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

 

Best by 2/9/26

Mint and chocolate seems to be an odd combination of adjuncts for this RIS, but I’m excited to see where they go with it regardless. You don’t see too many mint Stouts and they’re quite hit or miss, but hopefully Hoppin’ Frog nailed down the formula. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours completely pitch black with a finger of creamy dark tan head that slowly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose isn’t all that expressive but it’s fine for what it is. I’m picking up on aromas of milk chocolate, mint creme, vanilla, burnt caramel, brown sugar, light raisin, and molasses

There’s really not too much more going on in taste unfortunately. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, mint, burnt caramel, brown sugar, light molasses, and vanilla. The swallow brings notes of earthy mint, milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, molasses, and vanilla

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a thin beer. Finishes neutral and a bit watery

I don’t hate this, but it’s definitely somewhat bland, which is surprising given the base beer

2023-12-01
16oz can served in a little Hoppin' Frog glass. Best by Feb 20 2026. Got it from @ozzylizard in NBS BIF #17.

Pours pitch black, looks still on the pour, eventually a fairly thick dark ring emerges. Smell is thin mint with a sharpness to it, almost a menthol. Dark chocolate.

Taste is right along that slightly-sharp thin mint profile, with a hefty kick of dark chocolate bitterness. Powerful sweet and bitter components.

Mouthfeel is thick and silky. Overall, very interesting and good beer.

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of mint chocolate chip, toffee, caramel and molasses. Nice chocolate mint taste with coffee, molasses and toffee.

Evolutions of B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Mint Chocolate Chip from Hoppin’ Frog, 16 oz can. Picked up at brewery 22/03/23. Reviewed 07/04/23 (Review 3067. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on can bottom “BEST BY FEB 20 2026”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 55.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 58.2 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, shows a translucent red amber at the thinnest edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.7 cm, aggressive center pour), earth yellow, high density, receding to a partial crown with a maximum thickness of 0.2 cm and a one cm diameter centered island.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.25 – Very weak artificial mint. No malt, no yeast, no hops. No ethanol (9.4 % ABV as marked on can) aroma.
Flavor – 3.25 – A bit odd, begins with bitter mint. Initially no hops, malt, or yeast; light chocolate. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium; creamy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 The coloration of the head and body raises this to an above-average appearance, at least in my eye. It all goes downhill from the appearance. Very weak mint aroma when it comes from the reefer; this nearly disappears as it warms. Chocolate is cloying and tends to phase shift in and out. The palate is typical B.O.R.I.S. In general, this is an inferior iteration of B.O.R.I.S. – I’d call it a devolution.

 

8 ball black with a short head of compacted dark tan bubbles that fizzle out to a thin ring.

The mint is potent! It's got a sharpness to it like peppermint essential oil, and it dominates over everything else. This results in a thinner and crisper BORIS than I ever thought he would or could be made to be. It's almost got an acidic feel in the semi-dry finish, even with a bit of an acrid or vegetal exhale. While the chocolate and roast are there, they're much fainter than you'd imagine.

This is the Evolutions variant that I had the highest hopes for so far, but again it seems the artificial flavorings strike again, sadly making this my least favorite. I've had a couple of mint chocolate beers that were absolutely delicious, but this one just can't compete. If only they'd do BORIS justice and use whole, natural ingredients.

As it stands, this is Toothpaste BORIS.