Name: BORIS The Crusher

Brewery: Hoppin’ Frog

Overall Rating: A

Style: Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Serving Style: 22oz Bottle

ABV: 9.4 %

IBU:60

Price: Gift from the brew master himself Fred Karm upon a recent visit to Ohio, thanks Fred!

Aroma: Dominating roasted malt characteristics enter the nose coupled with toasted chocolate, light caramel and perhaps hints of grain, culminating into a delightfully aromatic scent.

Appearance: Opaque blackness topped by a fair one finger light brown head with decent retention. A mild lacing settles to the rim of the glass beautifully.

Flavor: Rich and pure roasted malt complexity hits the palate immediately, accompanied by a bright bit of yeastiness. The flavors build then turn to a balanced and bittery finish created by the toasted grains and some subtle hop additions. All this and just enough warmth to bring it all together very nicely creating quintessential Imperial Stout flavors every moment you savor.

Mouthfeel: Lightly syrupy liquid enlightened by a creamy,  fluffy oatmeal chewiness and texture.  Full bodied, with just a dash of easy carbonation to bring this stout to life.

Enjoyability: This is easily one of the finest overall imperial stouts I have come across. I love a fine Imperial Stout and the addition of oatmeal gives this already exquisitely balanced brew an extra level of enjoyability with additional flavor and body. I almost forgot this was rated at 9.4% abv with all the flavors demanding my attention. The Crusher is a must try for anyone that enjoys a good imperial stout, or someone that loves a beverage with a rich malty character backing up a high alcohol content.  It is easy to see how this grabbed the Gold medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival.

Another take: ba ratebeer

Tags: beer review, boris, Fred Karm, Gold medal GABF, hopping frog, imperial stout, oatmeal stout

This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 8:59 pm and is filed under Beer Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.