Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

Brewed by Terrapin Beer Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Athens, Georgia USA

Pours an onion skin and orangish color, light lacing. The aroma greats you with mildly sweet grain, crisp hops and light alcohol (I think). The flavor seems to have sweet grains and malt and the Rye must increase the crispness level overall (like in Hop Rod Rye). Very well balanced citrus hops as well. Good. Body is a bit creamy but finishes crisp. Overall this is a nice ale. I’m sure it’s a staple of the brewery.

Pours a light reddish orange color with a small amount of foamy offwhite head. Aroma is a bit cirtic, like sour grapefruits, and sourdough bread. Flavor is a bit spicey and doughy with a bitter citric hop, though not fruity. Not a fan of that bready bitter taste.

Bottle @ Ølbaren. Hazy golden, small pale head. Sweetish malty aroma, honey, fruity hops, very smooth. Quite simple honeyish flavor, hay, grassy hops, lightly fruity. Grainy and bitter finish. Easy and smooth PA, rye doesn’t show all that much.

pours a clear amber with a small white head. notes of caramel, rye, and grapefruit. flavor is the sample. decent beer.

Pours an amber color with a white head. Aroma is pretty strong of rye, caramel malts, citrus hops, and some slight floral hops. Flavor is the same but a little sweeter then I was expecting.

Pours a yeasty yellow with a nice foam cap. The rye leaves lots of lacing in its wake. Nicely balanced nose pits rye against the juiciness of flowery/citrusy hops. Chewy mouthfeel is unexpected. The hops go straight citrus in the body, with notes of lemon zest and oranges with a great caramel malt backing. This is solid from start to finish.

This is a perfect summer beer. Light golden in color, slight haze. Nice frothy head. Much mustiness in the aroma, along with some citrus. Lots of apricots, lemons and tangerines in the flavor, solid malt backbone and the slight spiciness of the rye malts. Finishes very crisp. Really a nice pale ale. I bet the Rye2 is tasty. Thanks to J-Rob and Larry for the brews!

Rye Pale Ale is the flagship beer of this young and promising brewery, and is an interesting twist on American Pale Ale. The brewer cut his chops at Atlanta’s 5 Seasons Brewing Company and has proven to be a creative, and excellent brewer. As the name suggests, this beer is brewed with a portion of rye malt, which gives a beer a spicy/tart edge. This is not the first example of "Rye PA" I have tried, but I commend Terrapin for having the guts to try something a little different, and I’m not alone. This beer had only been on the market a little over year,when it struck gold at the 2002 GABF in the pale ale category. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale pours to a deep golden to amber color with a thick, bright white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose is very fragrant with the aromas of citric hops, and some crisp and spicy rye malt aroma. The palate is firm, with lots of good, biscuit, pale malt flavor, paired with tart and spicy rye flavor. Rye Pale Ale finishes with more crisp rye flavors up front, then ends with some nice citrus/lemon hop bitterness that lingers. I love the spicy, thirst quenching rye character of this beer. You can really smell and taste the rye here, and it makes an already well done APA that much better. This beer would work well with a number of hot and spicy dishes, and is a nice contrast to dishes with strong flavors. My Immortal Beloved and I enjoyed a sinfully delicious appetizer of blue fries at Summits, which are garlic fries, covered with "from scratch" blue cheese dressing, crumbles of blue cheese, roasted red peppers, and Summits special blend of seasonings, sprinkled over the top. The Rye Pale Ale stood up very well to those bold flavors, and makes the perfect beer to have before, with, or after a meal, in the markets where it is sold. The draught version of this beer is a bit more flavorful than the bottled version which I just got a sample of from a friend returning from a trip to Atlanta. I remember the aromas and flavors being more vibrant, but this is still an excellent beer. This is a great local beer, so if you want to try it, you really should come to Georgia and try it at source.