Draft - pours black tan head - nose/taste of rum, chocolate, flaked oat, coffee- full body

Draft - Sweet rum and dark roast with some dark chocolate. Jet black with a brown head. Sweet rum and chocolate. Long finish where rum persists. One of the best rum beers I have had.

Boris The Crusher, Hoppin’ Frog’s strong oatmeal stout, aged on rum barrels; bomber bought at De Caigny. Medium thick, deep tan coloured, espresso-like head, dense but eventually only thinly retaining on the edges but dissolving to a thin greyish ’veil’ in the middle; ink black robe, chestnut brown only at the edges but even then this is only visible under bright light. Perfumey, complex bouquet of espresso, chocolate liqueur, indeed unmistakable brown rum and rum-soaked raisins, caramel, something cough syrup-like, sweet chestnut, hot chocolate sauce, burnt brown sugar, aromatic liquorish candy-like sweetness (as in some other Hoppin’ Frog beers), gingerbread, shoe polish or even glue (ethylacetate?), black pepper, damp wood, sugared black tea, old leather, vanilla-like tannins, brandy, stewed beef, Drambuie, candied date. Densely sweet onset, candied and dark fruits but in a restrained, clean way, with basic, ’dim’ sourishness underneath and meaty umami flavors for balance; soft carbonation especially after the bottle is halfway. Thick, oily, creamy body with that velvety feel of oatmeal, caramelly and chocolatey malt sweetness, gaining a strong toasted bitterness as the palate progresses, with the typical roasted barley sourishness creeping from underneath till all the way at the back, while lovely vanilla tannins (along with somewhat less lovely paint-like solvents) rise up retronasally and a drying oak effect shows up, as a prelude to the unmistakable sweetish brown rum flavor which coats the back of the mouth, blending with residual, somewhat syrupy sugar sweetness and the big wave of thick, oily, bittersweet and unfathomably chocolatey malts that pass through, while leaving behind a strong obviously rum-like alcohol effect, warming the chest. As with most rum barrel aged stouts, this alcohol is a bit too prevalent to my taste, showing up too early and dominating the finish too much with astringency which detracts from the other components. I dislike rum in general and rum barrel ageing has not convinced me so far, but for those who do like it, this is surely recommended so I will base my rating here on pure practical and technical considerations, as it is clear that the basic beer is obviously very good - making me curious about it, since I haven’t had it so far. In all: just my personal thing with rum again, otherwise very sumptuous, a tad decadent perhaps, but cleverly made, with that enchanting aromatic sweetness I’ve encountered in more Hoppin’ Frogs.

Draft @ Fermentoren, Copenhagen. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty woody rum and chocolate aroma. Roasted malty woody chocolate rum flavor. Has a roasted malty woody chocolate rum finish.

[5/11/16] Draught at Fermentoren in Copenhagen. Black with a tan head. Big aroma of chocolate, wood, coffee, licorice, some rum, some dark fruits. Bittersweet flavor with chocolate, licorice, roast, oak, rum, some dark fruits, and a bit of booziness. Full-bodied. Very good.