Terrapin Rye Squared

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

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.

Bottle, fresh ’07 batch. Pours a golden copper color with a smallish tan colored head. Aroma is bitter hops, apricot, caramel malt. Flavor is huge, apricot, citrus, peach, caramel, bread. Palate is full bodied, medium carbonation, finishes fruity and yet bitter. This is really good stuff. Some alcohol warming, very fruity and just downright good. I would have to agree with Juelze who said this is more towards an American Strong, but none the less a stellar brew.

(Bottle) Courtesy of Shp555. Pours a foamy, beige head with a copper body. Nose of fine malts, iodine and bitter hops. Strong hops upfront with a whopping ABV kick and smooth malt. Very nice.

Rating #300!

Bottle from Duane, thanks dad! Amber colored pour with a small head. Spicy hop aroma and some bready malt aroma as well. The malt backbone of this IIPA was really great and stood up to the hops very well. They got the rye right as well. Not too much, not too little, but its definitely there. Easy to drink as well. Good stuff from Terrapin!

2007 bottle from JCB. Sweet hoppy aroma, Cascade and Goldings the most obvious. Clear amber body with a short beige/tanned head. Sharp hoppy taste - resin, flowers, perfume. The rye can actually be detected - and it’s quite nice. Bread and caramel. Strong bitterness, a little harsh on the throat, combined with harshness from the overpowering alky. Flitty sweetness dashes in and out but never really establishes itself. Some really juicy malt, though. Rather robust. Ryish burp and very dry aftertaste. Full body, slightly oily, and mf is not the greatest. Aggressive; demands attention. Another stylish brew from Terrapin. Still, I can’t help feeling that it’s a bit raw. Thanks, Jason!

Sweet malty aroma, wouldn’t call it an IIPA. Copper pour, little head. Pretty sweet, dark fruit flavors, some chocolate, malty most the way, alcohol in the finish. Slight bitterness. More like a barleywine. Not much hops at all. Pretty tasty though. I’m scoring it as a "beer" instead of as a double IPA.