Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

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

Pours a clear, medium brown with a light head that dissipates quickly. It smells hoppy and malty with a little bit of citrus. The taste is sweet and hoppy with a little bit of chocolate/coffee in the background. The carbination is very light in the mouth. This is really a pretty good beer. Tart and crisp but with some real body.

ours big and brown with a thick tan head. Very over the top style aroma and taste like the rye squared beer they have. Smooth sweet malty taste yet goes down very smooth and clean. The malt seams to dominate more than the hops in the name. A little disappointing, as I expected more hops and less malt, but overall, another great beer by a great brewery.

12-oz., 2006. Thanks, um, either Boboski or FranksnBeans! I think. One of the all-time great labels. Pours opaque dark mahogany brown with a big, thick, sudsy off-white head that falls quickly to not much. Big cobwebs of lace in the corners of the glass. Ultra sweet, brown sugary, caramelly, bready nose. Not so monstrously hoppy, olfactorily speaking. Body’s on the high side of medium, not much carb. Thick, oozing sweetness all over the mid-palate: caramel, brown sugar, and brown bread again. Thick, sticky sugar on the finish. Not really what they’re aiming for here, but if it’s too sweet for *me*, it’s too sweet for almost anybody.

Yet another bottle thanks to miketd. Poured a deep reddish copper with a moderate beige head that receded to a ring. Nice caramel malt aroma with hints of fruity hops. Light malt opening gives way to a nice, earthy dose of hops with a sweet caramel undertone on the finish. Nice and smooth on the palate, with a bit of bite from the hops. Alcohol isn’t noticable in the taste. Unfortunate that it has to be classified as a DIPA. "Hoppy Monster" may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is still a good beer. Thanks again Mike.

The "big hoppy" part is a little overstated. The hops are mellow and subdued. The aroma is there - the hoppy flavor and overall bitterness is not. A little sweet and caramel along with a nice maltiness too.

Bottle via trade with JCB. Mildly hoppy and malty aroma. Grassy hops. Some rye spice and bready malt. Pours rich mahogany. Quite attractive. Decent sized white head. Toasted biscuity malt on the palate. Earthy hops. Dried leaves. Decent balance between hops and malt. Too balanced and not hoppy enough for an IIPA. Medium bodied. Just a tad thin. Could stand to be thicker and creamier. A minor disappointment.

’07 bottle. I honestly expected more from this beer. Too weak to be classified as an IIPA, it is what Terrapin calls it - An Imperial Red Ale. The more accurate Terrapin IIPA is Rye Squared. No real IIPA characteristics here... the hops are not as strong as I would have liked for an imperial. Thin to medium body, with a nice stronger finish... still would like a bigger hop presence. Pours a deep red/amber with a tiny bit of head that does not last. Overall, a very drinkable and clean red ale that can be dangerous given the ABV. I don’t know what they mean by "this Monster Beer is truly not for the faint at heart." It’s not that strong.

A good beer. Full bodied and light red color. There is a good hop aroma and hop flavor but overall the hops are surprisingly mild, with citrus and some herbs, and balanced by sweet malt.