Terrapin Rye Squared - Terrapin Beer Company

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy golden/orange hue with a creamy white head. Tons of sticky lace. Nose is massive. Lots of herbal and earthy hops with a tiny bit of malt sneaking through.

Caramel sweetness up front which quickly washes away too a huge earthy and juicy hop presence. Finishes dry but not with a bitterness that builds up on you. Very clean and smooth. Slightly spicy aftertaste.

Not bad in the least. Definitely big and bold. A beer ya gotta be ready for, I know it sure did wake me up from my afterwork stupor.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2011 01:21:16 | More by jtierney89

Netdigger2

South Carolina

2.8/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a clover-honey amber with a white head. No lacing.

Smell is a bunch of rye, bread, slight low alpha hops, lager yeast.

This tastes amazingly like a mid level lager, very dry. It resembles a blend between Heineken and Boston Lager. Incredibly strange for a Pale Ale. I get a pilsner malt flavor with mixes of rye, bread, sourdough, pine hops.

It's highly carbonated like a domestic lager and is thin on the palate.

Just strange, not bad, but strange.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 21:38:19 | More by Netdigger2

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I enjoyed a pint at Al's of Hampden served chilled in a Nonic

A very clear copper color with visible carbonation and light beige cap measuring about 1/2 inch with a quick to compress head that becomes a ring and leaves streamers of lace. The smell is fruity with some light stone fruit notes and subtle bready aroma w/ rye evident with a slight hint of nutty aroma. The feel is good with smooth balance of bitter hops and creamy malt which has a high amount of effervescence backing with a subtle sweet caramel and semi dry finish.

The taste is good w/ a nice dry malt flavor w/ slight caramel tinge and gentle yeast element which gives a stone fruit taste and the rye flavor is present with hints of spicy hops in there -Not as hoppy as some other Rye IPA's from the west coast in the flavor, but the hops also don't cover the rye up which is nice. I like the balance (over 9% balanced?) Terrapin achieved with earthy sweet and light toffee malt flavorand a slightly bitter grassy finish. Overall I would drink this again and found it to be a good all around Rye IPA with decent amount of malt presence. I would not recommend it to those who enjoy overly bitter (zero malt flavor) Imperial IPA's, though.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2011 14:01:53 | More by Slatetank

MicroBeerMan1980

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Amber to red color. Almost topaz. Mellow and fine head retention. Tiny lacing clings to the glass.

S: Rye, rye, rye. Then I realize the citrus. Floral bouquet of sweet malts and hops. Very balanced nose.

T: Caramel, pale and rye intertwine with a good dose of grapefruit and other citrus. Decent hop profile. The hops and alcohol overwhelm the malt a little. This is a slightly trite taste. If it weren't for the rye, I would say I've been here before.

M: It's the mouthfeel of a traditional IPA. Bulbous and big. Tannins hang around and the rustic earthy feel of rye let's you know it's there.

D: Sipping beer. Very enjoyable as a first, but it's complexity could easily be lost if consumed as a third or forth drink. Good spring beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2011 05:11:49 | More by MicroBeerMan1980

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

served on tap at Rustico Ballston. review from cell phone notes.

A: rich dark copper. darker than most. minimal white head is leaving minimal lacing behind.

S: citris mint. Earthy hop. some sweetness as well. monkey bread.

T: not as much of a hop bomb as a hop bomb as i expected. good, but more of an earthy, rich sweet DIPA. not exactly the norm from terrapin's american counterparts producing the same style.

M: perfect. medium, creamy carbonation on a medium/full body.

D: good DIPA, but not my favorite. willing to give it another try, but have some others in mind i may pick off the draft list at Rustico first.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2011 02:39:20 | More by Jimmys

endlesszero

California

4.7/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

After consuming a not so friendly Florida IPA, this beer raped my tastebuds with the ancient fury of Thors nemesis's, the Ice Giants.

This beer lathers me in malt with a balanced hoppiness
that digs relentlesy into the pits of Hades domain. How this beer scored a B+ is unearthly. It deserves the knee and pardon from heaven above.

Forever shall this ravage the depths of my cursed loins.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 23:41:05 | More by endlesszero

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a standard pint. Poured a red-orange color with minimal white head formation. Lacing was minimal throughout. The aroma was light on hops with a sweet note to it. The flavor however was full of hops which was nice and not overpowering. It had a medium feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this is a nice brew from Terrapin that I do actively go out and buy when it is available. Nice brew for any IPA or IIPA lover.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2010 12:31:07 | More by thagr81us

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Terrapin Rye Squared, poured ontap into a standard pint glass. A dark copper beer which loses its head early and does not provide any lace.

Smell: Caramel malt and a whiff of alcohol.

Taste: Odd sweetness from the malts and aggressive hops. Soft pine and resin notes, but this beer is lacking the spicy black pepper notes from the rye, warming alcohol becomes noticed.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: For being a rye beer I was disappointed in the lack of rye flavors. Some hops and sugary sweet malt. A hot mess.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 19:19:36 | More by Stinkypuss

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Brass Rail Deli on 3/11/10.

A - Clear amber/orange, copper-tinted body with ample carbonation and a one-finger foamy tan cap that reduced to a thin, bubbly patch but yielded thick swatches of lace.

S - Floral and sweet with plenty of caramel malt character and a sugary, syrupy presence. There is also a hint of caraway seed, giving the aroma a rye bread character.

T - Flavor is sweeter than I remember and, therefore, not as hoppy either. However, there are some pleasant floral and perfumy notes present, but the flavor is predominantly spicy with a dry rye malt character.

M - Creamy and smooth with pretty light carbonation and a sticky mouthfeel overall. Faint hop bitterness on the palate with plenty of residual sweetness.

D - Very good rye beer but ultimately a little too sweet overall. I enjoyed the dryness of this beer, though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2010 01:42:39 | More by ffejherb

theopholis

California

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance- pours an incredibly, deep, rich amber. Looks like actual amber. Very inviting. The head is a wonderfully creamy affair that doesn't last nearly long enough.

Smell- Lots of malt sweetness comes through the nose, with strong notes of orange/tangerines. you can reaslly smell the rye to. Yum.

T- Starts off with a strong malt profile that mixes extremely well with the rye. A good job of using bittering hops to balance out the flavoring hops. A very nice complexity that you normally don't get from DIPAs and rye beers.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, perfect CO2 level. Has a wonderful stickiness to it that really leaves a long, lingering aftertaste. Kind of like the 1st time you make out with a new girl-friend.

Drinkability- For a hop-head, it's amazingly easy drinking. It would be great to have non-hop-heads try it as well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2010 07:09:37 | More by theopholis

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A pint glass served at the Brass Rail Deli.

A: The ale is a full copper-amber color, sitting somewhere between the orange and brown ends of the spectrum. The ale is dark enough, full enough, to be opaque. A decent head, maybe 1/2 a finger, lingered for a few sips.

S: The nose is much more hoppy than rye-y. The citrus and pine is big, driving a strong bitter sweetness. Caramel malts are evident, as is a burst of rye spice.

T: Mmmm. Plenty of hops in this one. The citrusy intensity is full, resoundingly sweet. As the initial hoppiness passes, rye and caramel malts fill the void. Rye is appropriately spicy, darker flavor-wise than the caramel. A healthy dose of pine hops finishes off each sip, where it is paired with a boozy heat.

M: The mouthfeel is vibrant, hoppy with a backbone of rye. The fresh hops really grab me.

D: One of my first rye loves, this one still hits the spot. It's nice to have it on tap in PA.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2010 01:41:38 | More by akorsak

Gavage

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: clear orange amber in color with a wispy 1/4" head that breaks apart. Some spots of lace develops.

Smell: caramel and malt sweetness dominates the aroma.

Taste: big caramel and ripe fruit sweetness is up front while the bitterness seems toned down. Alcohol is noticeable. Rye and grapefruit provides some bite.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp throughout. Super long aftertaste as the sweetness rides the tongue.

Drinkability: this was a bit too sweet for me almost reminding me of a barley wine. It was a slow sipper and one glass was more than enough for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2009 23:57:46 | More by Gavage

Seru1

Alabama

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Reddish with a light head and a brilliant orange corona around the edges makes this beat very pretty to behold. Not much carbonation.

Nose- Fresh bread aromas with hints of pear in the outer atmosphere, nothing much to speak of here aside from there.

Taste- Big rye flavor, mellow with a soft spice and a marmalade like notes, very subtle in it's building and quite good.

Mouthfeel- It lingers wonderfully and coats the mouth at a medium level, just right. Any more or less would be insufficient.

Drinkability- I could down about 4 in a sitting, I think it would be weather dependent.

A nice beer I had at a beer dinner. I recommend spicy grilled seafood with this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-27-2009 01:05:26 | More by Seru1

gford217

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Brick Store in Decatur.

Pours a deep, clear amber with a big creamy tan head that hangs on for ages and leaves very good lacing.

The aroma is a mix of two major aspects. The first is the floral hop character that I get with lots of pine and some earthy hops as well. The other major contributor is the rye with a nice spiciness that stings the nose a little bit.

The taste follows the aroma with the floral hops hitting up front. There is a more noticeable caramel malt base than the aroma would suggest before a finish dominated by the spiciness of the rye and a hint of hop bitterness.

The mouthfeel is super creamy and smooth due to the rye with just a hint of stickiness from the hops. Great mouthfeel on this one.

I think I enjoy the draft version of this slightly better than the bottle as the mouthfeel tends to be smoother but the hops seem to pop a little more as well. It's a great use of rye and a very solid beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2009 02:26:50 | More by gford217

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

There was almost no head on this one, pretty amber body tough.

Some hops in the aroma with a malt bill. Some rye in there.

This beer is sweet and boozy throughout. A little bit too much for my tastes. The malt profile is pretty good though, with some spicy rye flavor in there.

Light bodied and oily.

This is too sweet and boozy for me to find very drinkable. This is the first Terrapin beer I've been disappointed in.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2008 03:51:41 | More by Hojaminbag

glid02

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this on-tap at the Terrapin brewery the Friday before what was to be the most embarassing first half performance by the Georgia Bulldogs in the Mark Richt era. Sorry, had to put that out there - I'm still bitter.

Pours a dark copper color with a one-finger cream head. The head sticks around for a bit before dissipating into a thin layer on top and a thick ring around the glass. The lacing is pretty sticky.

Smells good. Lots of sweet malts and piney hops accompanied by a mild spicy aroma from the rye.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. It begins with a sweet malt that's followed shortly by piney hops. Then there's a slightly spicy kick and a solid bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. There's a solid thickness that's got the right amount of substance and the carbonation is just right.

Drinkability is very good. I could easily drink a few of these and I did just that at the brewery.

Overall this is a solid DIPA. Nothing spectacular, but I do like the slight spiciness imparted by the rye. Certainly worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2008 04:13:45 | More by glid02

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pouring at Roswell's Taco Mac appears a deep ruby amber tone with alrge creamy white head leaves fine even lacing all around my pint glass. Aroma has strong flow of herbal hops with some pine herbal and grapefruit as well, but wow deep alcohol and rich fig, raisin, and molasses notes as well slightly burn brown sugar with caramel malt richness very nice depth here, I was expecting more like a double IPA b/c of the Rye PA little bro's nature. Flavor contains an even bitterness kinda barleywine/strong ale for sure yet the hops are definitely evident after a few hop burps but big lush maltiness comes off complex over ripened fruit notes namingly raisin and figs. Mouthfeel is fuller bodied a bit syrupy slow bubblin carbonation trying to stand up to the big bodied brew. Drinkability is one meant to be enjoyed for the complexity and deep malt and moderate hop character very tasty showing off what Georgia can do with that abv increase.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2007 02:28:50 | More by WVbeergeek

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Excellent! I had this "over" Crystal hops, so that affected the taste, but I feel that I can give a fair judgment to this beer. Its beautiful dark amber-brown is very tempting, and the aroma is hoppy but not "piney." Taste is delightfully hoppy with minimal bitterness. Very pleasant to drink, this is a beer one should sip and savor.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2007 00:21:57 | More by Cyberkedi

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dropped a torpedo of 2006 version of this into my kegerator. Had a fill date of March 30th 2006 - 16 days old! Poured cloudy and bright orange with a half inch head. Very HEAVY lacing. First taste is overwhelmed by hops. A few more sips and it balances out. Double the hops - Double the malt makes for a tasty treat. Too bad it is a seasonal as I could loves this brew all year long. VERY Drinkable

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2006 22:01:12 | More by ATLbeerDog

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this one at the Terrapin "Horizontal" Monster Tasting at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Ga.

Appearance: Arrived hazy, and colored a rich, rusty orange hue topped with a bold, admirably sticky beige head.

Smell: Holy moly, what an odor! A honey-covered biscuit surrounded by a swarm of vicious hop bees. Quite a fierce aroma, smelling primarily of luscious grassy, citrusy hops over a foundation of sweet malts.

Taste: Rye biscuits slathered with a rainbow of citrus flavors. Concentrated grassy, peppery hop flavors hit hard in the mouth, but ease off relatively quickly, yielding to the caramelly malts as the beer warms through a bit. The alcohol is present, but not overly pronounced, and just provides a welcome bit of heat as the beer goes down.

Mouthfeel: Just a hair under full-bodied, while still remaining quite thick and creamy upon the palate.

Drinkability: Not bad, but I seriously doubt I could put away much more than a pint or two in one sitting. Still, though, its an intriguing brew, and quite delectable when all is said and done.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2005 06:51:03 | More by ChainGangGuy

aracauna

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured a medium reddish brown with a good head. The aroma is a bit like banana bread with a touch of banana fruitiness and toasted nuts being prominent. The hops are excellent but seem a bit reserved, allowing the malt and rye come through more than the hops.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2005 17:59:37 | More by aracauna

Jason

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap @ Taco Mac - Decatur, GA

A- Hazed reddish copper with some lacing, you can almost see the thickness of this brew.

S- Sweet and spicy aroma, no this is not Pan-Asian cuisine. Lots of malt sweetness in the nose.

T&M- Malty sweetness, mildy crisp with in a thick body. Hop petal flavor with a light bitterness. Lots of toasted malt with a thick spicy rye character. Finishes sweet with a warming alcohol.

Nice! I could sit down with this one for a while and sip it away. But after one I had to go to something else as the sweetness was too much IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2005 00:54:55 | More by Jason

lostbearbrew

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Terrapin Rye 2 PA appeared dark golden witha light head on a 10 oz glass. Lace went lightly down the glass.

Nice Cascadey grapefruity smell, 1st sip brings both earthy and citrusy hops with the tang of rye, and a nice malt backbone.

Finish is a little lite at first and then seems to thicken on your tongue. Nice lingering bitterness.

Quite drinkable although the higher alch would prevent too many at any one time.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2005 18:18:09 | More by lostbearbrew

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

The beer arrived on the bar crystal clear medium amber with a pure white head that lasted for days to coat the glass.

The aroma was citrusy with orange and a nice rye aroma. The aroma continued to give off citrus notes which also inclused lime and a piney nature. There was presence a slight alcohol aroma which did not detract.

The flavor was very citrusy with lime and orange most notable. The rye flavor was present and nicely done. The maltiness and a sweetness was present and well balanced with hops. Also present was alcohol, but again it did not detract.

The finish was lasting rye flavor long into the aftertaste with a substantial hop bittering. The body was medium full and very creamy and nice. There was quite a bit of alcohol warming after consumption.

Small glass (biggest they would serve) at Summits in Sandy Springs, GA. Who seriously included this beast as an APA? It is at least a Double IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2005 21:54:08 | More by GCBrewingCo

doubleipa

Georgia

4.83/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I’ve finally was able to try this wonderful beer. My local Taco Mac on P’tree Industrial had no clue about this beer, so I went to the Taco Mac on Holcomb Bridge. My wife and I have been waiting for this beer for quite some time. Our every day beer is Terrapin Rye so one can imagine our enthusiasm for a double version.
CAMRA would be proud of the full pour we got. To be honest I didn’t expect this beer to be as dark as it was. However, the hops and caramel malt is incredibly strong, with a decent amount of carbonation. The beer has a great balance between the malt, rye, and hops. In addition, I never would’ve known this beer clocks in at almost 9% ABV. Not a hint of an alcohol taste. As the beer warmed the malt flavor increased, as did the rye.
Overall, this is one of the best high gravity beers I’ve had. Very different than any other double IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2005 14:22:26 | More by doubleipa