Terrapin Chocolate Thunder

Pours an almost opaque black color with a brown head. Aroma is caramel, cocoa, chocolate, coffee, roast, and some bitter roasty notes. Flavor is caramel, cocoa, roast, chocolate, and a bitter roasty finish.

Date: January 31, 2009
Mode: Cask
Source: Beerfest, ACAT
Appearance: opaque dark brown, wispy beige head
Aroma: dark dry chocolate aroma, earthyness keeps it dry
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, just a touch of caramel sweetness, earthyness keeps it pretty dry
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

On cask at ACAT. Not getting a ton of the oak character here. The only hint I get is some wood on the back end. Bready chocolate aroma. Nice chewy chocolate malt flavor.

Appearance: Dark brown, near black body with a smallish, bubbly, off-white head. Smell: The nose of a mildly chocolaty porter steeped in oak with lesser notes of roasted malt and decaffeinated coffee. That’s what we’ve got here. Taste: Initial roasted maltiness with a light sweetness and a vague, mild chocolate taste that, while never exactly abundant in the standard Side Project version, is further slackened to make room for the oak. Minor earthy, roasty bitterness. Stark dry finish with a light, lingering hint of oak. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Man oh man, Terrapin sure does have a rich passion for oaking their products! Why, there’s hardly a beer of theirs that they haven’t given the oak treatment. And while it’s true, I haven’t always liked the results, I did appreciate this one and certainly commend them for honing their oaking skills.

Cask at Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting. Poured dark brown, tan head. Aroma of heavy chocolate, vanilla, oak. Taste is similar with a lot of chocolate and some interesting oak notes. Mouth is medium bodied, and the finish is smooth. Overall, another interesting oak-infused Terrapin brew.