Terrapin Big Sloppy Monster

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

On tap at the Brick Store as part of their 12th Anniversary festivities. I’ve been looking forward to this for some time as I am huge, huge fan of the regular BHM. The pour is a murky chestnut brown with a big creamy off-white head that leaves lots of thick lacing and settles in as a solid cap for the duration. The aroma is more about the barrel character than the underlying beer. The dominant aroma are caramel malts, vanilla and a big whiskey presence that you can smell from a few feet away. The hops that I really love in the fresh BHM are long gone and this (as some have said already) is closer to a barleywine than a hoppy red. The taste is just as sweet as the aroma with lots of sugary fruit, caramel malts and the ever-present taste of the barrel. The whiskey is there up front and leaves a big burn in the finish. Again, I don’t think I could detect hops in the taste at all. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied for an amber/red and maybe a tad light for a barleywine, depending on what you’re looking for. It’s got soft carbonation and the feel is mostly driven by the whiskey barrels. Overall, I enjoyed this beer, but it’s one of those barrel aged beers that makes it very difficult to tell what the underlying beer was. A very good barley-wine style beer that doesn’t resemble the Big Hoppy Monster in very many ways.

Had this on tap at the Brick Store. This beer was the 2006 version aged in Jack Daniels barrels for 9 months (This is what the description said). The whiskey flavor was HEAVY. I liked this actually. Very nice dark caramel brown with a slight red hue. Has a nice off-white head that leaves amazing lacing. The whiskey aroma is very apparent. I wished I would not have had the barrel aged version. The whiskey aroma was heavy. There was a slight sweet aroma that came through with the whiskey. The flavor was whiskey with a sweet malt flavor. Nice creamy palate. I was hoping for more hops, but what can I say the wood/whiskey flavor just took over. I actually like whiskey flavor(s) in my beer so this thing was awesome. Get it at Brickstore while you can, and thanks unclemattie for the post. I wouldn’t have known without you. For an imperial/double IPA I think it lacks hops, I would say it is an american strong ale, but who cares what I say.

Date: June 07, 2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewery
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: muddy dark rusty red, wispy beige head
Aroma: sweet dark caramel and vanilla aroma with lotsof bourbon, touch of balancing earthyness, light fruity tartness
Flavor: sweet caramel and vanilla flavor, plenty of earthy hops along with the oak for balance, bourbon sweetness comes back to balance the oak, aparent peppery alcohol

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Date: October 10, 2009
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brick Store Pub
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: muddy dark brown, frothy beige head
Aroma: sweet malt aroma, sweet vanilla and light whiskey, touch of chocolate and brown sugar
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of oak, sweet vanilla and whiskey, touch of alcohol, long bitter finish
Overall: a bit muddier this year with the flavors not blending as well

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Pours a hazy deep brown color with a brown head. Aroma is bourbon, oak, vanilla, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, and some citrus hop notes. Flavor is bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel, molasses, alcohol, and a sweet sugary bourbon finish.

Draft at Terrapin Brewau 2008. Pours a nice cola color. Medium sized, tan head. Aroma of whisky, vanilla. Lightly sweet flavor at the start. Caramel malt really blends well with the vanilla flavors. The hop bittterness is there, but just barely. Long bitter finish with warming alcohol to take it home. Great beer and a great event.

Appearance: Opaque, brown body with an inch of lasting, off-white foam. Smell: Caramel-scented maltiness with full bourbony accents smelling of vanilla, toasted coconut shavings, and wood. That wood note grows a bit upon warming. Taste: Caramel maltiness with a rich, heavy sweetness. More coconut, vanilla, and oak. As with the aroma, the oakiness intensifies as it warms. Slight underlying bitterness, but the hop flavors are long gone, traded in for Jack Daniels, it would seem. Warming, bourbony taste lingers beyond the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-low carbonation. Drinkability: Quite good! Certainly won’t be pleasing any hop heads, but fans of bourbon barrel aging should enjoy it.

On tap at Terrapin brewau. Poured a dark copper brown, with a small off white head. Plenty of lacing. Aroma of bourbon, malt, vanilla, oak, caramel, hops. Taste is also of vanilla, oak, hops, malt, and caramel. Some alcohol also comes through. Finishes with some alcohol/bourbon and light hop bitterness. Mouth is relatively thick, especially when compared to the Hoppy Monster. Overall, an excellent brew that benefits from a few months on oak.