 Beerlando (1135), Orlando, Florida, USA
May 15, 2008
Draft at the Ravenous Pig beer dinner. Paired with seared fois gras, zucchini bread, carrot foam, and roasted wild mushrooms. Another fantastic pairing! This brew poured a clear, rusty brown color with a minimal, foamy beige head. Aromas included potent citrus hops atop a roasty caramel malt base, with scorched brown sugar edges and a touch of tasted bread. The flavors stay the course, with fresh grapefruit bitterness countering lightly sweet, toasty caramel and a touch of unexpected chocolate. Medium-plus body. Smooth and easy drinking, with a moderately hoppy finish. This is a really nice beer. The potential food pairings are seemingly limitless.
WeeHeavySD (1539), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Jul 11, 2008 12oz via GAManiac. Shared with my gf cyn. pours copper/amber with a 1 finger tan head. Nose is hoppy. Taste is nicely hopped with a kicking malt back end. This is a cool hybrid.
nearbeer (1076), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Jul 11, 2008 12 oz. Deep garnet-brown with a medium-sized lasting head. Nice mix of grapefruit, molasses and resin aromas. Front flavors of earthy molasses and slightly sour orange. The finish turns more dirty-earthy: leaf, resin, wood and sweet toasted nut. Medium body is almost smooth, has a slight tongue tingle and finishes dryish.
alexanderj (1194), Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Jul 8, 2008 On tap at the Brick Store in Decatur; poured a dark brown/auburn with a long lasting and creamy head. Aroma of roasted malt with an out of place grassy and citrus presence. Flavor of roasted malt with an IPA bitterness in the finish. While the flavor was not too strong, it was a little offputting. I found that the darker elements and the IPA elements did not mesh too well.
jhumphries69 (495), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
Jul 8, 2008 12oz bottle. Pours a deep, slightly hazy, brown with red/ruby highlights and a medium-sized tan head that leaves thick swaths of lace on the glass. The aroma is delectable: lovely oranges with notes of dark chocolate. The citrus hops smell great (cascade or centennial? perhaps amarillo or ahtanum?), and the malt character provides a subtle roasted grain and chocolate tone to the beer’s smell. The flavor starts with a strong note of citrus hops with a chocolate, toffee, and toast malt character. Just before mid-palate, the combination of citrus bitterness and chocolate reaches decadence. At mid-palate the malt profile becomes grainier and drier - like dry, bitter, cocoa powder. The hop bitterness peaks - but is never overpowering, but rather reaches a beautiful balance with the malts. The finish is dry, slightly warming (with a very subtle flavor of alcohol), and both roasty (with a subtle nuttiness) and hoppy. The mouthfeel is briskly carbonated, lightening the perception of the full body so that it feels more medium in body and slippery. Overall, a very drinkable, hoppy beer that perfectly fits their description as an India-style Brown Ale.
rajendra82 (630), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
Jul 3, 2008 Bottled Terrapin IBA, with a label featuring artwork depicting the eponymous reptile playing a Sitar, when poured into a pint glass, looked red tinged brown, and sported a small head. The smell was pretty much halfway between the two styles as the citric hops intersected with a nutty malt. The taste was wavering between these two styles as well before ultimately settling closer to an IPA. The mouthfeel was a letdown to me, as the body felt watery and somewhat weak. The finish was dry and mineralized. I am not sure why Terrapin chose to release this style of beer, but my mind just kept going back for a comparison to a similarly constructed but wholly superior Big Hoppy Monster from them. Worth trying and savoring, but not a spectacular offering.
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