Terrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster

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

Name: Big Hoppy Monster 2008, oak aged
Date: November 02, 2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Decatur
Appearance: muddy dark red, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet dark caramel and vanilla aroma balanced by fresh hops
Flavor: big sweet caramel and vanilla flavor, spicy hops combine with peppery alcohol, light bitter finish, big oak and earthyness comes in on the second goblet, touch of hot spicy alcohol in the finish
Overall: the caramel and vanilla meld well together, the oak and earthyness make a good pair, but the two teams gang up and fight each other

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

Name: Big Hoppy Monster 2008, oak aged
Date: November 14, 2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brick Store Pub
Appearance: clear dark ruby red, fine beige head, sheets of grey lace
Aroma: sweet caramel and vanilla aroma
Flavor: lots more of the oak coming through in the flavor, the oak is playing well with the vanilla and caramel this time making for a great complex profile, oak gets a bit too strong after a while and combines with the hop bitterness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4

On tap at the Room. Hazy dark reddish-brown with a rich head. Smells like a chewy caramel lumber yard. Fully body, creamy, bitter, woody, and lots of vanilla. Cohesive, it is ok stuff but as with any Terrapin beer too much crystal malt. Thus, it does not come together all that well and it gets tough to finish the glass.

Draft... Clear, dark crimson ale with a mid-sized, very creamy, off-white head. Fantastic retention. Earthy nose... pine, resin, dust. Medium to full-bodied with fizzy carbonation. Way bitter when cold. As it warms, some of the caramel and medium-roast malts begin to solidity, but are quickly subdued by grapefruit rind and pine needle bitterness. Lengthy, toasty, (almost violently) bitter finish.

This is one powerful IPA. Rich orange/red color. Nice sticky head. aroma is powerful with resin, kerosene, and tons of malt profile too. Flavor is huge with matls and a very strong hop flavor almost a gasoline note to it. I couldnt drink more than one of these.

On tap at the Mellow Mushroom in Tampa. Pours darker than the non BA version due to the leaching of barrel qualities. It was mahogany with tan head. The aroma was a pleasing combination of tangelo, orange juice, a background of malt sweetness, oak, singed caramel and vanilla. Very nice aromatic balance that reduces the will to wait any longer for that first sip. The taste is very much the same with meaty juicy citrus hops coming from orange, tangelo and sugar coated grapefruit wedges. As soon as you take a moment to ponder the hoppiness a nearly equal strength wave of oak, maple syrup and vanilla meet up with a backbone of sweet malts and take the experience to closure. Lovely balance between the base beer and the barrel notes. Very nice.

Brown with ruby highlites. Thin beige head. Nice fresh, floral hop aroma, with a touch of oak. The oak is more prominate than in the aroma. Th oak aging mixes well with the beer. I liked this one quite a bit.

Appearance: Murky-looking, brown body with some orangey-amber hints at the edges and topped by a thin, whitish head. Smell: Rich caramel malts scented with vanilla and citrusy grapefruit rinds and, oh yes, there’s plenty of pungent oak character to go around. Taste: Earthy, toasty malts with a full caramel sweetness. Touch of vanilla. It’s right about this time the oak starts rolling in, drying out the flavor and practically soaking up any remaining sweetness like a doggone sponge. This leaves the tongue wide open for the assault of citrusy hops and their full bitterness. Finishes bitter and exceptionally dry. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Some oak jobs I love and some, well... I found this top by a bit over-the-top. Personally, I would be much happier to have just the plain ole’, regular BHM.

Terrapin Oaked Big Hoppy tap @ tacomac, decatur. Deep hazy, cloudy, red. Thick white head. aroma of rich malt, hint of wood. flavor is a huge explosion of hops. Hops, hops, and citrus expolsion. Smooth creamy texture. hop explosion and that’s all i got. 4,5,8,4,15