The things these guys do, it’s just madness. Booze on booze, yet some sweet and smooth dark fruit to balance it out. Not sure about the plums, but this bottle has been around a while. 4/5 stars.
I’m a fan of Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. They like to push the limits of what’s possible in fermentation science, cranking out such monsters as the 15.7% ABV Q.O.R.I.S. The Quasher (Quadruple Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout), a 15.1% Belgian tripel called Pentuple, and even a 17.4% beast of a dark ale called Gavel Slammer. Sometimes they crank up the heat by resting the beer in used liquor barrels (bourbon is a favorite in the beer world, but aren’t afraid to experiment). Sometimes they work their yeast like there’s no tomorrow, as in today’s featured beer.
The challenge with creating beers like this comes down to the yeast. Yeast are single-called organisms, and like most living things cannot survive outside of their natural environmental tolerances. Once they consume all available food (sugar) or produce too much alcohol, they die. Naturally-occurring yeast, like the type that I used in my cider project, are good for 4-7% ABV. Most brewer’s yeast can tolerate up to about 10% ABV, which is why you see most wines and beers top out in that range. Of course, yeast specialists have extended those tolerances in certain strains through their selection and breeding programs. Wyeast has one that will do 21% and White Labs isolated one that will do 25%. That’s a spicy meatball!
I like Hoppin’ Frog so much because they embody what I most love about the craft beer movement. It’s all about innovation! Occasionally that means chasing the fads (we’re all guilty of wanting to be popular!), but most often it means taking a risk. Boozy Belgians and punchy porters aren’t exactly risky, but committing to cranking out high gravity ales all year long definitely could have been. It’s a good thing for the entire industry that Hoppin’ Frog has stuck to it, and I look forward to seeing what else they can do!
A Beer a Day 