Terrapin Substance Abuse Ale

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

Name: Substance Abuse
Date: January 27, 2007
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brewfest, Atlanta Cask Fest
Appearance: black, scant tan head
Aroma: strong coffee and bourbon aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich whisky and coffee flavor, plenty of alcohol, a bit too much bitterness in the finish

Name: Substance Abuse
Date: March 29, 2008
Mode: draft
Source: brewery
Aroma: light whiskey and chocolate aroma with a touch of roasted and light coffee
Flavor: chocolate and whiskey is the dominant flavor with the coffee receeding into the background, lots of vanilla sweetness

Name: Substance Abuse
Date: April 05, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: trappeze
Aroma: lots of oak in the aroma
Flavor: flavor still has the strong bourbon and chocolate, the coffee has almost faded away, plenty of oak

Name: Substance Abuse
Date: June 27, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
bourbon has faded and blended into the chocolate, very rich chocolate, light oak,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

On cask at the 1/27/07 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting: Pours a viscous opaque with a thin, wispy coating of dark tan head. Has a complex sweet caramel malt, oaky bourbon, roasty coffee and dark chocolate aroma. Body starts fairly full with a nice balance of sweet malt and oaky bourbon toward a lingering coffee bean and dark chocolate finish. My favorite beer of the Cask Ale Tasting, which was also the favorite of the judges.

[2006 Draft @ UJ’s Manatawny] Opaque black color with a small tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of light coffee, bourbon, roasted malt, smoke, chocolate, sherry, vanilla, light soy, and a bit of alcohol. Taste of coffee, roasted malts, dark chocolate, smoked wood, sherry, dried fruits, vanilla, and light bourbon with a little alcohol in the finish.

Tap at Union Jacks Barrel event. Pours a deep brown almost black with a smaller bubbly tan head. Aroma of coffee, cocoa, vanilla, oak, molasses and nuts. Flavor of coffee, vanilla, oak, chocolate, caramel, bourbon and mixed nuts. Well done!

Appearance: Pours an onyx black body with a thinnish, dissipating, tan-hued head. Smell: Predominately, it’s a nose of roasted malts soaked in gourmet coffee and bittersweet chocolate bits. Particularly mild, mingled notes of the Tennessee whiskey. Slight hint of oxidative wafts. Vague, indistinct fruitiness, though this certainly grows at it warms a touch. Taste: Dark, roasty malts express fully sweet flavors of chocolate, chilled coffee, and dark caramel. As with the nose, the whiskey tastes are fairly light, yielding soft hints of vanilla and oaken barrels. Still, there’s some light hints of age and oxidation to the malts, which just leaves me thoughtfully wondering how old this keg is exactly. Well-restrained roasted malt bitterness. Finishes sweet and fruity with a few drops of fine sherry. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium-low carbonation. Smooth, oat-laced mouthfeel. Drinkability: This one goes down tremendously easy. A very admirable brew from Terrapin and one they need to start pumping out to the thirsty masses on a regular (or even semi-regular) basis.

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.

Served on draft at Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a very dark brown color with a thin head. Huge whisky notes in the aroma along with maple, vanilla and lightly roasted malts. Taste is roasted malts, maple, raisins, coffee, whisky and a lightly hopped finish. Big alcohol warmth. Med-full bodied. Oily glass-coating texture.

rated at the Atlanta Cask Ale tasting in Jan. 2007. Pours dark and thick, just like the Wake and Bake. This was one of the better whiskey barrel-aged beers out there. There’s enough malt and coffee to handle the bourbon without getting overwhelmed.