Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster

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

12 oz bottle from GAManiac. Thanks a bunch, Grant! Poured into a tall tulip. Pours a deep dark ruby copper, brown, murky, as red goes to brown bottom to top. A big tannish head that laces well, cakes a good amount with retention. Aromas are caramel and biscuity malts, a bit further behind that is floral and grapefruit hops, with a bit of the edge taken off. A touch of sweet toffee and toasted malts more subdued. Initial is more bitter than anticipated, citrusy hops with florals, a light resinous pine and dryness on the palate. Biscuits, caramel, toffee, and some toasty bready come into flavor, with a hearty, yet not sticky sweet malt profile. Toast and hops balance well, as this beer remains medium bodied, taking care not to overrun anything or be a heavy mess. A bit cakey, floral. A quality stronger well hopped ale, a more balanced beer than a DIPA, especially those of the West Coast variety. Very nice, especially good praise coming from a man who can live without most Amber ales.

Bottle Pours a murky dark amber with a decent french vanilla head. The head has average lastability, and laces quite nicely. Has a good hoppy aroma of pine, wood, dark fruits, and soap. Has a good carbonation. The flavor is good. Decent hoppiness without being overlly bitter. Alcohol is well hidden. Very crisp and smooth. Has an oily texture. The finish is real good and a wonderful aftertaste. This is a fairly good beer. Fear the turtle....

Holy cow, I thought I was at a Christmas Tree farm when I opened the bottle. Wonderful piney hop aroma from a dark elixir with a reddish hue. The name says it all.....over the top hop flavour and a nice backing of smooth, sweet malt. This is proof that not all of the best Double IPA’s come from the west coast. Well worth the premium price for a superb brew.

Experienced via draft in a pub glass. The beer pours a deep ruby color that borders on being almost brown. The nose lacks the hop character found in better examples of the style. It was short of being totally neutral, but certainly lacked the west coast American hop nose. The palate was also something of a disappointment. While there was a nice level of malt character and complexity up front, including some pleasing medium to high-crystal malt character, the level of alcohol flavor was unacceptable. In some ways, it tasted like they had brewed a pale ale and then dumped a bottle of White Tavern vodka into the fermenter. Overall, poorly finished and far too rough to merit any sort of good rating. An obvious sign of ratbeerians’ penchant for highly rating any strong beers.

Pours a melted caramel type color with an off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma, but nothing different than I’ve experienced many times. Kind of a grapefruity hop taste with quite a bit of malt flavor. Big hoppy monster, this beer is not, but decent nonetheless.

Sweet malty aroma, very much a big brown ale, a low end barleywine in character, with a distinctly sugary sweet aroma... Clear brown color with a decent head... Medium bodied, dry yet sweet, flavor profile fades in the middle, i have a feeling this is an old sample... I’ll rerate, but with this just recently becoming available in SEPA, i find it hard to believe i got an old bottle... If this was classified differently. i might be more inclined to give it higher rating... This was not a big hoppy monster...

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of hops, dark ripe fruits, slight wood, lightly toasted caramel malt, and a hint of alcohol. Poured deep amber/copper/brown in color with a small, tan head that diminished but lasted throughout as a film on top of the beer. Hazy. Very slightly sparkling. Full of small particles throughout. Flavor is medium bitter and slightly sweet. Tastes of hops, wood, caramel malt, resin, light tobacco, light grains, light dark ripe fruit, and a hint of chocolate. Medium to full body. Dry texture. Average carbonation. Hops, resin, caramel malt finish is dry.

slightly opaque ruby-brown color with a thin tan head...retention could be better. aroma is very sweet and malty...some roastiness and a touch of sticky hops...slighty reminiscent of a barleywine in aroma and flavor...malt dominates the "hoppy monster" with roasty caramel and a hint of a sweet vanilla-like flavor and dark fruit. sweet sticky hops in the end. mouthfeel is a bit creamy with lots of co2 action on the tongue. a decent beer...one that id drink again...but it doesnt do the name justcie.