Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

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

Back when I was in elementary school there were these 3 huge persimmon trees on the playground. Once a year the persimmons would be ripe and a big section of the playground would be covered with these temperemental fruits. If you tried to eat one off the tree before it was ripe, you would be left with something so bitter it made you feel like your mouth had been turned inside out. If you picked one up off the ground that was too ripe, you’d be left with something entirely too sweet and mushy to finish. But if you looked around hard enough, you could find three or four of persimmons that were absolutely perfect. Once you got that perfectly ripe persimmon, all your previous unsuccesful attempts were instantly justified. The main difference between trying seasonal beers and finding a perfect persimmon is that you can go right back to the store and stock up once you discover the beer you were looking for. Thank you Terrapin for making my new favorite Autumn beer!

2005 Bottle thanks to CaptainCougar! Poured a beautiful fiery reddish-orange with a creamy cap of beige head... would have been a 5 if it stuck around a tad longer. Excellent pine resin, grapefruit, juicy pear, and complimentary alcohol on the nose... not overly complex, but wonderful! Flavor begins with grapefruit meat, pine bitterness, and sharp alcohol at the tip of the tongue... heavier-bodied across the middle with a substantial and well-balanced juicy fruit and caramel base... heavier on the hops at the back end with lots of pine resin and pear. Syrupy on the palate with a high level of bitterness... complimentary alcohol in the flavor and for warmth going down... long sticky pear and pine finish... felt great! Thanks Tom for this most excellent brew!

Bottle at Kookfest 06. Russet/amber with lasting beige head. Unsurprisingly hoppy. Some decent sweetish malt. Smells cheesy and of hop oil. But then sweetish malts. Very intense. Too sweet.

Kook’s Farewell Spank. Cheese and hop oil aroma - greasy and blurred. Intense, painful and unpleasant hoppiness. Not my thing at all. My mouth burns, and my throat gags.

Thanks Illinismitty. Pours with a deep amber body topped by a thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s sweet and malty with nice grapefruit notes and underlying fruity and piney notes. It has a nice hoppiness, as well as, some caramel. Medium to full bodied, smooth and a little oily.

Bottle (Chris_o Gathering06): Copper sticky with a big hoppy nose. Sweet caramel with toffee. Nice pine and citrus. Suprisingly well balanced.

Bottle. Poured a small ivory head, lackluster lacing, carbonated, transparent, and a reddish brown hue. Nose was caramel, sweet, malty, and grapefruit hoppy notes. Hoppy, citric, sweet, and malty flavors. Mildly tingly mouthfeel. Medium body.

2005 vintage. 12oz. bottle. Deep dark orange-brown with a small dark tan head. Scorched caramel, raisin bread, and piney vegetal hops in the aroma. Appley, sweet bread maltiness lingering underneath a caramel and biscuit character. Muted fruity hop sweetness and more prominant floral resinousness in the finish. Mouthfeel is a heavy medium, somewhat sticky.