Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

Brewed by Terrapin Beer Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Athens, Georgia USA

The artwork reminds me of "Madballs." Man those things were cool as shit. Look them up. What a brew....this could have been; and will be if they take out some of the cloying sweetness. Aside, great bouquet on the nose. Crisp, pine forest, sappy, and floral. Taste is superb, hoppy, bright, and clean. Lots of distinction in the hops, mild citrus and grain notes, honey, syrup, and a decent amount of malty balance. Chewy, but overkill on the sugar. I would have rated this into the 4’s if it wasn’t so sickeningly sugary.

Dark red-brown, puffy sticky light tan head. Hoppy spicy aroma with a thick malty sweetness, fruity toffee. Taste is cocoa, caramel, alc, then a mellowing bitterness.

Bottle from joshuahfl. Pours dark amber red with a decent beige head. Rich malty aroma overtopped by floral hop. Medium body with frothy carbonation. Flavor is heavy roast caramel and a pretty good amount of floral hop. It is more sweet than not in the finish. Tends more towards amber than IPA, but maybe that’s just me. One heck of a flavor no matter how you categorize it.

Has big red pour, with off white foam head with reddish tint. Has a nice big aroma of hops and roasted malts.

Pours out dark brown with lots of head. Taste is malty and hoppy. Flavors of bread, caramel, citrus, and pine. Nice balance between the sweet and bitter. No alcohol is present here, easy drinker. Smooth with a sticky sweet but bitter finish. Good brew.

Bottle via trade thanks to PALMEJ1 on BA. I see my buddy Ben just rated this beer - what a coincidence. Or not. I guess both of us probably drink way too much beer. Pours a cloudy reddish-brown color with a large, creamy beige head that really lasts, leaving good lacing. Aroma is caramel malt, herbs, black tea, citrusy and resinous hops, and booze. Flavor is a no joke imperial red ale. Loads of caramel malt, earth, herbal notes, biscuit malt, and a citrusy, resinous hop finish. Medium-bodied, fairly syrupy, with a tiny bit of booze. Overall a very nice beer.

Location: 12 oz bottle from Wine and Beer Westpark, 12/7/09

Aroma: Nose starts off quite hot, beyond that I got some resiny hops, some caramel, and some citrus hops
Appearance: Pours a dark brownish-red color with a thin off-white head that leaves just a few spots of lace
Flavor: Taste is medium-heavy hoppy bitterness up-front with a big malt backbone that almost balances it
Palate: The ABV is quite well-hidden considering the nose in this full bodied, smooth, highly drinkable brew
Overall Impression: The nose would make you think you were stepping into a barleywine or something, since it is quite hot, but the beer itself tastes much balanced, and the alcohol is pretty well hidden. It is interesting, I’m not sure I can recall another beer with so much booze on the nose that drinks so smoothly and hides its ABV so well. Anyway, this is really what I took away most from this one, but it is quite a nice beer, one I would certainly be happy to enjoy again.

2009 Bottle - Thanks kiefdog! Pours a deep and thick ruddy brown with a small tan head...aroma is sweet and citrusy, caramel...flavour is sticky and tasty, grapefruit and rich malt, biscuit and grain...finish is a lingering malty mouthful...very tasty...