Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

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

Bonus bottle from Jrob_21 thanks! Pours deep red with off white head. Aroma is very caramelly with hints of hops. Flavor is chewy buttery caramel and toffee. Toasty malts and light hop bitterness and flavor. Alcohol is completely hidden with the only hint being the creamy thick body. I love the malts flavor in this but the hops seem really muted and i was a bit dissappointed.

Pours very dark amber from 12 oz bottle. Aroma of hops, malts and sea air. Flavor is of banana’s, malts and hops. Slight alcohol taste, but is balanced with rest of beer. A rather low key IIPA, I would love to try it on tap. No doubt it could be sessionable and seriously f*ck you up. Not a bad beer, I still love Weyerbachers IIPA better, but this is very good too. I’m impressed.....

Thick maroon brown. Smells so similar to banana foster - a combo of caramel, bananas and alcohol. I thought it would be much hoppier. Can taste the caramel and alcohol as well. Very nice and thick. Easier to drink and more enjoyable than I imagined.

Bottle. Had numerous times and never rated. Always want this beer to have more hop punch to it. Big malt flavor to it. Decent but not great.

12oz bottle-pours a tan head and deep red color. Aroma is medium malt-molasses, citrus/spicy hops. Taste is dark/medium malt-molasses/chocolate, citrus/spicy hops. Ok carbonation.

From bottle : Pours very dark brown with minimal light brown head that turns to a ring of foam rather quickly. Aroma of hops at first sniff, then is followed with malts and spice. Flavor is really really good. There is a lot going on, we got a nice hop taste, balanced very well with malts, some fruits making an apparence, and maybe a little underlying alcohol taste, but goes well with everything else. Not to bitter at all, leaves a nice malty aftertaste. Palate is medium body, gets thicker as it goes down it seems, and pretty lively on the tongue. Very very good.

Dark red (almost black) pour with nice tan head. Aroma is hoppy and spicy with a hint of spruce. Candy present as well. Smells like Christmas. Spiciness and spruce still present in flavor. Bitterness and sweetness well balanced. I taste an underlying fruitiness (raisins?). Very, very good. With a name like ’Big Hoppy Monster’ I was expecting a hop bomb; it wasn’t. I think it would make a nice Christmas ale.

2007 bottle, with thanks to drmatt for this excellent bonus! Pours a clear, dark burgundy with a one finger orange tinted tan head, minimal lacing. Aroma is spicy hops, with some caramel and slight alcohol present - not as aromatic as I’d expect. Flavor is actually quite tame, but very smooth and drinkable. Any hint of hops bite is quickly extinguished by the malts - well balanced, but almost to a fault if that makes sense. Very quaffable, but not overly exciting.