The 4th and final release in Terrapin Brewing’s Georgia Theatre Series has arrived. Just under the wire in 2010! Just a couple of weeks ago, “Sound Czech” hit shelves weeks after it was expected. (Boxing these beers by hand takes time!) This release essentially remembers a tragic point in the Athens, Georgia landmark’s long history – the fire that nearly completely destroyed it. Love hops & smoke? Drink this. Soon.
Commerical Description:
A nod to the the tragic fire and a look into the future.
Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Warrior, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe
Malts: 2 Row, Weyermann Smoke, Best Munich, Pale Crystal
Taste Expectations: Fresh hops -pine & citrus. By fresh, I mean fresh. The smoke is subtle but adds complexity. Caramel malt rounds this beer out.
Availability: 22oz bombers. Boxed, hand numbered. One time release
9.3% ABV
This is actually the first Terrapin I’ve had that I wasn’t a huge fan of. (I’m actually halfway through my first–and only–pint of it right now.) This brewery has inspired me to home brew, and I regularly order their varieties whenever I’m out, but this is one experiment that does not hit the target for me. It has a very forward smokiness of a really dark stout and the hop of a double IPA, but this combines to give the taste of (no joke) a burnt plastic. There are other flavors there, but the overriding taste is an unpleasant one.
I applaud the bravery, however. Sometimes this kind of cross-brewing works and, in some cases, advances the practice of brewing. A prime example is the Sweet Water Happy Ending stout. It’s a dark, chocolaty, robust stout that is aggressively dry-hopped, providing an earthy and playful hop aroma that surprisingly harmonizes with the stout characteristics. What it lacks it tradition, it more than makes up for in flavor.
Though I prefer Terrapin to other breweries (including Sweetwater), I don’t feel that this beer is up to their par. 4 out of 10 (including a boost for bravery).
Not every beer will be up to everyones tastes, but you know what I do love about Terrapin? They constantly look for new avenues to explore. Keeps me coming back… Good luck with your home brew!
Thanks! And I _totally_ agree; Terrapin is a bold brewery that perpetually looks for new and fresh ways to brew. And I agree with you about tastes, too. Rarely will a beer be for everyone, especially the experimental, or fringe brews.
Heck, my first home brew–a citrusy pale ale that I tailored to what I thought I’d like–is not the best result in my opinion. My roommate, however, can’t seem to get enough of it! Now I’m working on a Bell’s Two-Hearted (thankfully, considering every place in Atlanta seems to be out of it, and, rumor has it, won’t be gettinig anymore in for another couple weeks. What’s with that?)
Also working on a chocolate porter. Resisting the temptation to dry-hop it like the Happy Ending stout… Gotta get the regular porter down before deviating.
Great site you’ve got here, sir. I’m quite a fan!