Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Hoppin’ Frog Earns High Ranking Again

Fred Sr. — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:22:56 +0000

Beer Notes: Hoppin’ Frog earns high ranking again

By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published: February 1, 2012 – 12:00 AM

Fred Karm Brewmaster at the Hoppin’ Frog Brewery won a GOLD MEDAL at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) with Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale. Hoppin’ Frog Brewery retains the title of best brewer in Ohio, because since 2000 and has won 6 medals at the World Beer Cup, and 12 at the GABF.

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron has once again been selected as one of the best breweries in the world.Ratebeer.com last week released its 2012 rankings for breweries and beers.Hoppin’ Frog was 20th, and the brewery’s Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher was ranked as the 32nd best beer on the planet.

“We’re very proud,” brewery owner and brewer Fred Karm said.

He’s no stranger to top rankings. His brewery has been in Ratebeer.com’s top 100 for five years.

Two other Ohio breweries made the list. Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland came in at 45th and Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens was 56th.

Ratebeer.com considers its beer competition the largest in the world with more than 140,000 beers from more than 12,000 breweries worldwide analyzed.

For the record, Three Floyds Brewing was the top-ranked brewery and Westvleteren 12 was rated as the best beer.

RateBeer.com also handed out awards for beer bars, brewpubs, beer retailers, restaurants for beer and breweries to visit. Many Ohio spots were highlighted and you can see them at www.ratebeer.com/RateBeer Best/.

Collaborative brew

TBA finally has an ETA.

TBA, a collaboration beer made by Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, Stone Brewing Co. and Bear Republic Brewing Co., will be released Feb. 15.

The beer — and yes, TBA really is the name — is an “extra hoppy brown ale” made with brown sugar and molasses. It will be available on draft at Fat Head’s in North Olmsted and select beer joints and in six-packs at the brewpub and beer stores.

“The collaboration project at Stone was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my brewing career,” Fat Head’s brewer Matt Cole said. “Connecting with respected peers and developing something new and unique can be challenging. Each brewer adds a different component, which ultimately leads to something completely new.”

New Bud Light

Bud Light Platinum — a new beer from Anheuser-Busch InBev that targets “trendy” beer drinkers — hit store shelves on Monday.

The company describes the brew this way: “It’s smooth, bold and effortlessly sophisticated, but with the drinkability that consumers expect from a light beer.”

The beer, which comes in a blue bottle, has 6 percent alcohol by volume, compared with 4.2 percent in the standard Bud Light.

Winter Warmer Fest

The Ohio Craft Brewers Association will host the sixth annual Winter Warmer Fest from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb. 25 at Windows on the River in Cleveland.

The event will feature 50 hearty winter brews. The cost is $35 and includes 20 four-ounce samples, appetizers and music by Austin Walkin’ Cane.

For more details or tickets, go to: http://winterwarmer fest.eventbrite.com/.

Welcome Columbus

Columbus Brewing Co. in Columbus has announced plans to start distributing in Northeast Ohio.

Launch parties are planned at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lizardville in Bedford Heights, 6 p.m. Wednesday at 101 Bottles in Kent, and 6 p.m. Thursday at the Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood.

Samplers

• Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland has won medals for its Blackout Stout, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Christmas Ale at the 2012 World Beer Championships conducted by the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago.

• Draft magazine has released its 2012 edition of “America’s 100 best beer bars.” The list includes the Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood, La Cave Du Vin in Cleveland Heights and McNulty’s Bier Markt in Cleveland. The magazine also gives a special nod to the Winking Lizard Tavern chain.

• Four String Brewing Co., the state’s newest brewery, has opened in Columbus. Check out the website here: http://fourstringbrewing.com.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at www.beer.ohio.co

OPEN FOR RETAIL SALES Monday JAN. 30 and Friday FEB 3, from 10AM TO 2PM – Call To Check After 2PM.// OPEN Tuesday 1/31, Wednesday 2/1, and Thursday 2/2 from 10 to 5.

Fred Sr. — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:11:30 +0000

HOPPIN’ FROG RATED 20TH BEST BREWERY IN THE WORLD FOR 2012 BY RateBeer.com

Fred Sr. — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:43:49 +0000

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery was just rated 20th Best Brewery In The World for 2012 by RateBeer.com!! That is 3 years in the Top 25, and 5 years in the TOP 100 – a testiment to our intense focus on making great beer!

RateBeer’s Best was again the largest beer competition in the world — more than 140,000 beers from over 12,000 brewers worldwide were tallied. A particular emphasis was placed on tastings made in the last twelve months. We at Hoppin’ Frog are prouder than ever to be RateBeer’s 20th Best Brewery In The World for 2012! Read more at http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest

Read The Livability.Com Article Regarding Akron

Fred Sr. — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:58:23 +0000

Discover America’s Best Places to Live

Top 10 Beer Cities

3. Akron, OH

Akron’s breweries are full scale and full throttle. The city is home to three of the best beer

makers in the state. Unfortunately these breweries are not attached to pubs, but you can

find their brews in bottles at regional stores or behind many local bars.

Ohio Brewing Company is located in downtown Akron, in the historic Selle building.
It was founded in 1997 and has produced such award-winning beers as the Verich Gold,
Cardinal Ale and Steel Valley Stout.

There’s a long line of beers coming out of Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, which is owned by Fred Karm,
one of the most well respected beer men in the state of Ohio. Hoppin’ Frog brews are
distributed in more than 13 states. The brewery hosts a number of events throughout the year
to celebrate their new batches of brew.

View Rick Armon’s Article in Ohio Breweries – Five Questions With Fred Karm

Fred Sr. — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:54:24 +0000

Five questions with … Fred Karm

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Rick Armon

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron celebrated its fifth anniversary last year. The production brewery, known for its frog logo and 22-ounce bottles, has quickly earned a major following for producing bold, flavorful beers. Brewer and owner Fred Karm is fond of saying he makes beers that he likes — and it’s great that others enjoy them, too.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Answer: I absolutely love to brew! I first started brewing at home in small batches, first just making good beer from recipes, then eventually got interested in testing various flavors and processes. I love taking the design of a beer from conception to completion. Designing beers and then making them and analyzing the flavors created and how they mature is a life-fulfilling experience. I say its kinda like having children — you “conceive” them, do the best to bring them into the world and raise them under the best conditions, and then once your influence has shaped them the best you can, they go out into the world to hopefully make a positive impression in their lifetime. It’s such a great experience.

Q: Hoppin’ Frog has become a darling of the critics. For example, Ratebeer.com has ranked you as the 17^th best brewery in the world and you’ve won numerous medals at the Great American Beer Festival. Not a bad feat for a little production brewery that sells only in 22-ounce bottles. How do you explain the appeal?

A: Explain the appeal of Hoppin’ Frog — we make really good beer! Beer lovers know good beer when they taste it. I’ve always wanted to make good beer — really, really good beer. That’s what I’ve loved to drink when I first discovered it in 1991, and now I’ve figured out how to make it. Better living through science! I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, it’s usually Hoppin’ Frog.(!) I think that’s why it comes out so good too — I design the recipes and processes to satisfy myself, so my focus is on my own tastes! I AM MY OWN FOCUS GROUP!

Ratings aren’t everything for sure, but it’s important to note that when people rate Hoppin’ Frog beer, they aren’t motivated by helping us get higher ratings. We now sell in 16 states and around the world in nine foreign countries! So we get all kinds of ratings from all kinds of people. It’s really cool, when we stop and think about it. They are rating the Hoppin’ Frog beer that was made available to them in their market — next to all the others on the shelf. Everything is considered.

Q: What advice would you give someone who’s interested in opening a brewery?

A: These days it seems everybody wants to start a brewery. It is understandable. I’d say DON’T DO IT — IT’S TOO RISKY, and oh, yeah, not to mention it’s really hard work. Sure, everybody wants to start a brewery these days, but I’ve seen this before. Reminds me of the American craft beer boom-and-bust of the late 1990s. These lessons of the recent past can teach us that the availability of craft beer grew way too fast compared to the customers. It appears that is the case again, with American craft beer sales being so predictable — they have been increasing at steady rate of about 11 percent over the last eight years. That rate of growth has been matched in the last decade with many existing breweries increasing their production. But in the last year many new American breweries have started up, and along with the growth of existing breweries, production recently has grown faster than the market can bear. And a lot more are already registering for 2012. That is too fast of a growth for the customer base. Back in the late 1990s, many newer breweries that weren’t as ingrained into the fiber of the community found themselves unable to make enough sales to stay in business. It is possible that this will happen again, as history does tend to repeat itself.

Q: What’s your favorite beer that you brew and why?

A: These are all like my children — I simply can’t pick a favorite. That would be unfair to the rest of the children.

Q: Which beer – any beer in the world – do you wish that you created/invented/brewed and why?

A: De Molen’s Hel & Verrmation, or however they spell it (Blogger’s note: Hel & Verdoemenis), but I love the one “Aged in Misto barrels.” It means Hell & Damnation — an ominous name for a huge-flavored, ominous beer. This is one version that they made that was 17.8 % ABV, which gives it the best, richest, most satisfying flavors in an imperial stout I can remember.

HOPPIN’ FROG FEATURED ON WJW FOX 8, JANUARY 2

Fred Sr. — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:04:56 +0000

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery will be featured on WJW FOX 8 at 10:00 am on Monday, January 2nd.! We’re extremely happy to featured on that day, which is a LEGAL HOLIDAY!! An ideal morning to take down the last of the holiday decorations, and watch us on Channel 8. David Moss checks out the brewery in action, and interviews us for his Mossman’s Roadshow, covering some of the best things in Akron – it will air from 10:00 am until 11:00 am. We are very honored to be featured as a well-known and respected product from Akron! Tune-in and watch us in action!

There will be promotional spots featuring Hoppin’ Frog running all week, with David Moss and Co-Host Kristi Capel toasting our Outta Kilter Scotch Red Ale!

Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale Wins Blind Christmas Beer Tasting

Fred Sr. — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:05:06 +0000

Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog wins blind Christmas beer tasting

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Rick Armon

Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale reigns supreme at Christmas time. For the second consecutive year, Frosted Frog from Akron’s Hoppin’ Frog Brewery won the blind Christmas beer tasting at Vintage Estate Wine & Beer in Boardman. It also won the first-ever tasting last year. “They are the king of blind Christmas tastings so far,” said Phill Reda, the Vintage Estate owner.

The event, held last weekend, featured about 70 people tasting 13 Christmas beers without knowing which brands they were sampling. Participants were given 4-ounce samples of each. They rated the beers on a scale of 1 to 5 for aroma, flavor, appearance, palate and overall impression. The highest score won. It’s not scientific, of course. People just picked their favorite.

Troegs Mad Elf Ale finished second and Great Lakes Christmas Ale was third. They bested some serious competition. The other beers sampled were: Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas, Stegmaier Winter Warmer, Ohio Jingle Bells, Bell’s Christmas Ale, Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale, Breckenridge Christmas Ale, Abita Christmas Ale, Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale, Indigo Imp Winter Soul and Sierra Nevada Celebration.

Vintage Estate puts on an entertaining tasting, which also features some finger foods and an ugly sweater contest. I attended and would highly recommend it as a fun, off-beat event. (Some photos are below.) The tasting is informal and people sample at their own pace. It’s a hoot to taste beer after beer and have no clue — or little clue — what you’re sampling. There are no labels to influence your brain. You simply know which one is your favorite. My top three turned out to be: Ohio Jingle Bells, Breckenridge Christmas and (tied) Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale, Troegs Mad Elf Ale and Abita Christmas. I tried during the event to take notes and figure out which brands I was tasting. Not an easy task when there are so many holiday beers on the market and you have no idea which brands were included. I was proud that I successfully picked out Great Lakes and Indigo Imp. However, I was waaaay off with a couple of my other educated guesses.

Vintage Estate — one of the best beer stores in Ohio — also holds a blind pumpkin beer tasting. Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale won that event this year and Stegmaier brewmaster Jay Peters made the trek to Boardman for the Christmas tasting to accept a special certificate commemorating the win. Stegmaier is made by the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL – OCTOBER 11-13, 2012

Fred Sr. — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:32:36 +0000

Make plans now to attend the Great American Beer Festival held in Denver CO, October 11-13, 2012. Read more at http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/tickets/purchase-tickets/

COLUMBUS ALIVE REVIEWS B.O.R.I.S. THE CRUSHER

Fred Sr. — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:20:06 +0000

Beer: B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher by Hoppin’ Frog

Wednesday December 7, 2011 7:15 PM

By John Ross
Columbus Alive
About the brewery

Hoppin’ Frog labels are plastered with pictures of a cartoon frog — sometimes in an Afro wig, sometimes wearing sunglasses, always raising a toast. The Akron brewery’s mascot is like an amphibian version of Spuds MacKenzie, rendered with Microsoft Paint 98.

Don’t let somewhat goofy packaging keep you from experiencing one of the greatest breweries in Ohio. Founded by esteemed brewmaster Fred Karm, the operation cooks up tasty, ambitious beers in styles that are familiar (India pale ale) and decidedly not (Belgian-style double IPA).

Hoppin’ Frog is now a staple at many Columbus carryouts, and drinkers across the country have been hankering for its brews. B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher won the gold medal in the imperial stout category at this year’s Great American Beer Festival.

About the beer

Russian imperial stouts are considered among the boldest, baddest ales of all time. Thick, heavy, dark and potent, they’re brewed with tons of roasted malt and grain, which often produce overwhelming flavors of coffee, toffee and burnt barley.

B.O.R.I.S. has that intensity — he’s the crusher, after all — and complexity, too. The beer stays true to its roots while offering something unique and memorable.

Scents of molasses and alcohol join those typical of the style. The taste is pleasantly sweet for a Russian imperial, and the addition of oatmeal adds to a creamier mouthfeel than the pitch-black elixir would suggest at first glance. A decent amount of hops rounds out the back end and sharpens each of the hearty flavors present throughout

7TH OHIO BREW WEEK FESTIVAL – JUNE 22-30, 2012

Fred Sr. — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:40:12 +0000

Plan to attend the 7th Annual Ohio Brew Week Festival being held in Athens. Ohio June 22, to 30. Read more on http://ohiobrewweek.com/