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Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

Now a black and tan is usually made outside of the brewery by combining a stout and an IPA, but it seems like Hoppin' Frog decided to do away with our fun and just make it that way. The mixture of these two types of brews makes the resulting one an American Strong Ale since that is pretty much the broadest application of a "stronger beer" that there could be.

Anyway, this brew pours black with a small off-white head - the stout side really shines though on the appearance side. The aroma is also a lot like a stout and includes notes of chocolate, darker malts, hops, and oats. Its both sweet and bitter at the same time. The taste is nothing like I've had before, it has an initial chocolate/oats/caramel taste and then finishes with the bitter/hops/carbonated kick. Its a smooth transition between the stout and the IPA: very drinkable. And also very hard to notice the almost 8% alcohol in the brew. Interesting and good at the same time, if you wanna try something weird I recommend that you pick it up.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 3.95/5

Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

I remember Hoppin' Frog from earlier in our reviews as having a sensational Imperial Stout. This is another gem from the company that uses the IS and a house IPA in combination for a distinct Black & Tan.

Pours out with classic, stout characteristics - it looks a lot like Guinness. It had a thin head and the body was black with a slight hint of brown. It also smelled like a normal stout (Guinness) with a touch of the hops and sweetness from the mixed IPA. The taste started off a lot like Guinness with that hearty, stout taste. It had the IPA bite at the end - interesting/strange flow from sweet to bitter. This brew was pretty carbonated and had that nice flow of flavors due to the mixed beers. The texture was a little hollow though - feels like it had no body.

Overall, not a bad brewski. If you're a fan of Guinness and a hearty IPA, this would probably be a nice drink for you. I'm a little biased towards Guinness and I'm not the biggest fan of IPAs, so I found this a little weird - but that doesn't mean you will.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.78/5

Founders Reds Rye P.A.

Time to take a detour from the usual stouts and IPAs that litter this blog and go with something a little stranger. Here we have a specialty grain from Founders, made with malted rye and Belgian malts, hopefully it won't disappoint.

The appearance is pretty much what I expected from a rye beer and pours a golden brown with a very slight red hue and a nice little white head. The aroma is of bread, lighter fruits, light malts, hops, and a nice floral background - a lot like an IPA but sans the citrus scent. The taste is a lot sharper on the alcohol then the smell hinted to, ending with an earth/bread and bitter hops aftertaste. Overall its a little weak texture wise and there is not much going on but it is still a good beer for its style and it has to be appreciated.

Appearance - 3.5

Smell - 4.1

Taste - 3.7

Texture - 3.4

Overall - 3.68/5

Founders Reds Rye P.A.

This seemed like an interesting brew from Founders. A very untouched category of beer made by a company with a good reputation - sounds like it's worth a shot, eh?

Poured out a nice dark, golden ale color with a healthy white head. It smelled of light fruits and had floral hints. It was kind of bread-y too; like fresh rye bread - very pleasant. This beer had a very sharp taste and the alcohol was very present for only 6.6%. It was quite a bitter brew due to the choice of hops and it had a strange aftertaste. This was all in a decent air though - it wasn't horrible, just not great. Sadly, this beer had no body but it made up with it with a nice flow of tastes and textures with a curious rye aftertaste.

Overall, not a terrible beer. Definitely something special due to how outward it is. Not something I think I'd buy again, but it was cool to try once.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.58/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-sixth

Here's an interesting combination for today. We'll be trying out yet another Hoppin' Frog specialty brew and another sampling from Founders that ventures into a beer style not yet explored by us. Full listing after the break.

1) Founders Reds Rye P.A.
2) Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

Periodic Table of Beer Styles

This is a VERY good reference for anyone wanting to learn a little more about different styles of brew.

Periodic Table of Beer Styles