Terrapin Single Origin Coffee Stout

I hesitate to even do this review. A man I fully trust to pick out a good beer (who runs the very helpful City Sliquors establishment I've spoken fondly about in the past) saved be a four pack of these and said how good it was. Even though I don't like coffee in general, I know he knows his stuff, so I figured I would try it out.

The beer is downright black. There's no ruby or deep brown that simply masquerades as black - it is black through and through. The tan head leaves a ghost of lacing as it boils down to an uneven head that rests atop a beer that smells of coffee grounds and nothing else. The coffee is overpowering, as I suspected it would be.

First sip is very bitter, cold coffee. I'm actually wondering to myself right now what it would taste like if I added sugar and milk to this. Would it taste better and make me tolerate it like I can tolerate coffee if I have to? It's clear this isn't the beverage for me, but I'm going to keep this going for science! Time to swig like a man - a man who likes coffee.

Tip-in is carbonation tingle with grains that are not entirely coffee grounds. Yes, there are coffee grounds in there - that's what this beer is all about - but I'm talking of proper beer grains. The middle sidles up with a very mild coffee overtone on top of a kind of breakfast biscuit of malt. The middle actually makes me think that I may like this beer, despite the coffee. But, the finish ends things with a sharp bitter dose of raw coffee grounds right in the tastebuds. I may give one of these to a friend and have him give me a more reliable score for this, as mine is obviously going to be skewed.

Bottom Line: Probably good, if you like coffee.

0.25/5