Evolutions of B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher - Chocolate Covered Strawberry
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

 

 

From the 12 oz can in a snifter via Bluejacket74---Cheers Dude!
This interesting pastry brew pours a dark blackish brown with
a very nice head of khaki foam that settles to a thick ring, thin
dusty layer, and sports some nice lacing. Nose of dark cocoa, strawberry,
char, brulee, and heavy caramel. with ample coffee and cream. Flavors
surpass the nose with char, brulee, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, rich caramel,
strawberry, and cream with subtle dark fruit notes. Nice mouthfeel;
medium full body, smooth, coating, light carbonation, and a sweet
bitter malt finish.

Overall, a solid addition to the brewers repertoire.

Cheers

12 ounce can, best by FEB 4 2024 printed on the bottom of the can. Served in a Hoppin' Frog snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head that stuck around a little while. Decent amount of lacing. As soon as I opened the can I noticed the strawberry right away. There's also chocolate, roasted malt and earthiness noticeable too. Taste is similar to the aroma, with strawberry, strawberry jam/syrup, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and earthy flavors. I think the strawberry and chocolate stands out here compared to the other flavors. It's sweet tasting but not overpoweringly so. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit coating and creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. Easy enough to drink. I thought this was a good dessert stout, it's a nice spin on BORIS. Worth a try if you get the chance!

 

8 ball black with a head that suddenly fills in reverse cascades to a tall, very dense dark tan foam. This very slowly collapses in fits and starts to a thick collar.

As the medium body starts off quite fluffy, the strawberry becomes immediately apparent, in that gooey sort of gummy character that's maybe a little wild and jammy too. Then the chocolatey but still earthy, nutty roast of BORIS comes in to balance the experience, adding a little tobacco and char. If it stopped there, that'd be great, but it does veer back into a sort of sharp strawberry syrup before airing out to a dry finish.

At this point, it's actually reminding me more of IHOP waffles with strawberry syrup than chocolate covered strawberry. With a couple more sips, I'm getting a distinct flavor of that somewhat artificially flavored coffee bean note that I've gotten in a few of their other "pastry" cans, like Coconut Cream Pie. It's unfortunately got a little of that bitter acrid char that's a little medicinal, and even has a hint of buttered popcorn. However, this is a minimal marring of an otherwise enjoyable brew. I just wish they would consider flavoring their canned stouts more naturally like they have with their more limited bombers, which they knock out of the park.