Terrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster

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

Tap @ Mellow Mushroom Brandon. Pours a clear deep amber with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of caramel, vanilla, oak, and citrus hops. Taste has tons of caramel and citrus hops followed by a touch of vanilla and a hint of oak. A damn finr brew.

Draft @ the Ravenous Pig. Pours a deep reddish amber. This is darn good, though I was surprised at how different it was from the original. The big hoppy nose of the original was a little restrained here, though some pine and citrus are still there but not at the fore. The caramel and malt was more prominent. The oak came through a little on the nose. In flavor, rich and caramel, vanilla boozy malt spiked with some citrus hops. A solid bitterness emerges to cut through the sweetness. A nice oaky boozy finish, nice mouthfeel, thick but not overbearing. Yum.

Tap @ Mellow Mushroom Tampa. Pours brown/amber, with beige head. Aroma of oak with some awesome vanilla nose. Taste really captures the characteristics of the oak barrel with light hops. Notes of dark fruits with a thick mouthfeel while very smooth. The flavor has plenty of vanilla mixed with the oak. What a great experience. Terrapin just keeps on amazing us.

Draft... Clear, dark crimson ale with a mid-sized, very creamy, off-white head. Fantastic retention. Earthy nose... pine, resin, dust. Medium to full-bodied with fizzy carbonation. Way bitter when cold. As it warms, some of the caramel and medium-roast malts begin to solidity, but are quickly subdued by grapefruit rind and pine needle bitterness. Lengthy, toasty, (almost violently) bitter finish.

On tap at Bocktown. Nice IIPA although this beer stretches the boundaries of that term. Strong vanilla, oak and alcohol aroma. Near perfect. Pour was a nice deep dark brown/near black with amber hues and a slight light brown head. Taste was delicious if not a little thin. Strong oak and vanilla overpower the original beer with just a hint of hops in the aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel with just a bit of carbonation. Nice beer, but the oak is a little too strong.

Terrapin Oaked Big Hoppy tap @ tacomac, decatur. Deep hazy, cloudy, red. Thick white head. aroma of rich malt, hint of wood. flavor is a huge explosion of hops. Hops, hops, and citrus expolsion. Smooth creamy texture. hop explosion and that’s all i got. 4,5,8,4,15

This is one powerful IPA. Rich orange/red color. Nice sticky head. aroma is powerful with resin, kerosene, and tons of malt profile too. Flavor is huge with matls and a very strong hop flavor almost a gasoline note to it. I couldnt drink more than one of these.

On-tap at the Brick Store. Pours a dark cola brown with hints of red around the edges. The head small, tan and short-lived leaving generous lacing along the sides. The aroma is dominated by floral hops, even more so than the regular BHM, which is interesting to me. I get hints of the oak and the caramel malts, but the pine scents are just massive in the this one. The caramel malts are more prevalent in the taste, though the floral pine hops are still the star of the show. The oak comes through as well and the flavors really meld together well. Wonderfully complex. The mouthfeel is predictably smooth given the oak but with good carbonation and some sticky pine resin bitterness in the finish. I’m probably biased as BHM is my favorite Terrapin brew, but I really, really like this beer and I was floored at how much the floral hops showed throw even with the oak aging. A fantastic beer.