Reunion 2010
Terrapin Beer Co.
Athens, Ga
8.50 ABV
Style: Belgian Style Scotch Ale

C: Clear
H: Super Dark Amber
N: Insanely Sweet Candy, Hints of Chocolate, Banana, and Caramel

CCL; OK, I kind of love this. A lot. I love the juxtaposition of the Belgian yeast with the scotch ale. It’s kind of fabulous. It’s so different from anything I’ve ever had. Yes. I’ll be buying more bottles of this. YEs, yes, I will be. This beer speaks Flemish with a scottish accent and comes from the deep south. And it’s so fucking fabulous.
Score: 4.659990999999

The Ferm; I feel like a fat kid in a candy store. This beer just reminds me a super sweet candy that I use to nibble on as a child. While I can not pin point which candy it was, I am guessing it was some type of taffy or something. Sadly the scotch does not really “pop” in this, which is a quality I like in Scotch Ales. The body is medium, but really it is just damn tasty. I would drink this as much as I could get my hands on it. Once again another successful “one-off” from Terrapin. Maybe they should stop producing a normal line of beers and just focus on one-offs.
Score; 4.111

Overall: 4.3854954999995

The Dark Side ; Side Project #9
Terrapin Beer Co.
Athens, Ga
8.50 ABV
Style: Belgian Style Strong Ale

C. Super Dark
H. Black w/ Tan Head
N. Chocolate! Alcohol-boozy

Miguel: Yes I have had this beer before, but yes I will always drink it. Terrapin needs to bring this back all year or at least as a seasonal. Heat that Terrapin? PLEASE!!! It is sweet, chocolatey and a little boozy. It doesn’t seem as chocolatey as when it was brand new and fresh, but regardless this beer has absolutely made me embrace the DARK SIDE!
Score: 4.666

The Ferm: Ahh the beer that lead me to the dark side of beers. Yep, my new found love of stouts was started by this beer as well as Wake N’ Bake from Terrapin. I love this beer! It has a really nice body. The beer offers great flavors of chocolate, hints of coffee, and malty-goodness. When I first had this beer it was my first side project, and it is still my favorite. PLEASE BRING THIS TO A SEASONAL ROTATION!!!!! It is soooo good! Keep up the good work on stouts Terrapin!
Score: 4.49666

Overall: 4.58133

Yep this upcoming week is American Craft Beer Week!

What is that? Well here is some history from American Craft Beer Week.
“Look for American Craft Beer Week promotions featuring craft brewers in breweries, restaurants, and better beer stores (There were more than 500 events in 2009.), become a fan of American Craft Beer Week on Facebook for more information on events around the country and toast the week with a delicious beer brewed by one of the over 1400 craft brewers in the US.

Small brewers are small businesses; they provide so much to their local communities and have reshaped American beer culture. On April 22, 2010, U.S. Congress began discussing House Resolution 1297 (PDF file) supporting the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week.
For the Homebrewers

Homebrewers, American Craft Beer Week has not forgotten about your role in helping us get 10,000 fans of American Craft Beer Week 2009. This year we have a homebrew recipe from the American Homebrewers Association’s Big Brew celebration. American Craft Beer Wheat can be brewed in early May, and then you can tap it May 17-23!.”

So what are you doing for Craft Beer Week? Well there is no reason why you should not celebrate this week, and no reading my blog (while appreciated) is not celebrating actively.

Here are some of the events in the local area this upcoming week!

Monday 05-17-2010
The Coffee District: Delray Beach; Weekly craft beer meetup. Bring a bottle of something rare to the area to share and enjoy good beer company.
Vine and Barley: Ft. Pierce; Terrapin Keg Tapping Party, 6pm, Come to the tapping of a few special Terrapin kegs; Oak-aged Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout and Terrapin ‘Side Project ‘Monk’s Revenge Double IPA/Belgian Tripel

Tuesday 05-18-2010
Boca Beer Lovers: TBA; This is a monthly meetup group that shares good beer (Google Boca Beer Lovers for more info)
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Avery Brewing – We will feature Maharaja and offer a tasting of some of their other beers.
The Coffee District: Delray Beach; Come meet the Founder & CEO of Harpoon, Rich Doyle. Specials and win some SWAG!

Wednesday 05-19-2010
Abraxus: Miami Beach; from 10-12 for their American Craft Beer Week edition of their Beers of Abraxas tasting. 12 – 3 oz. pours of their finest American Craft Beers for $15.
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Dogfish Head- Until we run out, we will compare “08 and ’09 Worldwide Stout and feature Aprihop on tap
Drinking Made Easy w/ Zane Lamprey; Ft. Lauderdale: Come witness the EPIC miracle himself Zane Lamprey from Three Sheets live on stage at the Culture Room

Thursday 05-20-2010
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Southern Tier- We will feature Oak Aged Unearthly and who knows what else will be poured
Whole Foods: Boca Raton; Join Matt “Can a brother get some samples?” Villei from Shipyard for a tasting at Whole Foods in Boca from 3-5pm. FREE!

Friday 05-21-2010
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Cigar City- We had to include this brewery in the mix as it is a Florida brewery- Can anyone Say Hunahpu Imperial Stout, we will have some pours of this delicious brew and maybe some glassware, and we are not done.
Total Wine: Boca Raton; If you missed him at Whole Foods you can catch Matt from Shipyard at Total Wine in Boca for a tasting of Shipyard and Sea Dog from 5-7pm

Saturday 05-22-2010
Abraxus: Miami Beach: HUGE Beer Tasting for only $20.00 which includes Food, Water and a sampling on beers. Also bring what you have and share with everyone!
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Amazing Beer Dinner; showcasing some great food and brews.

Remember that there are tons of bars carrying a great selection of Craft Beer. So check out The Lodge, The Funky Buddha, Charm City Burgers, Brother Tuckers, Trist, Bar Louie, Grease, Havana Hideout, and more!

So there you have it, if you can’t find something to do this upcoming week….well then I’m sorry…I tried! Have a Craft Beer and enjoy a week long celebration!

Slainte!

Hopsecutioner
Terrapin Beer Co.
Athens, Ga
7.30 ABV

C. Clear as can be

H. Dark golden yellow, Almost perfectly amber

N. VERY HOPPY, EXTREMELY Pleasant. Piney and slightly citrus-y

Cerveza Chica; Well, I must admit that the name of this beer scared me, but Ferm. was really excited about trying it so I had no choice in the matter. It definitely wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, and in fact it was very smooth and fairly easy to drink. Don’t get me wrong you could definitely taste all of the hops, but it wasn’t hop overload. I really enjoyed the nose of this beer because it didn’t smell too bitter. This was an IPA so I am more partial to them, and I have to say I wouldn’t mind drinking more of it. You get the hops initially, but then they quickly disappear. This beer is without a doubt worth trying.
Score:3.37

Ferm; Ok, Hop Heads I thought that this would take my head off by its name…well not really. This was a sexy beer with its white sticky head, that decided to hang out on my glass the entire time. It smelled like a Hop BOMB but fell a little short on the attack. A smooth taste lead into a lingering bitterness. Don’t get me wrong this was an awesome IPA, just the name lead me to believe that I finally found a beer to compete with Ruination. Well not so much, but it was still a great drink. I would put it on par with Hop Slam by Bells. This is a beer that is easy to drink more than one, and is definitely worth picking up this weekend from your local beer shop. I think I will grab a few more.
Score: 4.498

Overall: 3.934

Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Terrapin Beer Co.
Athens, Ga.
8.10 ABV

C. Clarity what’s that? This beer is just BLACK!

H. DARKNESS

N. Cold Coffee…and that’s all

Cerveza Chica; Let me begin by stating that I wanted to save what I thought would be the worst beer for last. Man was I right. The smell of beer was repulsive to me. All I could smell was coffee and nothing else. Last I checked coffee is something that you drink in the morning, and it doesn’t pair well with beer. I literally could only take two sips of this beer. I did not taste the oatmeal in it at all because the coffee was so overpowering to me. I could taste the alcohol in this and it was definitely like a stout. I am not upset in any way that this is a seasonal beer and that it is gone. Good riddance.
Score:1.77

Ferm; This coffee, wait I mean beer is strong, smooth and yummy. Now I’m not a fan of Porters or Stouts, as I have said a million times already, but this is solid. I think the more I try of this type of beer, the more it is starting to grow on me. This one starts with straight coffee and then blends smoothly into its malt and then finishes sorta sweet. Not a bad after taste. Worth a try for the coffee fan, even if your not a fan of crafts. This is a beer that I think I may try to break Mother Ferm in on, since she is a big fan of coffee and not so much on beer.
Score: 4.085

Overall: 2.9275