Barrel-Aged Karminator
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged Karminator Imperial Dopplebock Lager
Poured into a clean, clear glass from the 16 oz. can that I bought about 18 months ago from the Brewery in Akron.
Stamped on the bottom: BEST BY May 18th 2025 # difficult to read but it might be 516 (?)
ABV 9.3%
This is a live review (meaning I drank and reviewed it just before posting the review).
A: Brief light brown head of about 1 inch after a moderately vigorous poor dissipated within 30 seconds to only a trace amount (top of liquid was really quite clean after that time). Medium dark amber/brown body which lets light through but it is certainly dark. Good look. 4.0
S: Medium to dark roast malt, dark fruits with a sense of Whiskey but it is not in the front of the smell. 4.0
T: Wonderful dark fruit (raisins, dates) goodness and, much like the smell I don’t pick up too much Whiskey in the taste until the latter 1/3 of the taste. Dopplebock by itself is a “big” beer but the barrel aged quality of this ramps that up possibly even more. 4.0
M/O: Mouthfeel/Overall: Certainly some syrupy sweetness in the feel but it is more thin that I might have guessed. Ya know it is a lager so maybe my “guess” was off target anyway. Well the light syrupy sweet feel lingers for a while but it is MUCH thinner than, say, BA BORIS (a barrel aged American Stout from the same brewery) but overall it is quite good. 4.5

Pitch brown murky body with an off-white cap that is gone in an instant. Deep whiskey soaked doppel malts with dark fruit and earth backed by dark oak nose, a vision of what this was meant to be. Taste is very whiskey forward, wow, smoky too and not in a good way, dried dark fruit blast is shot lived, then smoked out earth and malt. Feel is thin and leans syrupy, not hot shockingly, but no barrel character.

Pour from a pint can purchased at the brewery. Body is a medium to dark brown. Not much head or lacing during the tasting.

As expected by style, the beer is a glorious example of barley and malty goodness. Sweet caramel and toffee notes may push this one into the too sweet category for some folks. Not me. The whiskey barrel, present but not harsh, meshes well with the other sweeter ingredients; a good call as a bourbon barrel may have yield too sweet a product.

Nose is sweet caramel and barley with a touch of whiskey.

Mouthfeel is very good and true to the doppelbock-lager style and makes this one an easy drinker. Only the ABV may slow you down.

Delightful beer. Highly recommended.

 

 

16oz can from Tavour. Dark brown pour, a few bubbles, then flat. Aroma is sweet, nutty, woody, boozy. Taste is raisins, currants, brown sugar, light whiskey notes. Feels pretty strong at 9.3%.

Just short of mahogany, this dark brown lager builds a short tan head that disperses to a thin curled ring.

The barrel seems to bring out darker, breadier, and toastier notes while subduing some of the base's sweet sharpness. Room has somehow been made to allow more expression of pumpernickel and Brazil nut with a surprisingly dry swallow and a more mature exhale.

That said, I don't really taste any barrel characteristics, per se, and there isn't even an increased level of heat, but it's somehow substantially better than an already enjoyable base. I even enjoy it more than I remember of the old port barrel aged version, which was a darling of mine for at time.

The medium body's firm carbonation provides an immensely satisfying texture.