Early in this blog's life, I
tried a Terrapin beer, and I was not a fan. Nevertheless, I much later tried the fantastically named
Moo-Hoo and it was definitely better. Some people may be confused by a 2.25/5 beer being decent, but those people haven't read my
guide to my ratings. I'm a little concerned that the printed label says that it has an 8.6% abv, but there is another sticker that has the correction to 6.6% on it. However, this beer has hops written on the front label, and I like hops. It also has a stupid, stupid name on the front, but what's in a name? Let's drink some beer.
The color is that of an amber beer. I've had amber beers that called themselves amber that were not as amber as this beer. The head dissipates to a thin veneer over the top of the beverage. This head is sticky, and it leaves a good attempt at lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma is floral hops and very light citrus. The hops almost overwhelm everything else about the beer, and they are clearly the defining ingredient of the beer.
First sip shows a much more tame beer than I expected. The bitterness that I expected from overwhelming hops is handled very well by the citrus (that is oranges, I'm sure of it). Malt that was not easily detected in the aroma shines through as an undercurrent of sweetness. The hops are also not constrained to the floral nature that I had smelled, either. They have a pine about them that does add a bit of bitter, but it's certainly not too much. There is a lot more going on here than I thought. Let's take a dive all the way in...
Tip-in is sweet bread and floral hops with orange and passion fruit. The middle bites a bit at the back of the throat with carbonation and piney hops. It persists until bread reenters as a signal that the finish is coming, and when it arrives, a bit of a bite of bitterness takes a swing at the tastebuds as orange and saltines make everything a bit more mellow.
Bottom Line: The best Terrapin beer yet. Stupid name, but a very good taste.
3.5/5