AKRON, Ohio - It's kind of ironic that Hoppin' Frog Brewery is named after a small creature. Its beers are big, bold, often packing a high-alcohol punch. And its 22-ounce bomber bottles are ubiquitous on store shelves.

Fred Karm is all about bold beers. Like most quality craft brewers in this area, he sheds the norm and embraces a variety of styles. Want bacon in your beer? He's done it. Don't know what a Gose is? Head to the brewery and find out. Like your IPAs to pack a punch? Plenty of that.

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And then there is, of course, one of the local holy-grail ales, B.O.R.I.S The Crusher, an Oatmeal Imperial Stout that keeps people coming back for more while it draws national and even international recognition; ratebeer.com voters love showing the love for Hoppin' Frog.

But the smartest thing Karm has done isn't about what's in his beer. It's about serving it.

Two years ago, Karm - after a lot of study - opened the tasting room. What you won't find are televisions. What you will find are three sizes: 5-, 8- or 16-ounce pours. For drinkers who like to dip their feet in the water rather than leap headfirst from the high dive, this is for you. It's a great chance to compare IPAs or taste a couple of the beers you have seen but not tried.

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And enough people have tried, and loved, Karm's beers to vote Hoppin' Frog into our list of 10 finalists in our first reader-voted NEO's Best Craft Brewery competition. We're visiting and profiling each of the finalists. Vote to determine the overall winner; voting closes at noon Friday, June 19. Select a brewery from the 10 nominees in the drop-down menu embedded in this post. One vote per day, per I.P. address, please.

We'll announce the winner Monday, June 22.

And if you head to the tasting room, don't assume it's not a communal meeting place because it doesn't have TVs. Karm will bring his record collection and spin vinyl. Tower Tuesdays offer infused beers and other concoctions (recently, Goose Juice Rye IPA was in the hop tower while B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher with coffee beans was ready to go.) Wednesdays are a chance to meet a brewer.

And through all the pours and events going on, the tasting room's ever-rotating sign of beer offerings will keep rolling along...

Six-pack of facts about the Hoppin' Frog Brewery:

1680 East Waterloo Road, Akron (across from the air dock), hoppinfrog.com, 234- 525-FROG (3764).

* History: Brewery started in 2006, and the tasting room opened in 2013.

* Flagship beer: B.O.R.I.S The Crusher, an Oatmeal Imperial Stout.

* Brewmaster: Fred Karm.

* Production: N/A.

* Hours: 5-10 p.m. Monday, 3-10 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 3-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday.

* New brews: Teeny Tiny Test Batch Project is a trial-run brew that the public can try. Plus the barrel project involves aging beers in Whiskey, Brandy, Tequila, Port and Rum barrels.