal goodness of the RIS still shines through. There is a little oakiness on the exhale.

Stark glossy black with a dense, flat and level 1.5 finger dark tan blanket slowly settling to a creamy but thin dark brown ring.

This actually comes across as a little smokier than regular DORIS, which is the last thing I’d expect out of a port barrel treatment. However, a nice bit of char also comes out on the exhale, which in short bursts emulates a bit of chocolate dipped toasted marshmallow.

Overall, it's still that solidly bitter, roasty and even piney DORIS experience, with the barrel providing more woodiness, and even some black pepper, than any of the traditional port notes I was craving.

While DORIS is one of my favorite stouts of all time, it just doesn’t work well in barrels. With a reduction of assertive hops, and a little more sweetness, this would obviously be an entirely different experience, which is why I think TORIS has been more successful in its various barrel iterations.