Terrapin Rye Squared

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

Rerate of 2007; original rating below. Same color as before and aroma. Very drinkable, if not truly elite flavor. Previous impressions hold. Liked it just a bit less; 3.9 to 3.8. (Bottle; pours a clear amber, not much off white head. Aroma of caramel malt, rye, spice and more rye. Subtle and good. Mild combination creates a nice smooth and lightly creamy mouthfeel. Flavor was basically the same as the aroma; except it had a light sweetness, honey and floral; with a moderately detectable alcohol presence. Agree w/ previous rater that to me it reminded me more of an American Strong Ale. Still really enjoyed it)

Decent sized off white head of fine bubbles. Light carbonation. Smoked malt aroma with some caraway, rye bread and a bit of a sickly sweetness in the aroma. Color is a dark copper brown. Lively in the mouth. Malty and a little sweet. Caramel, plenty of spicy hops, more smoked grains and a strong alcohol presence. Makes the tongue and gums tingle. Great balance to this brew. Slightly bitter. Hops presence could be a little stronger. I would classify this as an american strong. A little more hops and it is there. Malty finish with a linger hops bitterness. A very good brew. Thanks to TBC for this one!

Dark amber color. Smell of spice, hops. brown sugar, malt, citrus, grass, minor pine, rye and alcohol. Taste of burnt caramel, malt(very heavy), hops, citrus zest, sugar, rye, spice, some flowers, grapefruit and alcohol. Malt backbone is huge in this one. I think too much! Still a decent one! Thanks to thebeercellar for the brew!

Dark amber in color, almost no head. Sweet in the mouth, dry, slightly bitter finish. Strangely nowhere near as hoppy as their normal Rye Pale Ale.

caramel, resin, alcohol, amber, aminimal head, tan foam, light sweetness, medium bitterness, average carbonation, Alcohol Smell was very prevalent

bottle from TBC: pours an amber colour with a nice thin white head some lacing. aroma is sweet malts first, wonderful hops, breadiness, and honey i believe. the flavour is biscuit, sweet malt, honey, and some floral hops. a wonderful balance of the sweets and bitters in this beer really enjoying it.

Thick, dense sweetness. Too sweet. Tastes oxidized, but that might be a different off flavor I’m picking up. Cardboardy. Lacking real hop definition. A little rye flavor, but severely lacking that dry crisp rye character. Syrupy and offensive. Bitterness in the back, but not enough to balance. I’m not sure that’s oxidation; I think it’s just the rye and the other malts not fitting together well and producing a nasty effect. This isn’t an awful beer, but it just doesn’t really work. I think if the malt bill were tweaked slightly it could be pretty darn good.

Enjoyed this one (long ago) at the Terrapin "Horizontal" Monster Tasting at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Ga. Appearance: Arrived hazy, and colored a rich, rusty orange hue topped with a bold, admirably sticky beige head. Smell: Holy moly, what an odor! A honey-covered biscuit surrounded by a swarm of vicious hop bees. Quite a fierce aroma, smelling primarily of luscious grassy, citrusy hops over a foundation of sweet malts. Taste: Rye biscuits slathered with a rainbow of citrus flavors. Concentrated grassy, peppery hop flavors hit hard in the mouth, but ease off relatively quickly, yielding to the caramelly malts as the beer warms through a bit. The alcohol is present, but not overly pronounced, and just provides a welcome bit of heat as the beer goes down. Mouthfeel: Just a hair under full-bodied, while still remaining quite thick and creamy upon the palate. Drinkability: Not bad, but I seriously doubt I could put away much more than a pint or two in one sitting. Still, though, its an intriguing brew, and quite delectable when all is said and done.