Terrapin Midnight Project Depth Charge Espresso Milk Stout - Terrapin Beer Company

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Ok, so I had heard this might make an appearance and I was already looking around for it. Once I found it I just could not get enough. Poured from a bottle into my glass on several occasions.
 
The pour was what I would have thought, deep and very dark in color with almost no light shining through here at all. Really very big looking. Nice tan head on top settled down nicely and coated the glass well. Aroma is all coffee, this is really all it was at first. Sweet brewed coffee and brown sugar with light hints of molasses. Very nicely done here, reminded me right off the bat of Valdez the first time I ran across it. I was anxious to dive in so I took the first sip and that was all she wrote. Huge coffee flavor, just so sweet and ridiculously smooth. Like the best cup of coffee I have ever had. Blended perfectly with a rich brown sugar and vanilla note, it was like nothing I had before. Not as heavy as some others, but it did not need to be because I would have kept drinking this one all day long.
 
Overall I cannot wait to be able to get more of this one near me again. One of the best coffee offerings I have ever run across, and I have managed to find most of them in my days. This is a must find and I am hopeful there will be lots of it to find around!

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2009 17:25:01 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes. Picked up at Rick's in Alexandria.

Pours near black with a thin light mocha head without much staying power. Nose is straight coffee and not much else, maybe a bit of roast. Taste is coffee and roast. Didn't really enjoy thee feel as the coffee and milk sugar did not create a body as nice as the concept suggests. Pretty good but not something I would return to.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 21:45:13 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours an inky dark color with auburn highlights and a pancake batter head that leaves a range of dots and curtains

Smell: Smells like a latte, with plenty of coffee and lactose

Taste: Milk chocolate, up front, with a developing lactose sour character that arrives by mid-palate, along with the coffee; after the swallow, the latte flavors re-emerge and the finish is actually rather sweet

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Really a rather nice milk stout, with a hint toward the Imperial side, though not quite

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 01:29:52 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

It's time once again for another grand, fun collaboration romp from Left Hand and Terrapin. And just when I was jonesing for a fresh, new coffee stout, Depth Charge was ready to fit the bill.

22 ounce bomber - $7.49 at Hop City in Atlanta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a viscous-looking, black body layered with a creamy, light khaki-colored head.

Smell: Nicely aromatic, delightfully pure nose of espresso-roasted coffee beers. It's not, God be praised, one of those coffee beer that presents a coffee aroma smelling of truckstop coffee. Rich notes of chilled roasty espresso, bittersweet chocolate morsels melted down in a double-boiler, fresh vanilla bean, and a solid pour of half-n-half. Quite like a chocolate-covered espresso bean.

Taste: Sweet, roasty, creamy, lactose-esque, chilled goodness with, I enthusiastically assume, some soul-soothing alcohol contained within. I feel like I've stepped into a Starbucks and ordered the Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème... or is it the Java Chip Frappuccino, who can say for sure. As with the nose, it's very much a chocolate-covered espresso bean experience. I'm seriously tempted to just keep typing up "Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans" to fully satisfy the 250 character minimum.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Luscious, velvety mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Recommended! If you can find yourself a bottle, by all means do yourself a favor and give it a go!

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 20:30:47 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had ultra high expectations for this beer,it kinda let me down a little.Poured a near opaque black except for just a slight red tinge when held up to the glass,a one finger creamy mocha colored head atop.The fine ground espresso roast coffee dominates the nose wich is a lasting theme with this beer,a hint of mocha comes thru as well but it cant stand up to the coffee roast.It tastes like the espresso roast Seattle's Best I had this morning,now I know they want the coffee flavors to be a main focal point of the beer,but seriously there isnt much else to it.There is a slight sweet chocolate note but the big roast is to much.Most like it, I found it to be overhyped.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 00:08:46 | More by oberon

WesWes

New York

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is awesome! It has a wonderful roasted malt and coffee scent that compliments the semi-sweet chocolate malt and lactose sugar aroma. The taste is amazing. It has a kick ass coffee flavor that enhances a very nice malt bill that includes roasted and black malts. It has a light sweetness, mainly from the chocolate malts and lactose. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a very good beer. It has a mild sweetness along with a killer coffee component.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 23:00:53 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a standard pint glass. This beer is part of the collaborative beer efforts between several breweries, this particular beer is made by Terrapin and Left Hand.

Beer is dark, black, with a brown head that falls away quickly, not leaving lacing on the glass. Carbonation is low (from what I can tell).

Smells like coffee beans. Strong roast flavors in the aroma. Also some sweetness.

This tastes like coffee. Beer has moderate mouthfeel, very sweet, its a decent beer. Really tastes like a coffee drink. Can't taste any alcohol, overall its a pretty agreeable beer. Drinkability high (if you like coffee). Mouthfeel a little thin.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 01:19:59 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to djrn2 for sharing this bottle, which I had about given up on searching for.

The beer pours an inky black color with a tan head. The aroma is strong on the coffee and chocolate. I also get a little bit of cayenne pepper in the aroma. The flavor is chocolate, coffee, milk, cream and roasted malt. A delicious beer. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 18:01:07 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to rudylaw for bring this one to the CE release. Same glass as the rest - weird conic pint glass.

A - A half-finger of tan foam that dissipates pretty quickly and leaves some spotty lacing. Again, mostly black with a hint of brown at the fringes of the glass.

S - Woah - tons of espresso, cream, dark malts, molasses. Excellent stuff - the only thing that would make this better would be some barrel-aging.

T - Taste is even more intense dark roast and espresso flavor, with much less sweetness. Aftertaste is also pretty bitter, but not quite as intense as the Valdez surprisingly. It's a little mono-dimensional, but still quite nice.

M - Higher carbonation, and a little bit gritty. The medium viscosity is appropriate for the ABV. It's hard to tell what the residual feel is like after so many stouts, but it's actually feeling a little dry and a touch sticky.

D - I think I'd have a tough time killing 22oz, as the espresso flavor is very intense. Still it's quite good and probably my favorite Terrapin release so far.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2009 15:26:07 | More by MasterSki

Gavage

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear dark brown in color with a 1" head that slowly falls. Spotty lacing develops.

Smell: espresso and malt sweetness is very pleasant on the nose.

Taste: big dark roasted coffee flavors are most noticeable with some malt sweetness, milkiness, and some soft alcohol tones make up a well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel: heavy in body. Smooth at the start. Smooth, creamy, and silky at the finish.

Drinkability: this beer was extremely drinkable especially if you enjoy coffee flavored beers. Give this a try if you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2009 00:12:12 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Split a bottle at Tap and Table in Emmaus, PA. Appeared pitch black with a light brown head. Man, the name "depth charge" is appropriate. This beer is packed with espresso. You can vaguely tell this beer is a milk stout by the body, but this is mostly a vehicle for the coffee flavor. It's delicious, but it's hard to taste anything but the espresso.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2009 14:50:18 | More by tempest

Wasatch

Utah

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to cashew70 for this brew.

22oz. Bomber
Gold Foil

Pours a very nice thick black color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tan head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, lots of coffee, nice touch of vanilla. The taste is very nice, malty, with some deep chocolate/coffee notes, caramel, and some nice sweetness/vanilla. Medium body. Very drinkable, this one really surprised me, very tasty, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2009 23:56:29 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another that's been hiding in the bunker. Brew Two 2009, thanks to vicanncam.

A: Pours a dark rich creamy 1 finger head that fades at a medium pace with a bit of lacing, over very dark black colored beer, but thins a bit on the edge and lets a bit of dark reddish maroon colored light through.

Nose is rich, lots of roasted malts, chocolate malts, bakers chocolate, espresso beans, fresh ground coffee, bit of caramel and vanilla, fresh dark chocolate, a bit of creamy chocolate milk, some malty aromas, and just a hint of earthy hops.

Taste starts a little bitter and slightly chalky, more of the malts, plenty of roasted and choc malts, some light dark chocolate, creamy, more coffee, again fresh espresso and roasted coffee beans, light caramel, a bit of a dry malty taste, and a slight coca-cola like taste as well. A bit of bitterness, not much, just a hint of hops, slightly spicy and earthy hops. A slight bit of acidity and even a little bready, which dries a bit as it finishes, leaving more malts, chocolate, lots of espresso, and a slight creamy texture.

Mouth is medium to heavier bodied, creamy, with lower but decent carbonation, a bit more carbonation would have helped.

Drinkability is pretty good, nice smooth and creamy, no real alcohol presence, a decent dry finish with some sweetness, almost seems to get a little too dry for a milk sweet stout, and a very slight bit of a sticky finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 00:24:26 | More by jlindros

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appears an opaque black with a fluffy tan head that takes a while to fade.
Smell is of roasted malt, rich, creamy espresso, cocoa, and toasted nuts.
Taste is of the obvious coffee, chocolate, hints of vanilla, brown sugar, and cream.
Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, creamy, smooth, with a mildly bitter coffee bean and hop bud found in the silky finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2010 21:16:44 | More by weeare138

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours black, with several foamy fingers of dark and burnt looking mocha colored head. Retains with a sturdy ½ finger of froth, leaving a rich cascade up on the sides of that glass that settles into some heavy spotty lacing. The aroma is quite crunchy feeling with coffee and roasted malts. Astringency is fairly strong here, mixing in with the chocolate malts and lactic character to impart a deeply burnt tang, which is bordering on a bit souring at times. I'm pleased to find that much more of that chocolate sweetness emerges as this warms, helping cut back on the sharpness of this.

The coffee is much better integrated into the taste, adding flavor to the profile, but with a little less of the sharp bite being added to that sweet mix of roasted chocolate, caramel malts, and creamy milkiness. A moderate hop presence adds a spicy and drying zip to this. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a silky creaminess up front that then gets much sharper towards the back of the swallow. Nice evenness between the two feels and this does drink rather smoothly for its size.

All in all, this was another worthy collaboration between Terrapin and Left Hand. That rich mix of roasted espresso and lactic character did seem to go a bit overboard at times (much more so in aroma than the taste) but it luckily didn't overly impact my experience with it. I think that this would be a good one to split with a buddy. While enjoyable, I was about ready to move on after about half a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 20:17:06 | More by Kegatron

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap tonight at Capone's.

Pouts pitch black and completely opaque without even the faintest hintn of lighter color edges when held to a light source and a 1.5 finger frothy light beige head that slowly fades into a thin cap and ring. Sporadic chunks of lacing left behind.

Slightly roasted chocolate malt aroma with a prominent coffee/espresso bean presence as well as some lactic creaminess and toasty malt. Plenty of milk and bitter dark chocolate on the nose along with hints of toffee, subtle oatmeal, caramel and burnt toast.

Creamy medium body but not as thick or viscous as I had hoped. Only slightly roasty with a huge burst of dark chocolate malts. This is accompanied by some roasted coffee/espresso bean as well as some toffee, licorice, milk chocolate, burnt toast and some nice bitterness in the finish. Not the best example of the style but decent.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2010 23:19:05 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at UJ's on the Manatawny today.

The beer pours a blackish brown color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose I get an intense aroma of espresso, dark chocolate and vanilla. This beer smells as if someone ground up a bag of high quality espresso beans and dumped them in my glass. If you love the smell and taste of coffee, you will be one happy camper with a glass of this stuff. Flavors replicate the nose pretty much perfectly in this moderately sweet, excellent beer. Also, there's a nice lacto, milk stout mouth feel to this beer, which I really like. Drinkability is flat out exceptional in this beer, with the alcohol completely un-noticeable.

This is just a lovely beer that I wish I could find a bit closer to home. Excellent stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2009 23:13:58 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

3.8/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Here we go...my Falke Bier chalice is christened in America with a collaboration beer. On to the beer:

It is as dark as black itself. The head is only mediocre, somewhat fizzy, and it doesn't leave any lacing. The coffee is aroma is pleasant. A little lactose is underneath that coffee. It's like creamer in my coffee.

I like the flavor. It is sweet, and there's the coffee. Mmmm, mmmm! Whole roasted coffee beans, and sweet creamer. That's good enough, right?

There's too much carbonation in this brew initially. It's fizzy to the point where it distracts some of the flavor away. A little better as it warms, though it's still stabbing the palate. Despite that, no problem putting away the entire bomber.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 01:34:55 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Brick Store - ABV was listed as 8.0%.

Pours black with a one-finger light brown head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of rich and creamy coffee backed up by sweetened dark chocolate and a small hint of roasted malts.

Tastes similar to how it smells. The coffee flavors are still there but are not quite as intense as the smell led me to believe it would be. Although not as strong as anticipated they still kick off the procession of flavors and segue into small amounts of sweetened dark chocolate and smooth roasted malts. The ending is mildly bitter and leaves a bit of coffee lingering on the palate.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a solid thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass fairly quickly and could have another.

Overall the nose on this is great - if you like coffee, and the flavor isn't too far behind. Definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2009 01:37:19 | More by glid02

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes taken 1/22/10.

Pours black in color with a darkly tanned head. Aroma is a strong blend of coffee and chocolate with some lactose sweetness as well. Very nice retension and a ton of lace along the glassware. Taste is coffee, chocolate and lactose. It literally is making me think about what black coffee would taste like if you added chocolate syrup instead of creamer and then used artifical sweetner in it as well. It's a weird thought/description but the flavors actually work together in this beer. Light feel and light carbonation. Mild lingering bitterness of burnt grain is left in the mouth. Smell is just like freshly brewed espresso in the front with chcocolate and lactose filling out the rest of the nose. Really drinkable, would be easy to toss a few of these back.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 17:41:20 | More by stakem

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Midnight Project #2, a series of beers brewed with Left Hand Brewing in Colorado. #1 was brewed at Left Hand, this one was brewed at Terrapin with Jittery Joes's coffee. Preview bottle shared with some other BA's. I'm a fan of Milk/Sweet Stouts and I generally like coffee infused stouts as well as long as everything is balanced. I've felt that the last couple of years the Wake and Bake has been a bit too harsh and over coffeed. This beer has plenty of intense coffee character, but the sweetness of the lactose works well to balance the coffee and there is less bitterness to the beans here. I feel I get the intense coffee experience without having to age the beer for 6 months to mellow it enough to be good. Pours black with a thin headbut a nice dark almost crema looking head. Smells of strong, fresh espresso, some nice roastiness, and some vanilla. Overall, the smell is balanced with a touch of creaminess. Tastes rich, nutty, and roasty at first and creamy and slightly sweet throughout, but I like how restrained the sweetness is. The coffee comes through loud and clear, but married well to the cream and roastiness. Almost tannic in the finish. The mouthfeel could be a bit creamier- it finishes with a slight harshness that I wish was tamed. This will perhaps mellow with time. Opens up a little with time, otherwise, a little tight in the mouth. Quite nice, I look forward to more of these collaborations.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 02:21:44 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into darkness snifter.

Pours 1/2 finger of tan head. Color is pretty much black. Head fades down to a ring. Not to much lace.

Aroma: Cocoa with rich espresso. Roasted malts with a creamy nose to it. The aroma is nice, but it is fairly straight forward.

Taste: Creamy with lactose flavors. Milk chocolate and cocoa powder. Rich espresso flavors. A decent amount of roasted malts. As it warms I get some vanilla sweetness. Again, fairly straightforward, but good.

Mouthfeel: Roasted and creamy with some bitterness. Medium to full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends with roasted malts and coffee flavors in the aftertaste.

Overall, it is a very good beer and at 7% it is pretty drinkable. I am definitely enjoying this one. Very creamy and lactose like, however.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 01:30:20 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

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

Sick and entering in some paper reviews.. got this from GeezLynn a while back.. Thanks Geoff, this was shared with the Boise Peeps.

Dark tan head holds for a while.. expected black brew...

"quality coffee shop" aromas jump from the glass.. lesser milk chocolate, yet still plenty present.

nice lactose sweetness helps bind the chocolate to the abundant coffee... reminds me of milk chocolate covered espresso beans. Medium body with a lite/medium body.... good smooth mouthfeel.

very nice .... not expecting anything less... just don't expect more than rocking coffee flavors and enough milk chocolate to balance... a quality brew, but I got bored quickly.

Thanks again Geoff.. I am glad I got a chance to try this before the coffee disintegrated.

4/4.5/4/4/3.5

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 06:34:45 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Massive thanks to PDXHops for this one! Served from bottle into Stone nonic. Poured black with a very slight hint of brown with a half finger very light tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, chocolate syrup, coffee, slight caramel, and cream. The flavor was of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee beans, and cream. It had a medium feel on the palate (almost creamy) with mild carbonation. Overall this was an excellent brew. I was really stoked to get my hands on this one, much less to try it. Had a nice mouthfeel going on here. This was coupled with a great aroma and good flavor. I was really surprised at how complex this was in both aspects as well. This was a damn good beer and is a must try for anyone who has the opportunity. I just wish either of the two breweries would find it in themselves to brew this one again...

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 13:00:14 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours opaque and one shade north of black with a thick, fine-bubbled tan head. Rich roast coffee aroma has smoky undertone and nutty hints. Flavor is like a fine roast coffee with a malty undertone and hints of molasses and hazelnuts. Texture is smooth and yet quite fizzy and tingly, leaving a smoky and slightly sweet finish.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2009 21:38:58 | More by Cyberkedi