Archive for the 'Terrapin' category
Terrapin “90 Shelling” Scotch Ale
You may or may not know this, but I’ve been looking for a reproduction of Scottish 80-shilling since I lived there back in 2000. It’s odd to me that, in Scotland, you can find 80-shilling on tap at every corner pub, but I can’t find a single bottle in the states! I mean, we have Scotch ales, and they’re great, but I just want 80-shilling, and I want it to be called that. So, I was very happy to see this Terrapin 90-shilling 1-time release. I know it’s a bit more uppity, coming in at 10 more shillings than I prefer, but I’m hoping for something comparable that’ll bring the good memories of Scottish nights flooding back!
The 90-Shelling pours a deep, deep dark color with a thin caramel-colored head. The aroma is nutty with lots of toffee and smells quite delicious. In the mouth, this beer is light and smooth in mouthfeel, but super rich in flavor – even more so than I remember of the local Scottish varieties. Initially, there is a light sweetness on the tip of the tongue, more sugary than malty. That sweetness is gently o’ertaken by richer dark malt flavors as the beer travels down the tongue. The mouthfeel remains fairly fleeting, but the flavor builds in richness, taking on hints of caramel and nuts in the mouth, culminating in a dessert-like flavor at the back of the mouth. This aftertaste sticks around for a bit, though the mouth washes fairly clean. All in all, it’s one of the better summertime dark beers I’ve had. It’s great cold, and holds on to a lot of flavor, and that flavor only increases as the beer warms. However, it never seems too thick or cloying for a hot night. All in all, it’s a great beer. I won’t say it brought back my Scottish days, as this is substantially richer than I remember, but it’s a mighty tasty brew!
Terrapin “Dos Cocoas” Chocolate Porter
This little ditty comes from the most recent of the Side Project selections (vol. 4) that I’ve come across. It probably isn’t the newest, since I haven’t been to the beer store in a while, but it’s the newest to me. And turns out, I generally buy these “limited edition” from Terrapin and let them sit in the fridge for a while. In short, I’m a Johnny-Come-Lately but fortunately you guys don’t seem to mind. This one’s brewed with Ecuadorian cocoa, in both the powder and nib form. I don’t know what I nib is but it sounds delicious so let’s get to it.
The color, you guessed it dark, dark black. There is little head retention with this beer leaving only a few caramel colored bubbles scattered about. The nose has the characteristic smokey aroma associated with porters, which is further enhanced by the chocolate ingredients. The smell is very thin and unassuming, but still pretty inviting. The taste has a very dark, malty personality; which was to be expected, I mean it IS a porter. The smokey flavors rush over the front of the tongue then unfold and splash on the inside of the cheeks. At this point the cocoa flavors take over and finish the taste. There are mild chocolate undertones that lightly touch the back part of the palate and extend into the throat. Again the word “thin” comes to mind. I expected a fuller, rounder characteristic but got just the opposite. However, in this case it’s working. This isn’t a complex, oversized beer. Instead it’s subtle, refreshing and well-balanced despite it’s genre. I can’t say I’ve ever said a porter was refreshing, so this is proof there is a first time for everything. It finishes with a minor effervescent quality and mild smokey aftertaste. Another job well done by Terrapin, especially with another experimental brew.
Terrapin India Brown Ale
Well, what do you know! I was under the impression that the India Brown had long-ago been reviewed. But, apparently, I thought wrong. Good thing I haven’t rifled through this entire Terrapin sampler yet, so I can pick it off tonight. This is an old favorite, and here’s what I think…
The India Brown pours rather dark, and darker than a typical brown ale, letting almost no light through the glass. In addition, the head on this is especially enticing. It is thick and rocky and caramel-colored, clinging to the sides of the glass with a tenacity that lasts through the entire beer. The aroma of the beer is rich with chocolate and dark malt, but carries a floral hop note that is very odd for a dark ale such as this. In the mouth, a similar phenomenon presents itself. This is a brown ale by appearance, but the interplay between the brown ale characteristics and the expanded hop profile make for a very interesting beer. At the front of the mouth, a light floral sweetness almost akin to honey-suckle presents itself. However, a chocolate tint grows as the beer moves down the tongue, becoming more and more earthy through the mouth. Towards the back of the tongue, the hop again rears its head with a bitter bite that is cut substantially by the dark malt, but is still quite evident. The aftertaste displays a bit of the hop, but is more defined by a musty earthy tone. Frankly, I’m surprised that noone has yet emulated this beer in a mass market. It’s a great and unique beer and, so far as I can tell, Terrapin runs the shop on India-style brown ales, despite it being a great style.
Terrapin “Sunray” Wheat Beer
Word on the street is that this brew is only available by the sixer in the fine (though generally craft-brew deprived) state of Georgia. I can neither confirm nor deny this. However, I can tell you that, in the Old North State, the only way to get your paws on this beer is to pick up a Terrapin 12-pack sampler. I, for one, am super psyched about Terrapin releasing a sampler. It contains their Golden Ale, Rye Pale, Indian Brown, and Sunray – all killer beers. While it isn’t a cheap sampler at about $18, there isn’t a bad beer in the bunch. But, for now, let’s get on with the new beer…
The Sunray pours a hazy medium golden color, appearing rich but wheaty. The head is stark white and dense, but doesn’t really stick around for very long at all, so you don’t get to enjoy it at any length. In the nose, the brew is sweet and fresh, exhibiting hints of wheat malt and some sweet honey aromas with just a bit of citrus. The flavor of this is very easy to like. There is some sweetness here that is both citrusy and rich. I’ve learned that there is some honey in this brew, so that may help to explain the extra layer of richness I’m sensing. In addition, this runs very smoothly through the mouth, all the while carrying a light malt flavor with a yeasty addition that you’ll recognize from your favorite Belgian versions of this style. The aftertaste leaves us with a bit of sweetness, but it altogether washes pretty clean. I’d say this is a great wheat beer that will be very popular with both veterans and newcomers alike. It doesn’t set itself apart from other good Belgian wheats in a big way, but it displays itself very well, and it goes down so easy you’re liable to find yourself drinking a few of these.
Left Hand “Terra-Rye’zd” Black Rye Lager
This is a collaboration between Left Hand and Terrapin, two breweries I like very much. But I must admit that I have been ducking and dodging this beer for quite some time. The name, label art and ingredients scream “abrasive” and I just really don’t want to taint my favorable impression. But I’m tired of opening my fridge and having this beer stare back at me so here goes…
This beer is a very deep, dark, brown; almost black. It has a roasted malt and mild chocolate aroma that is very different from what I had imagined. I expected a sharp, earthy smell but that just isn’t the case. The taste is just as surprising. It has a very round mouthfeel and there are a lot of chocolate notes that coat the tongue. The earthiness I expected in the smell does evolve in the taste as the liquid pass through the mouth. Again, the initial taste is very rich but then it separates and exposes floral flavors that tickle the side of the mouth. Oh, but we’re not done. Then this taste disappears for a split second before the aftertaste rears its smokey head. It’s like they created a stout/porter hybrid with some hop characteristics. I wouldn’t say it’s on my list of favorites but I will say it’s on the list of beers that have impressed me. It is very complex and well balanced, all while using some unorthodox ingredients. Well done Left Hand and Terrapin, I look forward to your next venture.
Terrapin Gamma Ray
Nothing like watching the election returns and drinking limited release beer. This is a historical night in America folks, either we elect the first Black president or we elect the oldest first term president along with the first female VP. To commemorate this event I have decided to review Terrapin’s newest “Side Project” brew. It is a Wheat Wine Ale brewed with honey per the label. According to a recent review by Jeff Holland of Creative Loafing it has a “mead-like strength”. This makes me a little nervous because I abhor mead but I’m willing to give it a try. Plus I’ve had enough Terrapin brews to know I should always give them the benefit of the doubt.
This beer surely looks thick as it flows into my chalice. It pours an opaque pale, golden color with a very frothy head that quickly dissipates to what amounts to slightly more than a film. Wow, this smells delicious! It could pass as either a bold Bavarian style hefeweizen or a simple Belgian triple. It is heavy with coriander and spice with subtle licorice-like undertones. There is so much going on with the taste that it is almost impossible to pick it apart, but I’ll try. The citrus flavors and sugary sweetness touch the front of the tongue and then shoot to the top and back of the palate. The clove, pepper, and other spices tickle the gums and sides of the mouth while the honey and licorice flavors coat the back of the tongue and slide down the throat. All of this rounds out into an aftertaste that begins with banana and finishes with a slight bitterness – strange I know, but it’s a true story. Like I said earlier I was frightened by the “mead-like strength.” Fortunately it doesn’t taste like mead, so I’m guessing Mr. Holland was referring to the 11% abv. That being said, while the alcohol content is noticeable, it is quite palatable. This beer does have a mildly thick and sticky mouthfeel but the complex flavors and carbonation have a thinning quality that makes it much more drinkable than I would have imagined. It is no doubt a big beer and one that deserves to be enjoyed at length. The Gamma Ray is not for the faint of heart but for those of you that like a complex brew you’ll love this beer because you get a little something different with each sip. At this point I have no idea how this election will turn out but one thing’s for sure, I’m really enjoying this beer.
Terrapin RoggenRauchbier
This is part of the Terrapin Side Project series. I believe the last “side project” offering I wrote about was the Hop Shortage Ale. If memory serves me correctly, I liked it. This beer is a combination of the roggen and rauch styles hence the very unique and innovative name. Here’s a little German lesson for you; roggen means rye, rauch means smoke and bretzel means bread pretzel (you’re welcome). For those of your that are a little slow essentially we have a rye/smoke beer. I don’t have a firm handle on it either but I trust the folks at Terrapin so I’m giving this beer the benefit of the doubt.
This beer looks very interesting. It has a brown hue that lightens from top to bottom. As per the name it smells kinds smokey but not ashtray smokey, more roasted nut smokey. I expected a slight bacon/beef-like quality as well but this beer seems to be more subdued than some. Truth be told there is also a malty sweetness that follows the smokiness into the nostrils. This characteristic carries over into the taste as well. The flavor is quite smooth with scant meatiness. The sweet, bready flavor arises in the front of the mouth and then morphs into carbon flavoring. The smoke is more pronounce as the beer warms but not so much that it attacks the tastebuds. To this point I have enojoyed this beer but the thing that put it over the top for me is that it doesn’t have a disgusting, ashy aftertaste. As a matter of fact there is more of a malty aftertaste that washes away the smoke flavor. This isn’t a beer I would drink on a regular basis but it is unique and drinkable. I urge the folks at Terrapin to keep making beers on the side.
Terrapin “Side Project” Hop Shortage Ale
Recent polls have found that many Americans believe we are in a recession. The stock market is in shambles, gas prices are at an all time high, the government is shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to “stimulate the economy”, and the cost of a variety of grocery items has risen to buffer the price of transportation. 2008 will forever be known as the year of conservation, of “going green”, as activists plead with us to protect our natural resources and ensure our grandchildren’s children can enjoy the same luxuries we have now.
Not even the beer industry could evade this period of “destitution.” Brewers clamored to preserve their hops stores due to a pandemic shortage. In these hard times the good folks at Terrapin raised a big middle finger and shouted a loud “F.U.!” to everybody and I love them for it. They took a ridiculous amount of hops that they could have spread across many different batches of beer and put them all in one pot. I don’t care if this beer is good or not, I’m just glad that someone finally stood up and said, “Hey, I want to enjoy this now, let the people in the future fend for themselves.” Yes!
This beer pours a clear golden yellow, much more transparent than I had expected. The aroma is viciously earthy, full of hop, hop and more hop. It definitely fills the nostrils but it isn’t so abrasive that it stings. There is a hint of nut that hides in the background but it really has nothing to do with the beer. The taste, ahhh the taste, it’s hoppy…go figure. The flavor tickles the front of the tongue and then attacks the back of the mouth. There is floral flavors all over the place. I must say, at first I wasn’t terribly fond of this beer; it tastes like hoppy water. But then as it warmed a little and the flavors mellowed I changed my mind. Hop-heads will love this beer, but those that need some complexity in their beer will probably be left disappointed. Some other IIPAs with the same hop-like characteristics also had a malty sweetness that cut the bitterness. Not this one but in this instance I don’t mind it at all. Good for Terrapin for not going the politically correct way and conserving their ingredients.
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Honestly, I’m a big fan of what the folks at Terrapin are doing. They have a good stable of adventurous beers (check out the Wake-N-Bake Stout and the recent Hop Shortage Ale that Matt SHOULD be reviewing as soon as he quits playing Rock Band long enough to do it). Beyond this, Terrapin still manages to make a nice collection of daily drinker beers that, while easily palatable and light, still manage to have a ‘je ne sais qua’ that sets them apart from anything else on the shelf. This Rye Pale Ale is no different.
This beer pours a rather clear dark golden color with a slight off-white head. The aroma is actually quite hoppy – moreso than you’d expect from a simple pale ale. It is just pungent enough to raise an eyebrow, but certainly not obtrusive. In the mouth, this beer again displays a surprising amount of hop for a pale ale. However, this isn’t the defining factor. The real thing that sets this apart is the usage of rye. Rye, as opposed to barley or wheat or rice, gives this beer an interesting twang that is hard to describe. It complements the hop superbly and I can only describe it as somewhat ‘sweet-and-sour’. It offers a slight sourness on the tongue, but there also seems to exist a phantom bready sweetness. This, combined with the floral hops, gives this beer a much more complex palate than one would expect. However, everything works together so well that you can easily slip this one to your less-adventurous beer drinker, and they’ll still be satisfied without being scared away. Overall, a great beer, and worthy of the accolades it has won at many beer festivals. This is a great one to have in the fridge for either a daily drinker or an occasional treat (or just a daily treat).
Terrapin Golden Ale
So, we haven’t QUITE reviewed the full stable of Terrapin beers yet, but I aim to resolve that in the near future, starting with this, the tamest of them all – the Golden Ale.
This beer pours a soft golden color that is just the slightest bit hazy, with tiny bubbles lackadaisically rising to the thin white head on the surface of the beer. In the nose, there is a medium hop bitterness combined with a lightly sour malt aroma that makes this pungent in a way that isn’t entirely pleasant, but invokes that ‘beeriness’ that is familiar to many golden ales. The taste of this ale is more pronounced than most golden ales you’ll run into. Initially, there is a light carbonation burn on the tip of the tongue, but that quickly transitions into a sourness that is reminiscent of the bastard-son of a French Saison ale – it isn’t quite so defined as what you get in a typical Saison, but the characteristics are there. On top of this is a sweetness that sits in the background, but is most certainly present, in the form of some biscuity malt flavor. As this moves on down the tongue, some metallic hopiness also comes into play, and this increases until the back of the mouth and takes center stage in an aftertaste that sticks around for quite a while. The mouthfeel of this beer is also quite substantial, leaving a thin coating of the beer over the mouth and tongue for seconds after the swallow. Altogether, this isn’t quite my cup of tea. I can see how this would be refreshing on a hot day, due to the pronounced sourness. I can also agree that this is a good interpretation of a the admittedly vague ‘golden ale’ style. However, this melange of flavors isn’t entirely what I’ll usually grab, so forgive me if I’m less than ecstatic about this.
Terrapin Rye^2 Imperial Rye Pale Ale
So, Terrapin makes a Rye IPA. They also make a standard IIPA. And now, for your viewing enjoyment, they also make a Rye IIPA. And this is it. I’m drinking it. Right now.
This one pours more like an amber than an IPA. It’s a very clear dark reddish color. The aroma is actually quite malty and doesn’t display a lot of hop. However, there is certainly a ‘tanginess’ to the aroma that indicates the rye presence. In the mouth, the malt again rears its head and nearly demolishes whatever hop is here. Don’t get me wrong, the rye presence in the grain for this beer gives the malt a very rich and tangy flavor that is unlike anything you’ll be accustomed to tasting in a malty beer – that alone makes this worth a try. However, I’m hesitant to grant this the IIPA status, as the hops are hardly evident in the room with this much malt. You can taste the hops, just a little bit. However, when I pick up a IIPA, I expect to get smacked in the face with the hops, which isn’t happening here. So, my bottom line is that A) This is a good beer. If you like malty beers, and if you like the kick that rye can give a beer, then you’re going to love this, and B) This really isn’t a IIPA. They may have tossed some handfuls of hops in here, but I frankly can’t tell and, in my opinion, you can use all the hops in the world in a beer, but if you don’t let the consumer taste them, then I’m not calling it an IIPA. So, in closing, this is a fabulous Terrapin Rye Bomb IPA – and that’s what I’m going to call it.
[Ed. Note - Okay, I'm the dumb arse. I went back to check the bottle after my review, as I couldn't believe Terrapin would call this a IIPA and, sure enough, they don't. It's actually an Imperial Pale Ale. And, that's exactly what this is. Pale ales are maltier and richer and don't display the heavy hop presence of an IPA. So, Terrapin has aptly named this, and I stand corrected. That being said, and I still thing "Rye Bomb" would be a good name for a beer.]
Terrapin “Wake-n-Bake” Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
When’s the last time you had beer for breakfast? Me? I think it was sophomore year of undergrad on a snow day. Tim Brown, you know what I’m talkin’ about. But, anyway, that was a different situation, rife with bad domestic beer and perhaps a stray cocktail. These days – being a refined and aging drinker – were I to have a breakfast beer, I think it would most certainly be the Terrapin Wake-n-Bake. If you haven’t tried the Wake-n-Bake, you owe it to yourself to seek out a bottle. This stuff functions well on many levels, ranging from breakfast beer to dessert beer to winter beer to food additive. And, if you want to just take away all the flowery language, we can just say that it rocks my socks off.
The pour of this beer is mighty dark brown with a light reddish translucent hint right at the edges of the glass, indicating that this stuff has likely matured for a bit. The aroma hits you right in the face when you open the bottle – it is very heavy with coffee beans. While not much else makes it past the coffee, you can catch hints of it’s rhyming counterpart, toffee, and a bit of chocolate. In the mouth, this stuff is phenomenal. The initial taste is syrupy sweet like a refined chocolate. This quickly subsides to a rich and potent coffee flavor that fills the mouth and invades the naval passage. On further through the mouth, the coffee develops a toffee sweetness that keeps moving into a richer oatmeal maltiness with hints of sweet bread. The mouthfeel is silky smooth. In the aftertaste, lots of coffee sticks around, and there is a sweet chocolate residual that sticks to the back of the throat for several seconds.
I heard great things about this beer last season. However, words didn’t do it justice. When I first got a good taste of it recently, my primary impression was that I had never tasted anything like it, which isn’t something I can say very often about beer these days. All things considered, it’s a phenomenal beer and one of the best stouts I’ve ever tasted. The only thing that keeps it from being THE best stout is that it is a bit gimmicky with the coffee and oatmeal, and so I’m not sure we can lump it in as an ‘authentic’ stout. But, hey, a hamster with wings isn’t an ‘authentic’ hamster, but it’s still really freakin’ cool – probably better than the regular hamster. Know what I mean?
Terrapin “Big Hoppy Monster” IIPA
My favorite piece of Terrapin paraphernalia that came out of this weekend is my metal turtle-shaped bottle-opener/black-and-tan-spoon from the Lighthouse Beer Festival in Wilmington, NC. My 2nd favorite piece of paraphernalia is this beer. Recently, I’ve been up-and-down on Terrapin. I think that, on the whole, they are a quality brewery with some excellent IPA varieties. However, I also think they have made some questionable moves outside of the IPA genre. Regardless, this beer is actually quite nice.
The color of this beer is a very dark ruby and very pleasant. The aroma, as expected, is heavily hopped with rich floral and slightly sweet hops. In the mouth, this beer exhibits fairly typical IIPA characteristics. There is a light hop burn at the tip of the tongue, followed by a bitter hop explosion around the middle of the mouth, then followed by a lingering hop bitterness at the back of the throat. The hops here are obviously North American, as they exhibit the aromatic piney goodness that we know and love. In conclusion, I feel like this is an excellent IPA, while not showing us anything that hasn’t already been done – Great, but not unique.
Terrapin “All American” Imperial Pilsner
There is a mind-boggling malt-presence in this beer. This is part of Terrapin’s yearly “Monster Beer Tour” where they bring out the big brews for all of us big-brew fans. I always look forward to these brews, as Terrapin has a knack for taking odd American ingredients to produce a great beer. This particular beer pours a standard Pilsner golden. The surprise for this beer comes in the aroma. The amount of malt in the aroma is the most I have ever found in a beer. To anyone out there who homebrews, this beer smells like opening a can of DME and sticking your face in it. It’s not bad – kinda bakery fresh, like an aromatic dough. The flavor is good, but different. The primary presence is the doughy malt and sweetness. It coats the mouth and leaves you with a sweet aftertaste reminiscent of a rich sourdough bread. It’s very rich for a pilsner, and rather decadent in my opinion. I have tasted a few imperial pilsners at this point, and this one stands out because it forsakes the heavy hoppiness that I usually find. I’m a hop-head, so I miss the hops. But, I respect the fact that Terrapin shied away from the easy hop route and chose to highlight other characteristics in this imperial interpretation of a pilsner.
