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