Hop Butcher Minted 4Pk

Hop Butcher Minted 4Pk is a holiday imperial stout from Hop Butcher For The World, brewed with chocolate and Frango Mint oil at 10.5% ABV. This seasonal collaboration with Frango Mints (Garrett Brands) uses authentic Frango Mint oil rather than generic mint flavoring, giving the beer a distinctly refined and nostalgic chocolate-mint character rooted in a Chicago confectionery tradition dating back decades.

Quick Facts: ABV: 10.5%  |  Origin: Bedford Park, Illinois  |  Style: Holiday Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World, LLC

Production & Heritage

Hop Butcher For The World operates out of Bedford Park, Illinois, and has built a formidable reputation in the Midwest craft scene for bold, inventive releases. Minted is built on what drinkers have described as an excellent imperial stout base, onto which the brewery layers real chocolate and Frango Mint oil — the same mint oil used in the iconic Frango chocolate truffles long associated with Chicago's Marshall Field's department store. The collaboration with Garrett Brands ensures the mint component is authentic and carefully integrated, avoiding the harsh wintergreen notes that plague lesser mint stouts.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dark roasted malt and bittersweet cocoa lead, followed by a cool wave of spearmint. A faint fudge-like sweetness emerges as the beer warms, reinforcing the chocolate-truffle connection.

Taste: The entry is rich with roasted barley and deep chocolate, the imperial stout base providing considerable body and a touch of dark-fruit sweetness. At mid-palate, the Frango Mint oil arrives as a soft, rounded spearmint — not an aggressive blast, but a smooth, confectionery coolness. The chocolate and mint merge seamlessly toward the peak, recalling an after-dinner mint in liquid form.

Finish: Medium-long, with lingering cocoa bitterness and a gentle minty exhale. The 10.5% ABV provides subtle warming without overwhelming the dessert-like balance.

How to Drink Minted

Pour into a snifter or tulip glass at cellar temperature (50–55°F) to let the chocolate and mint aromatics fully develop; drinking it too cold will mute the Frango Mint oil nuances. This is fundamentally a sipper — its 10.5% ABV and dessert-stout richness reward slow, deliberate drinking rather than cocktail use. If you want to get creative, try it as a float over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a boozy mint-chocolate shake experience.

Best For

• Holiday gatherings where a rich dessert beer replaces (or accompanies) the sweet course
• Gifting to a Chicago-area beer enthusiast who appreciates the Frango Mints heritage
• Imperial stout tastings and side-by-side comparisons with other pastry-style releases
• Cold-weather evening sessions by the fire when a single, decadent pour is the goal

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Minted taste like? Minted delivers a rich chocolate imperial stout foundation layered with soft, rounded spearmint from real Frango Mint oil — think liquid chocolate-mint truffle with roasty depth and subtle boozy warmth at 10.5% ABV.

How does Minted compare to other mint stouts? Many chocolate-mint stouts rely on extract-based mint flavoring that can read as harsh or medicinal; Minted's use of authentic Frango Mint oil produces a noticeably softer, more confectionery-style spearmint that integrates cleanly with the stout base rather than overpowering it.

Is Minted good for sipping neat? Absolutely — its imperial stout body, layered chocolate and mint flavors, and 10.5% ABV make it best enjoyed slowly from a snifter at cellar temperature, where its complexity can unfold over time.

Where is Minted made? Minted is brewed by Hop Butcher For The World, LLC at their facility in Bedford Park, Illinois, a suburb just southwest of Chicago. The Frango Mint oil is sourced through a collaboration with Garrett Brands, the current steward of the historic Frango Mints line.

What foods pair well with Minted? Dark chocolate brownies amplify the cocoa backbone; vanilla cheesecake provides a creamy contrast to the mint; peppermint bark echoes the beer's holiday theme; salted caramel desserts play well against the roast bitterness; and sharp blue cheese creates an unexpectedly rewarding sweet-savory tension with the chocolate and mint.

What sizes does Minted come in? Minted is available as a 4-pack of cans, consistent with Hop Butcher's standard seasonal release format.

Is Minted worth the price? Minted positions as a premium seasonal imperial stout with a genuine brand collaboration (Frango Mints) and a 10.5% ABV, placing it in the upper tier of holiday craft releases — the authentic ingredient sourcing and limited availability justify its price point within the specialty stout category.

Why Minted?

What separates Minted from the crowded field of pastry and dessert stouts is the specificity of its collaboration. Rather than reaching for off-the-shelf mint extract, Hop Butcher partnered directly with Garrett Brands to source genuine Frango Mint oil — an ingredient with deep roots in Chicago's culinary identity. The result is a mint character that reads as refined spearmint rather than toothpaste, sitting naturally inside a robust imperial stout framework. For drinkers who want a holiday stout with real provenance behind its flavoring, Minted delivers substance over gimmick.