Terrapin Side Project Hop Shortage Ale

Brewed by Terrapin Beer Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Athens, Georgia USA

Name: SP 01 Hop Shortage Ale
Date: March 22, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: clear dark copper, fine beige head
Aroma: strong grassy citrus hop aroma on a sweet crystal malt base
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of balancing earthy hops, long bitter finish

Name: SP 01 Hop Shortage Ale
Date: March 27, 2008
Mode: bottle
Aroma: sweet crystal and pine aroma with a touch of the prior grassyness, upon warming an earthyness with a slight spicyness takes over to dry it out
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor accents the sweet piney hops, earthyness comes in for the balance and starts to take over, long bitter finish
Overall: starts of sweet and piney but the earthy hops catch up and turn it into an overly bitter IPA

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Chewy Terrapin aroma with vaguely bright fruits. Hazy blonde. Crisp, bitter hops. Decent balance though it still has some of that Terrapin chewiness. The finish is off-dry and the bursting hop notes have more or less disappeared by this point.

(22oz bottle, thanks Immy) Medium off-white head quickly dissipates atop a crystal clear light amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, orange/grapefruit, some duskiness. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit, some orange. Resiny medium body, light acidity. Despite the promise (threat?) on the label, this is no hop bomb. It is, however, a tasty beer.

(22oz. bottle) Pours a clear orange body with small white head. Aroma of canned pineapple, apricot, peach, and orange gelatin. Flavor of citric hops, earthiness, and some caramel malt with a thin, watery mouthfeel. For a one-off project this is a fairly average IPA.

22oz bottle acquired in trade with jimbowood (thanks!). Poured a deeper golden/orange color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, pine, and a little earthy. Nice and hoppy! Tastes of citrus, pine, the same earthiness, and touch of caramel. I’m looking forward to more Terrapin Side Project beers!

bottle @Hoboken#1-pours a thin white head and gold color. Aroma is nice citrus-grapefruit/floral-hops (cascade and simcoe?), some medium malt. Taste is nice citrus-grapefruit/floral/some pine-hops (cascade and simcoe?), some medium malt. Mild carbonation.

Bottle... Post RBSG ’08 O-Town/Vero Beach Throwdown Chapter 8... Clear golden ale with a small, wispy, white head. Great retention. Grains, earthy hops and a notation of black tea compose the aroma. Medium to full-bodied with dull carbonation. Good balance. Black tea and toffee. Finishes grassy, bitter, then dry. Thanks to juiceisloose for providing the bottle!

Pours a transparent light copper bronze with a spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of big, fresh, resiny piny hops and some mild pale malty sweetness. Starts lightly sweet and pale malty with a good amount of fresh grapefruity bittering and flavor hops before a drier, crisp finish. A nicely balanced, and very drinkable IPA.