The Tasting Room At Hoppin’ Frog

This place is officially on my boycott list. I think they’re just too pretentious for their own good. Their craft beer is pretty awesome, but everything else is not a nice experience. It’s in a pretty bad location, they staff is very very picky about moving chairs and where you sit. We took one of our out of town friends who didn’t specifically like craft beers and the server was pretty rude about it, like we had no business being there.
Besides the Turbo Shandy /​Oatmeal Stout, I would just avoid this place.

Atmosphere is industrial (not in a good way) but the staff is super attentive and they have Outstanding beer!

If you know anything about beer, you know Hoppin’ Frog is a star among breweries. A visit here will usually reveal license plates from around the region as beer nerds make pilgrimages to this somewhat off-​the-​beaten-​path location. I was pleasantly surprised by the food, which was a kind of elevated bar fare. We all know the beer is great. My only quibble is that there’s a dearth of sessionable brew here — lots of big ABV counts. They offer smaller sizes, which is nice, but I’d still like to see something a little more user friendly, especially since you basically have to drive to get here.

Nasty hostess. Lost business for a whole group of us. Will never return. We’ve decided to go back to Thirsty Dog where we just came from. Will never purchase the beer again.

What a sad disappointment! In brief, having a beer at a large airport is more affordable and the food is likely to be better.
We were greeted politely upon arrival on a Monday evening and were seated promptly. We asked for a Hoppin’ Frog IPA and we were told there were none available. (Huh?) So, one of us asked for a taste of an unknown competitive IPA available on tap. The other asked for a small taste of another one. We were told that the first taste per table is free but there is a small charge for the 2^nd one — about .25 or .50. (Really? Most any place will give you a small taste!) We agreed. The «tastes» presented were so small one could really not taste much at all. Maybe .25oz? or so? Less than a sip.
We both ordered an IPA. One of them was more than $ 8.00; the other greater than $ 7.00 — way above market price (likel everything Hoppin’ Frog sells). Really, really expensive. (Reminder: This place is located in a serious «low rent district» near the Akron Fulton Airport. This ain’t the Ritz!) They were «OK» — we’d likely not have ordered one of them had we been provided with a «real» taste.
We also ordered nachos. Wow — horrible! What we got were some tortilla chips with shredded pork (no taste and no sauce). The «pico de gallo» was really just some diced tomatoes. No cilantro. No spice. No salsa. No flavor. The cheese sauce was particularly nasty and tasteless. We were thankful there was some hot sauce on the table to improve the taste.
And, now, the best part … We were presented with a bill for more than $ 33 for two beers, two pseudo TASTES of beer at $ 1 each (!!!), and a nasty, poorly prepared appetizer. Wow did we get ripped off!!!
Respectful recommendation to anyone thinking they may wanna go here for the first time: Don’t!

Being beer nerds, we had to stop here while in town (and, unlike another big name brewery in Akron, Hoppin’ Frog was open on Monday). Decent space inside, didn’t look outside at the patio, nice to have live music. Sat at the bar for a long time and sampled a ton on the menu. All of the BBA stuff was good (BORIS and DORIS), and the café silk porter, thought the shandy was too sweet, and tried a couple of the guest taps as well. We only had the chip dip which was fine, but probably not worth $ 6. Definitely thought some of the sample sizes (5 ounces) were overpriced. We did also buy several bottles to bring home (things we can’t get at home), so just keep an eye on the prices if you’re sampling!

Beer flights are so much fun! Unfortunately, you had better watch what you get closely, because some drinks are much more expensive than others, even flight-​sized. My favorites were the Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale (so refreshing), the Gangster Frog I.P.A. (surprisingly for me), and the Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW (sinfully good).
The pork nachos were okay, but missing something… I’d be interesting in nibbling on some other things they have to offer.
Personally, I felt that the place was too crowded and loud. If I lived around this area, I would try to plan to go when I knew it wouldn’t be so busy.

We enjoyed two flights and amazing philly cheese steak sandwiches which were to die for and had a nice time. Jeff, our waiter, was awesome and Courtney, the closing manager allowed us to stay and finish our beers!!! Please check out this place, best brewery in Akron!!!

You’ve hit all the major brewery restaurants in the Cleveland area and yet your thirst and appetite have not yet been quenched… well look no further for Hoppin Frog is truly hoppin! (sorry, couldn’t help myself there).
Any place that serves a Butter Beershake is a place that can be trusted. Apart from traveling half way across the country to Harry Potter Land to try the REAL butterbeer, this butter beershake is the best next thing. The drink boasts caramel undertones and a creamy consistency, yet has that tangy rough acidity that only beer could have. While this girl could accept a milkshake as a meal any day, I couldn’t pass up the beer cheese philly steak… that’s right… steak nestled inside a hoagie, drenched with a beer cheese sauce. The meat was tender, the bun was soft and buttery, and that sauce… oh boy… that sauce was incredibly cheesy and tangy (I’m sweating just thinking about it). I’m no expert when it comes to cheese steaks, but this if this isn’t good, then I’m not on Unilocal right now. My eating buddy ordered the brisket tacos, which were equally delicious. The sauce was sweet and tangy, with just a hint of spiciness. To top it off, all the tables were abounding with the Hoppin Frog hot sauce (which is actually pretty mild, but very flavorful).
Only downside is that we had a reservation for a party of 30 but didn’t actually have a designated area assigned to our group. We ended up splitting off into groups, some at the bar, and some at tables. The service was otherwise pretty fast. Overall, a must try! Really wishing this place wasn’t so far away from Cleveland :(:(

NO KIDS ALLOWED at anytime. Upsetting that the description and info on Unilocal does not state this clearly so I just waisted a trip on my way back to the east coast. I’ve eaten at many breweries that allow you to bring in children. I’d suggest Unilocal category should be bar which implies an over 21 only crowd and I would not have considered. I could understand an evening policy such as this but not at noon on a Saturday. Such a bummer considering that people traveling with children may also be craft beer fans looking for a place to eat and buy some bottled suds to enjoy when you get home.

2.5 stars. I cannot stress this enough — the beer is amazing… five star without a doubt. But boy, the food here just isn’t cutting it. It feels like almost everything is just a frozen product they bring out. I ordered three pork sliders for $ 14 and they were the size of a half dollar coin and the buns were so cold they were clearly just brought out of the fridge. The Mac and cheese was embarrassing — I ate two bites and left the rest. To be honest I don’t feel much effort in the food department and that’s so strange because I feel a TON of effort on every beer I sip. Eat before you visit the tap room and spend your money on any hoppin frog beer you can try.

Actually didnt have to work on a Saturday so Big Red and I jumped in the whip and took the 35 min ride from Cleveland to try the place I’ve wanted to try for so long. The beers here rule. Not just the same olé’ 37 different, chewy IPA’s that every schmuck is into these days. These boys make a kick ass pumpkin porter, pale ale infused with vanilla beans and barrel aged stuff too! Tried a cajun sausage with tatties. Super good but so small even Eric The Actor would have had to eat 3 servings. This place is like a few others (Victory, Stoudts, etc…) that need a hotel close by and make it a package deal. All these beers are strong and I can see it REAL easy to get ripped and not want to drive! Only thing I cant get with this place is that the beer is rediculously expensive. Basically in a hour we spent 64 dollars on a pinky-​sized sausage and about 4 beers worth. Crazy talk. Didnt know Akron had so many ballers! Now, I leave you with the immortal band Genesis’ lyrics explaining how I feel about my money and Hoppin’ Frog:
Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
Is there nothing that I can say
To make you change your mind
I watch the world go round and round
And see mine turning upside down
You’re throwing it all away.

What a wonderful and fun place to hang! We already knew that Hoppin’ Frog had great beers, but we didn’t know that they had great food, milkshakes and sodas, too! My friends and I had just stopped in for a beer or two, and we ended up ordering the charcuterie plate and both milkshakes that were being sold at the time: the B.O.R.I.S. Chocolate and the Lemon Pound Cake shake. Both were excellent, and we couldn’t decide which we liked better.
The charcuterie plate came and the waitress described everything on the board. The meats and cheeses were spectacular, particularly the peppered beef. The mustard/​horseradish spread was a table favorite.
Service was great, very helpful and attentive. If you have a chance to get out to this place, go!

Never cared much for beer until I went here with my husband and a few friends. We got a bunch of the 4 oz. samples and they blew me away with the flavors! Amazing beer! The food was ok. Some of it is too fancy but everything I’ve had there so far is pretty good. They keep everything super clean. It gets crowded on Friday and Saturday nights so get there early. Also, we love the patio seating in the summer. So relaxing. I like that the servers don’t rush you.

It was a beer only trip for my first visit to the Tasting Room at Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron. Suffice it to say, there shall be no food to be found in this review. For now, it’s all about the beer. Frankly, this is as it should be. After all, why the hell else would you venture to a brewery tasting room, am I right?
Since I live in Cleveland making the trek down to Akron isn’t exactly at the top of my list of activities I enjoy, especially during rush hour. What brought me here was their release of Gulden Fraug, a beer that they haven’t brewed since back in their infancy, sometime in 2006 or so. The brewery had just announced that they were releasing it in bombers. This meant the hour-​long car ride was innevitable.
It was a Tuesday evening. We arrived at the industrial complex sometime around 7:15pm. The tasting room is just a short walk past the brewery operations area and under the green awning. We were greeted as soon as we entered and the place was packed. We were told there weren’t any tables available. We stood there at the front counter as a couple workers moved some tables around. Meanwhile, a couple of chairs opened at the bar and we took ‘em.
The place isn’t that big, maybe 15 seats at the bar, 50 or so more scattered about at tables. Definitely not a place you want to bring a large party but it is a tasting room after all. I imagine the unusually robust crowd was due in part to the Gulden Fraug release. Either that, or they are kicking some serious ass in the service department. Either way, it was good to see a small business thriving.
Unfortunately, our visit got off to a bit of a rough start. We sat at the bar for about 15 minutes before anyone came over to help us. Not that there weren’t plenty of people busily busseling around the bar, it just appeared that only two of them were given serving responsibility so it took them some time to get to us. Not a huge deal, just noticeable.
My wife ordered one of their beer shakes and lemme tell ya, a shake it was not. When something is called a shake one expects certain things, right? In this case, it was more like an alcoholic YooHoo that, upon setting, began to separate into an unfriendly dual-​layer concoction. Thin, milky beer. I didn’t care for it.
I ordered a flight of beer and this, of course, is where they do not disappoint. I went with every barrel-​aged option they had on the beer list along with the new Gulden Fraug. There’s no denying the talent that their brewmaster possesses. They brew big, high-​alcohol badass beers that most breweries shy away from. On the flip side, they’re typically so boozy that you can’t exactly sit there and have more than a couple. Tolerance issues aside, Hoppin’ Frog brews some of the best beer in Ohio if not the country. Period.
Perhaps we’ll venture «down south» again sometime to try out the food that others have raved about. $ 10 for two small pulled pork sliders? Seems a bit steep if you ask me. Perhaps it’ll be the beer that drags us from the CLE. Whatever the case, I have no doubt we’ll find our butts on their barstools sometime in the future — near or far. Drink local. Drink Ohio craft beer. Cheers!

For being known as a brewery, you wouldn’t think that the food would be amazing, but it is, top notch! Right now, they’re advertising their «80 cities in 80 weeks» which details different food styles/​dishes from each of their chosen cities for their established week. This week they were detailing New Orleans, so they offered different cajun style dishes. I opted to get jambalaya while my girlfriend got the pork tacos and our friend got the catfish po boy. For the quality/​design of the dishes, the price is about right, but the portion sizes are slightly small so I’d recommend getting an appetizer. I believe next week they’re detailing dishes from Dallas, TX and they’ve been marinating ribs for a week already!
The restaurant isn’t very large, so I’d recommend not going in a party larger than 6. They do have a fairly large open area when you walk in to stand and have a beer while you wait though, but you have to have a seat to be able to order food, FYI. Overall, the restaurant is very clean and looks new, which is slightly deceiving from the outside because it is located in a commercial storage area.
The restaurant is hard to spot, but the road it is on runs parallel to 224 and is right across from Lockheed Martin. I’d definitely recommend stopping in for at least a beer if not for the excellent food! I’ll be stopping back for sure.

Best beer in Ohio & delicious food to top it off!
We went for the Barrel Aged Beer Dinner on 13 January 2014. It was well worth the $ 100 per person price tag!
The «welcome» beer was Barrel Aged Outta Kilter Scotch Red which was aged in special barrels previously used to age scotch. It was amazing. If you get a chance to go to the brewery and get yourself a bottle (or case!), you will be pleased.
The first course was French Onion Soup made with bourbon instead of wine and paired with Barrel Aged BORIS Van Wink Imperial Stout. I have to give it to them, the French Onion Soup was actually better than mine — and mine is an actual secret French family recipe! However, I «politely cut» the onions for my soup and they do not, so I could still give them a few tips!
The second course was Chicken Satay Salad paired with Barrel Aged Frosted Frog Christmas Ale. The beer was the best Christmas Ale I’ve tried, hands down. The salad was very good, I would rate the salad a 4-​stars and the beer 5-​stars.
The third course was by far my favorite. This is when I began taking pictures of the food because I knew I would want to write a review. It was Beer Barrel Smoked Salmon (en Croûte) paired with Barrel Aged Naked Evil Belgium Barley Wine. This was my favorite beer, as well.
The fourth course was Osso Bucco paired with Barrel Aged Doris Double Imperial Stout. It was tasty, however, the Osso Bucco was a bit too fatty for my tastes. And I am not the hugest fan of stouts. This was my least favorite course (but my husband’s favorite course!).
The fifth course was Lemon Berry Tart Dessert paired with Barrel Aged Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale. The tart itself was delicious, and then they took it a step further by drizzling a fruity sauce over top that had habaneros in it! Epic! The sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors were absolute heaven. I want the recipe for this so bad!
All in all, I highly recommend this brewery and the food! I will absolutely be back! If you like IPAs, try their Gangster Frog. It’s my favorite beer they brew by far. It wasn’t included in the meal, but I must make a mention of it in this post!

True to my usual form, I found Hoppin’ Frog while planning a weekend in Akron. This was by far my favorite discovery.
The tasting room is almost as inviting as the servers who were some of the friendliest people I’ve encountered. And in case you didn’t know, Ohio does not fool around with its alcohol content. Most beers averaged around 8%. There is an extensive menu of available brews, not just from Hoppin’ Frog. I went with a sampler of 5 of their own: Karminator, Wild Frog Wheat Ale, Silk Porter, Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale and the Barrel Aged Outta Kilter.
I’ve discovered that while I may not enjoy scotch, I do enjoy my beer aged in its barrels. The Outta Kilter was overshadowed only by the sweet Turbo Shandy. I inquired about a bottle to go, but alas, the Turbo I’m told goes quickly. And I understand why. So I went with a bottle of the Outta Kilter instead. Poor me, a bottle of scotch ale all for myself. Thanks to the help of bartender Kara, I chose 5 beers that pleased my palate.
I’ve since raved about my visit to many of my beer-​loving friends. I just wish this place was closer because I would definitely be hoppin’ over more frequently.

I have to jump on the band wagon here. This place is terrific! Great beer, great food, great service. Ok, the location is only so-​so but still totally worth the drive.
Coming here for dinner and a few brews has become part of my routine during business travel to northern Ohio. Yes, I will make the 30 – 40 drive each way from downtown Cleveland to eat and drink here.
The beers are amazing. You MUST try the Whiskey Barrel-​aged BORIS stout, and I’d say the Mean Manalishi DIPA is a must-​try, too. They keep about 20 of their brews on tap, as well as 7 or 8 craft beers from other locations around the world. Wow!
To eat, try the tacos. They come with quinoa salad and are just $ 9.
They carry pretty much all of their beers in the bottle as well, ready to take home and enjoy. They starts at about $ 7 and go up to I think $ 16. Not cheap, but worth it.
Be forewarned about the pricing — it adds up quickly. My first time in, between beers at the bar, food, and bottles to go, I spent over $ 90. Whew!
I’ll definitely be back! Love this brewery!

Love this hidden spot. Hoppin Frog has always been known for great beer. Now there is a place where you can go to sample not only their collection… but rare and hard to get beers from other breweries. The food is great. My fiancé would shoot me in the face with hot lava if it got her free panini sandwiches from Hoppin Frog. The place is small and there are no TV’s showing the game. But that is the point. It is all about the beer. It is all about trying as many as you can. And they make that easy by offering 5 oz samples at a few bucks a piece. Now you can sample 8 different beers without worrying about waking up next to the sasquatch that has been giving you googly eyes from accross the bar all night.
Highly reccomended. (The spot… not the sasquatch.)