Terrapin Side Project #18 Liquid Bliss

While at Bruisin’ Ales, I picked up a bottle of Terrapin Side Project #18 Liquid Bliss, a chocolate and peanut butter stout. The beer pours a black color with a beige bubbly head. The aroma consists of chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, toasted malts, and caramel. The taste is smooth with chocolate and a nice peanut butter accent. A dryness settles in with some toasted malts and a vanilla and caramel finish. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. This was a very nice peanut butter infused stout that really played well to my palate. I love peanut butter and chocolate and this was right on in terms of flavor. I still put Spring House’s Big Gruesome as the best peanut butter stout, but it was worth getting again.

Brasserie BFM-Terrapin Spike & Jerome's

Another beer my buddy Matt brought over to share was the Brasserie BFM-Terrapin Spike & Jerome’s. The beer pours a caramel color with a thin bubbly cream colored head. The aroma consists of vinegar, cherry, caramel, and sugar. The taste is lightly sour with lots of vinegar and a raspberry and cherry tart flavors. There is a sugary pie-like finish. A lingering pepper finish sticks around for a little while with an oaky taste. The alcohol content is 10.0276% ABV. I can’t say I picked up the rum flavor in this beer, but it was a great sour barley wine. It was my first experience with this style, but it was similar to a Flanders Red.

Terrpain Samurai Krunkles

I picked up a bottle of Terrapin Samurai Krunkles from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, ginger, green tea, pepper, and hay. The taste is dry and biting with pepper and ginger on the front end before lemon, green tea, and some toasted toffee appear. The finish has a hay dryness to it. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I really enjoyed the variety of flavors throughout the flavor of the beer. I would say that the toasted toffee flavor in the background seemed to have a slightly off-flavor, but the rest of the ingredients carried the torch to make it enjoyable.

Terrapin-Shmaltz Reunion Ale '12

At Al’s of Hampden I picked up a bottle of the Terrapin-Shmaltz collaboration Reunion Ale ‘12. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy cream colored head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, coffee, toasted malts, vanilla, and chocolate. The taste is dry and filled with dark chocolate. Cinnamon dries the mouth out further before some vanilla shows up to sweeten out the flavor a bit. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This was a decent beer and notably better than the ‘11 version of this beer. I can’t say I fell in love with it and would buy it again, but it was worth the try.

Terrapin Pumpkinfest

While at a booze bake-off at Shady McGrady’s in Harrisburg, I ordered a glass of Terrapin Pumpkinfest. The beer pours a brown color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and caramel. The taste is light with pumpkin but strong with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice flavors. There is a dry finish that leaves cinnamon and toasted malts behind. The alcohol content is 6.1% ABV. I’d say that Pumpkinfest was a pretty decent fall seasonal, but could benefit from a little more pumpkin and slightly less spices. I would order it again, but there are also better pumpkin beers out there.

Terrapin Phlux Capacitor

I was able to go out to dinner in Greensburg at the Headkeeper Tapas bar, so I ordered a bottle of Terrapin Phlux Capacitor. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma consists of oak, pine, lemon, lots of caramel, and some toffee. The taste provides caramel and toffee sweetness with a light lemon accent. There is a dry and very oaky finish. Overall, it tastes like sawdust and eating wood. The alcohol content is 9.8% ABV. IF you are looking for an oaked beer, this is the one for you. I like most of the flavors in this beer, but I did think that the oak got in the way a little bit and was overdone.

Terrapin Hopzilla

I made a trip to Al’s of Hampden to get a glass of Terrapin Hopzilla and to meet up with some friends. Al posted on his Twitter that this beer was “titties,” so I had to see for myself. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head that dissipates rather rapidly. The aroma consists of tangerine, candy, orange, and pine. The taste is sweet at first with toffee, caramel, and orange candies with a balancing bitterness of tangerine and grapefruit. The finish dries a little with pine and spruce. The alcohol content is 10.80% ABV. I really enjoyed the orange candy sweetness to this beer, and it was wonderfully balanced with very bitter and citrusy hops. This beer is definitely recommended by me.

Terrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster

While out on the town in Pittsburgh, I ordered a glass of Terrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster at Mad Mex in Shadyside. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of caramel, oak, pine, and lemon. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of caramel on the front end. Hints of pine and lemon peek through before a big oak finish. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I would say that the oak aging does the beer well and provides a nice dry to the finish. From what I recall, the beer had somewhat of a subdued hop flavor than the non-aged version, but I think it was a fair trade-off.

Terrapin-Shmaltz A Beer for Hope Reunion Ale ‘11

I picked up a bottle of the Terrapin-Shmaltz collaboration A Beer for Hope Reunion Ale ‘11 from Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh.  The beer pours a black color with an extremely lofty and frothy head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of sweet and dark chocolate nibs, vanilla, oak, toasted malts, and a chili spiciness. The taste is smooth and roasty with dark chocolate nibs that are quickly taken over by spicy chilies. Hints of vanilla and oak shine through, but a peppery spice that warms the throat comes out in full force in the finish. The after taste has a pairing of milk chocolate and a Tobasco-like spice. The alcohol content is 7.6% ABV. This was a wonderfully spiced chocolate beer that was balanced well and not overly hot, but did not have a nice kick on top of chocolate and vanilla sweetness. However, one glass was more than enough for me and I found it difficult to drink an entire 22-ounce bottle.

Terrapin Side Project Volume 15- Indiana Krunkles

My buddy Matt picked up a bottle of Terrapin Side Project Volume 15 Indiana Krunkles and decided to share it with me. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of wheat, lemon, orange, and coriander. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with lemon, wheat, and caramel. The finish dries out a little bit with peppery hops and an orange twist. The after taste brings back the wheat flavor and leaves it on the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.3% ABV. This was quite a smooth and refreshing beer with plenty of citrus and sweet flavors that are balanced well with pepper and spices.

Terrapin Monk's Revenge

I picked up a four-pack of Terrapin Monk’s Revenge from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a vibrant orange-amber color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, lemon, pepper, and wheat. The taste is smooth and bubbly with lots of Belgian yeast. There is a nice lemon, banana and wheat accent with a peppery and spicy finish. The alcohol content is 9.6% ABV. The nice spiciness built on top of a sweetness of a Belgian yeast and banana. The balance is impeccable and very well done, and I can not wait to see how this beer ages.

Terrapin Hop Karma Brown IPA

While out in Downtown Harrisburg for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, I stopped in to Anthony’s to order a glass of Terrapin Hop Karma Brown IPA. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly tan head. The aroma consists of pine and lemon. The taste is malty with a caramel base, some lemon and pine accents, and has a dry and bitter finish. The after taste brings in some toasted malts to balance out the bitterness. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked how the toasted malt flavors were balanced nicely with the citrus flavors of the IPA, making a very interesting but enjoyable mix.

Terrapin Moo-Hoo Milk Chocolate Stout

While out for dinner at the Brewhouse Grille in Camp Hill, I ordered a glass of Terrapin Moo-Hoo Milk Chocolate Stout. The beer pours a dark brown with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma consists of milk chocolate, toasted malts, and espresso. The taste is big on the milk chocolate with plenty of toasted malts, some vanilla, and a dry dark chocolate finish. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. Overall, this beer is smooth and delicious and I think Terrapin achieved their goal in making me think of Yoo-hoo, the milk chocolate kids drink.

Terrapin Wake N Bake on cask

One of the beers I most anticipated at Al's of Hampden when I went for work “team building” was the Terrapin Wake N Bake on cask. The beer pours a black color with a frothy brown head. The aroma is full of fresh coffer with cream and chocolate. The taste is smooth with lots of coffee, chocolate, toasted malts, and a light alcohol bite. There is a cream finish and mouth feel, most likely due to the beer being served on cask. The alcohol content is 8.1% ABV. I felt that the cask enlivens the Wake N Bake and really accentuates the coffee and cream side of the beer. Everyone from work at my table that ordered this beer thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend your try it, as you will not be disappointed.

Terrapin Big Daddy Vladdy Russian Imperial Stout

I ordered a glass of Terrapin Big Daddy Vladdy Russian Imperial Stout from Al's of Hampden while there for my work “team building.” The beer pours a black color with a filmy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate with alcohol. The taste is smooth and large with toasted malts, chocolate, smoke, and a hint of toffee on finish. The alcohol content is 10.3% ABV. The Big Daddy Vladdy was a solid performed in the Russian Imperial Stout category and definitely announced its alcohol content. The sweet chocolate flavor mixing with the smoke flavor provided a wonderful blend of flavors across the tongues.

Terrapin Gamma Ray

I ordered a glass of Terrapin Gamma Ray, a wheatwine, from Shady McGrady's in downtown Harrisburg. The beer pours a golden orange color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists orange and candisugar. The taste is sweet and big with lots of orange, banana, candisugar, and some lemon cream. There is a light alcohol bite on the finish and the after taste is a bit dry. The alcohol content is 11.0% ABV. I was quite impressed with my first wheatwine and I enjoyed the fruitiness aspect of the beer alongside the candisugar sweetness.

Terrpain So Fresh & So Green Green

I picked up a bottle of Terrapin So Fresh & So Green, Green from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a honey amber color with a a frothy white head. The aroma consists of a sweet caramel base with fresh pine and earthy hops; there is also a light accent of lemon. The taste is lightly malty with some caramel and tea flavors with a light hint of honey. The hops are fresh tasting and add an earthy component to the beer. The alcohol content is 6.6% ABV. This beer is light-bodied and very easy to drink. The freshness put this beer on another level and adds the great tea and honey accents.

Terrapin Capt'n Krunkles

Al's of Hampden tapped a keg of Terrapin Capt'n Krunkles, and I hurried over to grab a glass before it was all gone. The beer pours a deep black color with a frothy tan head. There is a faint chocolate aroma, but it is not very prevalent. The taste has a toasted malt base with lots of carbonation, chocolate, and pine hops. A lot of sweetness comes out of this beer in the form of espresso and molasses. There is a drying finish with earthy hop accents. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I thought the Capt'n Krunkles Black IPA was amazingly delicious and provided a wonderful balance of sweetness and bittering hops.

Left Hand/Terrapin Oxymoron

On draft at TJ's in Paoli was the Left Hand/Terrapin collaboration Oxymoron, so I ordered a glass. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of lemon, pine, and citrus. The taste is full and round with lots of lemon and pine. Most pleasing in this beer is the caramel base that has some orange flavors hidden away. There is a little dry finish with a hoppy and bitter after taste. The alcohol content is 7.2% ABV. I really enjoyed the Oxymoron and its balance of pine and citrus without sacrificing a great caramel base.

Terrapin Side Project Volume 11- Boom Shakalager

I picked up a bottle of Terrapin Side Project Volume 11- Boom Shakalager from Al's of Hampden. This beer is a Bavarian Style Imperial Lager and it pours a copper color with an off-white foamy head. The aroma consists of sweet malts, sour hops, caramel, and toffee. The taste is smooth and delicious right off the bat. There is a good helping of caramel and toffee. The beer finishes with sour hops and a nice pepper kick to the sides out the mouth. The after taste lingers with pepper and a slight dryness. The alcohol content is 9.0 % ABV. This was a style of beer that I am not entirely familiar with, but it was quite delicious. It may come off a little syrupy and not very carbonated, it is quite delicious and very drinkable, dangerous for a 9.0% ABV beer.