Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

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

This is a relatively dark beer with a strong but mixed flavor. A balance of hops and malts - strong on both. A smooth beer with a dark fruit flavoring.

First off I thought this was an I.p.a. In any case, its a good red ale. Malty with a dark reedish copper color to it. Thick lacing, and a nice dry hop flavor to it. I had this brew a bit too cold.

Bottle from trade with TheBeerCellar2 . Pours a reddish amber color with a medium off white head. Aroma of hops and pine. Taste is surprisingly mellow and smooth. Has bit of sweet flavor with notes of caramel with a hint of cocoa. Finishes extremely mild without the hop bite.

Pours a cloudy deep brown/amber hue with a light slight off-white head with decent lacing. Aromas of caramel, a light spice, a hint of wheat, and a little more caramel and toffee. Mouthfeel is mediunm to full bodied with flavors of an imperial red ale, not really a double ipa. The flavors include citrus, a hint of pine, but mainly flavors of the oats, maple and some more woodsy notes. Honey, caramel and a pleasant sweetness.

Thick malts, honey, but very balanced with lots of hops, citrus, spicy all in the aroma. Pours dark red with a white head that doesn’t last. Rich malts, honey and molasses, with loads of hops, northwestern citrus hops. Not for the feint at heart is right. I feel like its missing something though?

Pours iut a nice deep copper color with a decent beige head. Aroma is rather sweet and fruity and has nice amounts of hops throught it. Flavor has notes of citrus, sweetness, a little bit of malt and a nice amount of bitterness. not as bitter as i would have expected, but a soild IIPA at any rate.

Bottle from Capone’s. Dark brownish-plum color with a medium beige head. Aroma of caramel and heavy dark fruits mixes well with some pleasant citrus and floral hop. Very pleasant floral/citrus hop flavor is balanced quite well by some sweet caramel and bread flavors coming from the darker malts. Remarkably smooth and enjoyable. This may not be a true "D/IIPA" but its a finely crafted brew in its own right.

The aroma was malty and toasty with a notable biscuit character. The hops were citrusy and muted due to time. The aroma was fruity with a strong pineapple character and a light alcohol note. The beer poured into the glass hazy deep amber with a tannish low head which lasted well to lace the glass. The flavor was malty with a strong dark caramel character and a hoppy citrus flavor of grapefruit coupled to a substantial presence of bittering. The fruity pineapple character of the aroma carried through into the flavor. The finish was dry with lasting toast and dark caramel alongside bittering long into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was just almost full and the carbonation level was a bit low. A nice easy drinking beer with notable hops. More of an IPA than anything else. 12 ounce bottle, 2006.