Big Frank
Columbus Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a white head. In the aroma, orange citrus hop sweetness. In the taste, just as it smells, orange citrus hops, with a small malt back. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry orange citrus hop in the aftertaste. Big, sweet orange citrus, but not acidic at all. No "punch in the face" alcohol. This one could get me in trouble, hence I enjoyed it quite a bit!

 

 

 

This is a Belgian pale ale with attitude! There's an explosion of citrus and peppery notes from several varieties of hops with a good malt base, and there's no mistaking the Belgian yeast character. This beer finishes dry with a pleasant bitterness. My only regret is that I enjoyed just one glass before the tap ran out!

 

 

Aroma: Nice fruity esters- pear and stone fruit. Light floral hop aroma. Soft pils malt character.

Appearance: Cloudy golden colored pour with a sticky off-white cap.

Flavor: Big fruity esters up front. Lots of fresh pear and melon. Firm hop bitterness. Balance is towards the bitterness. Light background pepper and coriander notes. Finish is clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation. Slight alcohol warming on the palate.

Overall impression: A bitter Golden Strong. Nicely done. Alcohol is well hidden. Hops have definitely faded but great beer overall.

2011's version of Big Frank is a totally new reincarnation. New malts, new hops, new yeast.

This time around Big Frank is only a couple shades lighter than the standard IPA, a deep, hazy orange. Its capped off with a lot of sticky, white foam.

The aroma is another area where this shares more similarities with the IPA this year. Lots of grapefruit, orange and pine. The Westmalle yeast is drier, earthier and more out front that the Duvel yeast used in last year's batch. The beer is strongly hoppy, lots of orange rind. The finish is considerably bitter and citrusy but the earthy, chalky yeast lends balance.

A great beer for sure, but I think I enjoyed last year's more.

Happened to se this at Bodega on 6/13 and figured I'd give it a shot. Certainly wasn't disappointed.

Appearance: Slightly cloudy orange color, poured into a pint glass. Good, not exceptional.

Smell: Citrus fruits abound. Orange, pineapple, etc., with good yeast notes as well. A great smelling beer.

Taste: Even better than the smell. Citrus here as well, with a good amount of bitterness. A ton of hops, with a smooth, great finish.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, and the alcohol, which I didn't realize until now, was 8.5%. Could have had a lot of these.

Overall: A great beer which I was lucky to even choose. Will be going back for more, and sooner rather than later.

Served on-tap in a standard pint glass at Bodega 6/8/11. Appears a slightly hazy bright orange color with a nice white head that has good retention and leaves good lacing.

The nose is full of fruitiness, just tons of citrus. Definitely one of the best smelling beers I've ever experienced. Some nice yeasty aromas as well. The taste starts malty sweet, and then the fruitiness takes over. Again lots of citrus and tropical fruits. The end is definitely bitter, and it finishes pretty much perfectly.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied to light bodied, maybe just a touch too thin, but very well carbonated. Overall, a great brew! I was definitely impressed and would have ordered many more pints but wanted to test out some other drinks. I could drink this all day, all the flavors, feels and smells are just right for me.

UPDATE: 2012 release rocks. More citrus and all the Hop goodness i can remember. Nice job CBC. Winking lizard draft, July 13, 2012.

Big Frank 2011 on cask at tapping at Gallos on 6/2/2011.

Damn this thing is a malt, hop, phenol, and ester bomb. Bunch of complexity. Not crazy hopped, but still bitter. Ton of citrus and orange hop character with hints of white pepper from the belgian style yeast. Finishes dry to the bone like any good belgian should. Seasonal, get it fresh, get now!

Many thanks to Ryan011235 for another CBC hookup, this time a growler, poured into a Duvel tulip. (Note- this was consumed fresh back in September '10)

Glowing golden body with a white head that makes up with tenacity and surprising lace-making wizardry what it lacks in volume. The usual CBC tropical goodness- fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, lemon zest, pineapple- combines with the spicy Belgian yeast to make quite an appetizing nose.

Tastes even better than it smells, and dangerously drinkable at 8.5% (what?!?). The Belgian characteristics gain steam with a lingering yeastiness and a steady dose of cloves and bubblegum. The American hops more than hold up their end of the bargain, insanely fresh tasting citrus with a piney bitterness that seems to come and go. A bit of sweetness is provided in the form of additional fruitiness: peaches, apples, tangerines, mango. Definitely one of the fruitiest beers I've come across, and damned tasty. In the finish, malts finally show up in a dry, husky sort of way, and lemon zest lingers.

Overall impression: Another winner from CBC. These guys really know how to put together a hoppy beer. I'd love to see this one come back at least as a seasonal release.