Frosted Frog Christmas Ale - Barrel-Aged
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Frosted Frog Christmas Ale - Barrel-AgedFrosted Frog Christmas Ale - Barrel-Aged
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From:
Hoppin' Frog Brewery
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
Winter Warmer
Ranked #35
ABV:
8.6%
Score:
87
Ranked #16,417
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 13.4%
Reviews:
46
Ratings:
184
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 28, 2024
Added:
Dec 04, 2010
Wants:
  24
Gots:
  44
The essence of Christmas is captured in this very bottle. Perfectly blended spices compliment Frosted Frog’s rich malt flavors, creating the ultimate Christmas experience. Celebrate the holidays as you savor this very special seasonal offering.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by superspak:
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.97/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, 2012 bottling. Pours fairly clear deep red amber color with a 1 finger foamy off white head with good retention, that reduces to ring of lace that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of caramel, raisin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bourbon, toast, light oak, and light herbal. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of malt, spices, and barrel notes. Taste of raisin, caramel, brown sugar, toast, cinnamon, bourbon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, light oak, and herbal. Lingering notes of dark fruit, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, bourbon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and herbal on the finish for a good bit. Very nice flavor balance and complexity of malt/spice/barrel notes; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a slick and fairly creamy mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice Christmas ale. Great balance and complexity of malt and spice flavors with moderate barrel character; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.
Jan 31, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.32 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Feb 28, 2024
 
Rated: 3.79 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jan 18, 2024
 
Rated: 3.29 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Dec 15, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by Abe_Froman from Massachusetts

Nov 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.2 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Apr 03, 2022
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the tall boy can in a snifter. This solid Christmas brew pours a
muddled and murky red tinged brown color with a decent head of off
white foam that subsides to a thick ring, thin light veil, and shows some light
lacing. Nose of cinnamon, baked apple, nutmeg, subtle bourbon, faint
vanilla, and caramel malts. Flavors hit the mark with caramel
apple---baked, vanilla, oak, cinnamon (on the medium heavy side),
nutmeg, butterscotch, brown sugars, and subtle pine touched hops
over medium light layers of bourbon. Nice mouth feel; medium light
body, low carbonation, and a herb spiced finish that is moderately sweet,
warming, and lightly dry.

Overall---a solid offering!

Cheers
Feb 04, 2022
Photo of mschrei
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Murky brown/ruby hues, quickly dissipating head. Smells of caramel, malt, and spices. Tastes of apple, dark fruit, caramel, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, and barrel. Medium bodied, slightly thick, definite booze presence. Slightly better than the regular version, a boozier kind of winter warmer.

Edit 12/19/22: Upped taste and feel to 4.5. Doing a side by side with Great Lakes Christmas Ale, and I like this one more, as it has more depth and flavor. Enjoyable.
Dec 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4.22 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Dec 20, 2021
 
Rated: 3.89 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Jul 24, 2021
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.66/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bomber from Tavour. Dark brown, a few bubbles then flat. Savory winter spice aroma, gingerbread. Taste adds a hint of chocolate, more winter spice, and just a hint of barrel.
Jun 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4.24 by paulish from New York

Mar 09, 2021
Photo of Captain69
Reviewed by Captain69 from Illinois

4.41/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
great bourbon flavor added to their already great christmas beer - malt slightly sweet / just had their 2021-2022 relrase believe last year had more flavor - still a great winter beer
Jan 04, 2021
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.36/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Slightly foggy brick red to brown with a short khaki head that fizzles out to a thin chain. After it settles out, the body clears up to a gem-like chestnut amber.

While I'm not a huge fan of the style, for one of the more heavily spiced Christmas ales out there, this is certainly up there with some of the best.

Incredibly intense cinnamon expresses heavily on the nose, as though fresh ground, yet also somewhat Cinnamon Toast Crunch-like. Baked apple and pie crust blooms as it warms.

On the palate, cinnamon again dominates, but more in flavor as opposed to spiciness. This is tempered by a bit of toasty caramelized malt that adds a touch of molasses and gingersnap. The most impressive part comes next in that the vanilla character from the barrel contributes more here than possibly any other BA HoFro I've had.

The medium body is softly round with a moderately delicate froth, finishing pleasantly dry, exhaling a touch of gingerbread.
Dec 12, 2020
Photo of SBell96
Reviewed by SBell96 from Maryland

4.89/5  rDev +26%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Just purchased a bomber from my local craft beer store. I am certain that this is a 2018 season bottle. That means this is 20 months old.

Look is mostly light brown (slightly darker than brown sugar) with a red tint and orange around the rim of the beer.

Smell includes burnt sugar, candied yams, faint banana, a bit of fig, cinnamon, nutmeg, and faint vanilla.

Taste is similar to smell. Definitely burnt sugar (almost like charred marshmallow) sweet potato pie, dark/sweet fruit. With cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla sweetness at the end.

Feel is somewhat chewy but light. Easy to taste and swallow. Mouth and tounge is immediately awakened by the flavor. It doesn't hesitate. Everything that's there is introduced immediately. The sweetness encourages gulping. Even if you do you still get a full flavor profile. Lingering presents faint licorice and other flavors better ignored by a quick sip.

Overall, this is a fantastic spiced ale. Holidays are definitely emphasized in this one. To me, with the sweet potato pie flavor, it could easily fit into the Thanksgiving or Christmas Ale categories.

Side note: Can't remember the last time I drank the original. Nevertheless the barrel profile is not present unless I'm missing it. However, the enhancement of each flavor is definitely worth purchasing the barrel aged.
Jul 28, 2020
 
Rated: 3.92 by BeerBeast from Florida

May 28, 2020
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

3.51/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
I received this beer about three months back. Since the world is going apeshit, I figured I would relax and sip. The beer is 44 degrees and served in a chalice. The pour of the beer produced a one fingered light tan head. The retention of the head is poor. The head left no lacing on glass. The color of the beer is a rusty orange. The clarity of the beer is hazy. I have not had the original Frosted Frog. The appearance of the beer is good sad to see the poor head retention.

The initial aromas in the beer are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, oranges, toffee, caramel, burnt sugar, and candied apples. Next, I smell wood, earthiness, biscuit, malty sweetness, ginger, and banana.

The flavors in the beer are ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, oranges, toffee, caramel, burnt sugar, candied fruit, earthiness, banana, cloves, bread, and phenolic.

The mouthfeel of the beer is chewy, warming, and spicy.

The body of the beer is medium-plus, medium carbonation, and a full finish.

The barrel aged in the beer does not come through in the taste. I was expecting a nice barrel aged beer and I did not get that. The beer is heavy with ginger and cinnamon. I wonder if those flavor hid the barrel notes. I feel the beer is not as balance as many of the offering provided from Hoppin Frog. This one is my least favorite from this brewery so far.
Mar 20, 2020
Photo of Eamonn-Cummings3
Reviewed by Eamonn-Cummings3 from New York

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Speiglau BA glass.

Look is a hazy brown with little to no head.

Aroma is strong spice with not much battle.

Taste is strong spice with only a hint of barrel.
Jan 03, 2020
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

3.99/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle - no date. Opened 12-25-19.
1/4" off white head with short retention, settles in quickly as a ring and island scenario. Murky brown/orange ale.
Big potpourri aroma of all the spices -- ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. Caramel apple. Cinnamon shines brightest early. Big Red gum. Some barrel in the nose but the spices are the star of the show here.
Chewy malt and lots of cinnamon. Ginger is apparent as well.
Full body, low end on carbonation but enough for this beer. Long, spicy finish. The barrel never really steps forward - that doesn't detract for the beer overall.
Good - very spice forward Christmas ale / Winter Warmer.
Dec 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.94 by user785335 from Florida

Dec 24, 2019
Frosted Frog Christmas Ale - Barrel-Aged from Hoppin' Frog Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 184 ratings