Terrapin Substance Abuse Ale

Brewed by Terrapin Beer Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Athens, Georgia USA

Well, to say I’ve been wanting to try this one would be an epic understatement. Tapped to commemorate the opening of the Brick Store 12 years ago. Is there any way it could live up to my expectations? In a word, YES! It poured much like the regular Wake ’N Bake - completely black with no light passing through. There is a surprisingly big, creamy mocha head on top that recedes very slowly and leaves some decent lacing. The aroma is wonderfully balanced and I was surprised by a couple of things. First, it is much sweeter in the nose than I was expecting. There is not nearly as much coffee as the regular WNB and there is not only the chocolate sweetness but also plenty of vanilla as well. Secondly, the bourbon is much more integrated into the nose than many beers aged on whiskey. Great nose. The taste is spectacular, and it takes all of the complexity and balance of the nose and amps it up a bit. There is all the sweetness of the chocolate, vanilla and even caramel up front before a light roasted malt presence takes over. The finish is where I bumped this up vs. the aroma as the coffee bitterness is actually present and balanced by a smooth whiskey burn going down. So damn tasty. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a solid soft carbonation and super, super smooth with the oatmeal still present in the mouthfeel. Well, this is certainly the best Terrapin beer I’ve ever had and, unlike the Big Sloppy Monster, the barrel aging has done wonders for the base beer. One of the best beers I’ve had in recent memory and the best possible way to celebrate the Brick Store’s anniversary. Terrapin needs to make some more of this stuff...now.

Multiple draft samples at Carrboro Beverage Company. Thanks Jason. Pours dark brown with a rather large tan head. Nose is heavy bourbon, some oak, some mild coffee and chocolate. Flavor is the same as the aroma, heavy on the bourbon, some light oak character along with chocolate and coffee roasted malts. A little too heavy on the whiskey.

Sampled at Carborro Beverage Co. Pours a dark black that allows some light. Head is two fingers, creamy, chestnut brown. The aroma is dominated by whiskey. Jason and I agreed that it was more of the whiskey than the barrel/oak character, alcohol, mild chocolaty roast. The flavor is warm whiskey, chocolate/coffee roast, mild vanilla/oak character, mostly whiskey from the barrel. Creamy palate with a warming finish.

29 mar 08. I had this on tap at the brewery during the Grand Opening. What an ass kick this beer is! Dark black pour,no head. Smells like vanilla extract. Tastes like biting into a big bar of dark chocolate. With lots of bite. Super.

Draft at the grand opening of the new brewery. Pours a dark, brown. No head. Aroma of chocolate and bourbon. Flavor is unbelievably smooth. Heavy coffee notes complimented by vanilla and bourbon undertones. Finish is creamy. What a knockout!

Draft @ grand opening for Terrapin. Poured brownish/black with no head. Served way too cold. Once it warmed it had a nice oak, bourbon, and vanilla aroma. Taste of bourbon, chocolate, and oak. Medium mouthfeel. Bourbon was not overdone at all. I hope now that they have opened they can bottle this in the future.

Tap at official opening for the Terrapin in Athens. Poured a deep brown (maybe black) with a thin tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, bourbon, oak, & coffee. Taste is also of coffee, bourbon, malt, with some chocolate and a lightly bitter finish. Bourbon was pretty heavy, like a normal Wake-n-Bake with a touch of Woodford. Overall, a nice brew. ***** On tap at Trappeze. Really enjoyable. Apparently this was from the same batch served at the Terrapin opening. A year of rest has really smoothed out the heavy bourbon burn. This was very smooth. A very nice balance of oak and WnB. Lots of smooth vanilla, oak, coffee, bourbon, malt. Great beer!

draft @ brewery. Very nice offering. A very good blend of coffee, chic, oak, and jd. Reminds me of black gold bourbon. Best offering from terrapin.