Terrapin Luau Krunkles
Thanks to Terrapin for sharing some of their latest brews with us.  We sampled the new Luau Krunkles and this year’s So Fresh and So Green, Green.

Quick Brew Reviews #1

Aaron and I drink a lot of beer each week… because we are dedicated to our craft.  Sometimes we are so dedicated it gives us a headache the next day.  We don’t always get time to do full beer reviews but you don’t really need a full-blown review to get an idea of what a beer is all about.  So, each week we’ll pick a few brews we’ve enjoyed and share some quick thoughts on them.  Hopefully you’ll find some good info here and some new brews to try. So, let’s do this…

Terrapin Luau Krunkles | Passion – Orange – Guava IPA

  • Tim’s Take: BIG aroma of guava, then a strong grapefruit, and finally passion fruit.  Flavor has a lot of grapefruit with a bit of the others on there as well, not as prominent as it was on the aroma.  Medium bitterness, some from grapefruit and some from hops, I think.  An enjoyable beer, would have liked more of the fruit in the flavor.
  • Aaron’s Take: I’m right there with Tim. Honestly, it took me a couple sips to figure out where this was going. But once I did, I really enjoyed it. nice tropical aroma, with the bitterness hitting out a couple seconds after you sip…and then finishing nicely with that passion/citrus flavor. My parents lived in Hawaii for several years when I was in my 20s, so I have spent a lot of time on the Islands. “Pass-O-Guav” is a popular drink over there
    (you Gen-Xers may remember the “POG” craze in the early/mid 90s). I enjoyed this one, but even as a hophead, I would have liked to have the bitterness backed of just a touch.

Terrapin So Fresh & So Green, Green | Fresh Hop IPA (Styrian Goldings)

  • Tim’s Take: Hop note about as fresh and pure as you can get.  Interesting choice to go with Styrian Goldings for a single hop beer, most brewers go for new, cool, trendy, etc.  But I think Terrapin does things on a bit larger scale that makes that tricky for rarer hops.  This has the feel of a more English style beer, but with a more pronounced bitterness.  Earthy and spicy, as expected.  Tasty beer that would please fans of classic hoppier styles.
  • Aaron’s Take: I love fresh/wet hop beers, and this release is a must have for me every year. Styrian Goldings hops, from Eastern Europe, it’s a decendant of that classic English Fuggles hop. It’s a hop traditionally used for aroma, so it’s certainly an interesting choice for a single-hopped brew. It’s a little maltier than you’d typically expect for an IPA, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re looking for an American IPA, you may be disappointed, but this one reminded me of a classic English IPA. It’s a fun change of pace, and a really nice beer to share with those friends of yours who say they “hate” IPAs.

Red Hare Barrel Aged Sticky Stout | Oatmeal Stout aged in Whiskey Barrels

  • Tim’s Take: This is my second time sampling this one this year and unfortunately I’m not a fan. The beer is sour and thin, does not taste much like an oatmeal stout to me.  I’ve had this in year’s past and was very happy but both cans I’ve had this year were off.
  • Aaron’s Take: I really wanted to like this one. Regular Sticky Stout I enjoy, but there’s a sour note to this that didn’t work for me. An oatmeal stout, to me, should be thick, strong and filling. I didn’t get that with this one. I like Red Hare’s “drinking” beers as a whole, but this one fell flat to me.
Angry Chair beer bottles
These Angry Chair bottles make me want to fight against the powers of evil.

Angry Chair Vassago | Raspberry Berliner Weisse

  • Tim’s Take: Awesome hazy pink color, big raspberry on the aroma – reminded me of a pie or cobbler.  Taste is clean tartness with popping raspberry.  This is a great example of the Florida Weisse style.  More, please.
  • Aaron’s Take: I think Tim is wearing on me. Eight months ago, I would have been skeptical of this, just because my palate wasn’t used to sours. However, I’ve turned around. This is fantastic. A ton of raspberries, it was just tart enough and a really cool pinkish tint to it. If you weren’t able to taste Wicked Weed’s Red Angel, and you find yourself in the Tampa area, check this out.

Angry Chair Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout | Just what it says.

  • Tim’s Take: Wow.  Seriously… wow.  Rarely do I get a beer that just blows me away, this one did.  The aroma is unmistakably German chocolate cake and that carries over to the flavor.  This is rich and smooth, booze is hidden well.  One of the best “dessert stouts” I’ve had.  I love this beer and need more of it in my life right now.
  • Aaron’s Take: When a brewery describes their beer as a dessert or another drink, I have high expectations. For example, Breckenridge’s much-hyped Pumpkin Spice Latte Stout fell way short, with zero pumpkin, almost no coffee, and a thin stout. But I don’t want to waste time talking about that one. This was seriously one of the top liquids I’ve had in 2016. The coconut hits you immediately on the nose, and the chocolate is perfect. German Chocolate Cake traditionally isn’t overly sweet with chocolate, and this one delivers. It was the beer version of the cake my mom used to make for my dad’s birthday. I’m still thinking about it.

Want to see what the Beer Guys (and Gal!) are drinking throughout the week?  Follow us along on Untappd…

 

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