Terrapin Side Project Monks Revenge Double IPA

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

2008 Bottle - Thanks BeerSommelier! - Pours a murky dk yellow with a small, frothy white head...aroma is hop florals coupled with the usual belgian suspects, clove, banana, yeast and dough...mouthfeel is immediately redolant of sandpaper, as the carbonation has now exfoliated my roof and tongue, I get the hops, and I get the the belgian yeast, and I do like this more than previous hoppy belgians...but there is still that burnt plastic finish I get here that I find present in belgian IPAs...is my taster broken? I don’t know...but this is certainly an improvement on others of the ilk I’ve had...

Prismatic amber ale sports a puny foam halo. Yeasty banana, rubbery cantaloupe, molasses and diacetyl scents form a crude estery miasma. Solvent, banana, and smoke flavors bespeak of rampant fermentation temperatures and a host of other potential amateurish negligences. Not even as overall hoppy as a generic pale ale. The barely-carbonated beer features a bitter/spicy paint thinner aftertaste, and a thick palate is nevertheless limp and "squishy." Tripel IPA is one of my favorite styles... but Monk’s revenge not only fails as a hybrid, it fails in its individual parts, and furthermore is one of the worst beers period I’ve had the misfortune of tasting.

Bottle courtesy of TheBeerGod on 04/18/2009. Very clear golden amber body with a medium rocky white head. Sweet grassy and floral hop aroma with a pale malt background. Sweet floral, light grassy and slightly citrusy flavor with a pale malt background. Medium light body with moderately high carbonation.

From a bottle at Terrapin Night at the Thirsty Monk. Split with a stranger. Hazy golden yellow pour with large white head. Light lemon citrus with musty belgian yeast. More pine and hop in the aroma, and more belgian in the flavor. Very nice and mild alcohol warming despite the big abv. Nice side project.

Interesting...I guess it’s Terrapin’s version of Hop-It, but not as good. Not as carbonated as I would like. Edges more toward an IPA than a Belgian in flavor, though the resemblance (light color, white head) is more Belgian. Not bad initialy but then the brew took on a foul aroma, not appealing. Packs a punch whatever the case.

22oz from Sam’s, Durham. This is a tough hybrid to pull off. When it works, it’s dynamite, as with Chouffe Houbelon. Here, Terrapin does a bit better than some of the other Side Projects, but it’s not top notch. Impressive pale orange pour with a thick sticky head. Strong hops and tropical fruits in the nose, a bit too much of the latter in my opinion. Yeasty esters too, and there’s a nice dryness in the taste that shows promise. But the mouthfeel’s a bit thin, and it falls apart in the slightly oily, blandly fruity finish. Not bad, but . . .

Bottle. Pours hazy orange with thick white head. Nose is phenolic, soap, citrus, alcohol. Flavor is very "Belgian" tasting but it isn’t very hoppy. The hop flavor is overtaken by the strong belgian yeasty influence. I’ve never been a big fan of this hybrid style and this beer hasn’t changed me.

Bottle ordered from those awesome dudes at Bruisin Ales. Aroma is rather light IMO but there are nice peppery and citrus hops as it warms. Softer undertones of yeast and fruity esters as well. Light sweetness. Pours a hazy golden with a thin head that leaves quickly. The flavor is an initial hoppy burst of citrus - mostly grapefruit - and pepper. Followed on the mid palate is fruity sweet tripel notes of banana, pepper, and clove. Nice lingering grapefruit and pepper bitterness in the finish which is probably a medium on the bitterness scale. Drinks extremely nice for 9.8% with only a light bit of detectable alcohol. Only if this were .2% higher I would get another tick in the big beer category. Dammit!