$9.99 for the 22 oz, foiled and boxed bomber. Bottle #2002.
Pour is a rather attractive golden color with some nice clarity. Head is tall, frothy and sticky. Retention is average, wish it was better to complete the visual package.
Nose is a typical, fruity hop bomb with some alcohol and largely in line for the style. If this were a blind tasting I don’t think I would pick up any smoke at all, but knowing that there is some present the beer does reveal a hint – no more, but enough to let me know what’s going on.
Unsurprisingly this is a big beer with a good smattering of typical grapefruit and peach fruit and a harsh ending. The finish is combination of quite jarring ethanol and hop resins.
There is a hint of smoke that runs throughout the beer and although it is slightly more noticeable in the tastes than the nose, I remain unconvinced that I would detect it blind. I suspect that I would say that the beer had a spiciness to it which I think can be attributed to the smoke, but without knowing that I might just say that it was ‘peppery’.
The mouthfeel is a bit slick, but that’s appropriate considering ABV and style.
The beer works well, BUT strangely I find myself craving more smoke! It’s tasty but would be even better with more of the charred notes. Like most beers of its type it’s going to work best with food.
The third and fourth beers in the theater series have proved to be much better than the first two, and have even done enough to restore a little faith in Terrapin. As ever with this series, value is lacking even when considering the cause.