Terrapin Hopzilla - Terrapin Beer Company

Cobrito

Georgia

1.73/5  rDev -57.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A--A nice cloudy, golden appearance, but with weak head and lacing.

S--Smells kind of one-dimensional and overly malty. Not at all appetizing or aesthetically pleasing like the best, complex DIPAs.

Taste--Ditto; one dimensional, boringly sweet. Very little hop taste and very little sense of composition.

M--Meh.

Perhaps the least satisfying $13 per 4 pack I have ever spent. This beer is a FAIL.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 00:30:21 | More by Cobrito

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

1.85/5  rDev -54.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Bomber to snifter. No date or batch number on the bottle. Sampled on 10/3/10. Thanks to gford217 for the extra and an altogether very generous package of beers!

A: A vigorous pour pushes the head up to 1 1/2 fingers. Bright white, foamy and semi long lasting. The body is almost completely opaque, and is a light sun kissed orange color. Lacing is spare.

S: The label reveals that Hopzilla uses only Maris Otter malts, which are considered to be of premium quality and price. Terrapin must have spent a fortune as this is one heavily malted DIPA. The caramel component is huge nearly pushing out the lightly toasted bread notes in the background. As the name would suggest, this beer a certified hop bomb, packing every bit of 110 IBUs. Unfortunately, the hop bill is self-conflicted with harsh aromas of Pine-Sol battling with ligter scents of scallion and orange. Heavily soapy. Aromas of peach and fermented pineapple come into play.

T: Wow, this is one big beer. Too big in fact, and certainly not in a good way. The malt sweetness is enormous and it somehow manages to ruin the bitterness that I was hoping would counter it. The alcoholic heat is unforgiving. The collection of flavors lacks direction. Not good. I don't know what else to say.

M: Medium body with an extremely hot, extremely slick texture. The heat is off-putting.

D: I'm not sure what the focus is here. Perhaps this: Quality ingredients ≠ quality brew? This beer is big for the sake of being big. Hard to enjoy and very difficult to finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 14:17:56 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

mondegreen

Georgia

2.38/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

2012 Monster Beer Tour Review:
12oz into a Terrapin Shaker Pint.
Pours a crystal clear deep gold with very little head and next to no lacing. The nose is very boozy. Muted hops and hot fusel alcohols. Taste is a hot mess: sweet alcohol, next to no bitterness, and a very generic, flat, and distant hop flavor. Mouthfeel is about average for a DIPA, maybe a little heavier/slicker than I'd like, but I can't really tell because I want this stuff out of my mouth as quickly as possible.

Overall, this is Terrapin's biggest disappointment to date (and that's saying a lot). To put it into perspective, as of right now (March 2012) I can find side projects on shelves from the middle of 2009. They just sit forever. The ONE Side Project that flew off shelves? The original Hopzilla. Why, then, would they change it so drastically? Anyways, I'd advise against picking this one up, especially at $13-$16/4-pack. If Terrapin reverts this beer to its original glory, I'll gladly restore my original review. Until then, thumbs down.

Original 2010 Side Project Review (Score was a 4.63):
22oz into a Terrapin Shaker Pint.

Pours a hazy golden color with a healthy white head. Leaves thick lacing down the glass. Aroma is all citrus hops. Smells wonderful; fresh, bright, alive. Taste follows, showcasing bitter hop flavors without going too far on bitterness. The Maris Otter malts carry the hops wonderfully, and the mouth benefits. This is one smooth DIPA.

At nearly 11%, this beer could be expected to be abrasive, but it isn't. This is the best side project Terrapin has produced to date. Don't skip it - it is well worth the $7-$8 price of admission.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 22:38:09 | More by mondegreen

mikey711

New Jersey

2.38/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a nice golden color, but cloudy, with a half inch head that holds well but does not leave lacing.

S: Floral hop notes, touches of lemon, huge maltiness, onions, scallions pine sol. There is also a soapy quality

T: This ultra hoppy and malty. the hops however a a bit to astringent. The hops also have a bit of a scallion and onion flavoring. the maltiness in this one is also very sweet and very present

M: Slightly rough because it was a bit to prickly. There is some heat present as well

D: I found myself having trouble finishing the bomber because the astringent quality

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 22:35:08 | More by mikey711

claspada

New Jersey

2.4/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Aroma is straight hop resin; mainly composed of citrus and grapefruit with some lesser herbal notes. Very musky, resiny hop aroma. Definite component of caramel sweetness with some lesser biscuity maltiness.
The taste totally disappoints in my opinion. It is just a mess. The malt sweetness is way over the top (and I like a good balanced DIPA over a hop bomb), but this somehow ends up being both. Grapefruit rips apart your taste buds and the alcohol is definitely not hidden either. It's sticky and resiny yet still cloying and sweet.
The mouthfeel is medium bodied with less than average amount of carbonation. Bitter yet creamy. Sadly this one gets the drain...

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 11:54:46 | More by claspada

womencantsail

California

2.42/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to Charlie for sending me this one.

A: The pour is a lightly hazed golden orange color with a finger or so worth of white foam.

S: A fair amount of grapefruit rind as well as some oily, piney, resin. Hints of tropical fruits provide some sweetness and there is a touch of alcohol on the back end.

T: Sweet tropical fruits up front, namely pineapple and mango. Unfortunately, lots of sugary sweetness and alcohol. The heat from the alcohol is so intense it's almost like ash with a hit of vodka. Some lingering piney bitterness.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: I thought this one would be alright from the nose, but the flavor was just awful. Way too hot and alcoholic.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 01:46:16 | More by womencantsail

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a white head. Color is a bright, yet pale straw yellow. Kind of hazy.

Aroma: Oniony, some bitterness, pine. Not that good. Creamy, like cream corn. Odd.

Taste: Bitter, piney, floral hops, dill pickles, creamy, citrus flavors. Nothing impressing me.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky and messy.

Overall, this was just a pretty bad dipa. It had some many odd flavors to it and nothing seemed to work for it. I didn't want to drink a lot of this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 03:23:11 | More by mothman

Ryan011235

Ohio

2.58/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a snifter on 9/3/10

Thanks to PDXHops

Pours a thin yellow & settles a golden, pineapple/orange color. It's rather bright. Just shy of one finger, the bubbly white foam thinned quickly to a skim & some bubbles. Two trails of lace remain for a while. Lacing all but drips down mid glass. This beer looks familiar.

The aroma also imparts familiarity, though it doesn't seem quite as harsh as Stone 14th. Even still, the hop aromas (rest assured this seems to be an hoppy critter) are riddled with a soapy/solvent smell. Over-ripe citrus notes are present, too; mostly orange peel & lemon. Light grassy hints. Bready yeast undertones. I will say the aroma stops short of agitating my nose.

Ah, Hopzilla doesn't taste very good, either. To say the citrus is over-ripe is a gift. It calls to mind a watery, herbal, fruit-infused tea that was aged on a pile of well-past-prime orange rind. But it doesn't stop there; the soapy qualities of the nose start to emerge mid-swallow & hang on toward the finish. Just before the finish it shifts towards a castrated hop flavor paired up with a near-aspirin bitterness. For joy...

Medium bodied with slightly below average carbonation. The feel is pretty mundane in the context of the flavors. There is some slickness & there is only a touch of heat while cold; the alcohol is hidden very well. I'll give it that much. The finish is mostly astringent bitterness, leaving a chalky feel on the tongue that lasts & lasts.

As for drinkability, I'm not too thrilled to polish off the rest of the bottle. Granted, it could be much worse, but it only avoids a lower rating because it's kind of bland overall.

Now then, since I compared it to Stone 14th here's how I think it will pan out. Those who didn't like Stone 14th will think this is somewhat better; those who like Stone 14th won't find this to be as good. The 14th is polarizing; though I don't care for it, I can see why many enjoy it. Hopzilla is bland enough for the ratings to fall closer to average.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 17:59:23 | More by Ryan011235

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bomber poured into a Duvel tulip. Hazy apricot body, smallish white head that manages to leave some decent splotchy lacing.

After being disappointed by the cleverly named yet lupulin-challenged "Hopsecutioner", I'll have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by the actual hoppiness in Hopzilla. Not a bad take on a DIPA, although I think there's a point where booziness is too dominant a factor in the flavor profile, and 10.8% has definitely passed that point. Hops are intensely floral up front(an unexpected combo to be sure), transitioning to a stinging general bitterness then a citrusy punch at the swallow. They certainly got the bitterness right, but lingering doughy sweetness and booziness limit enjoyment for me.

Overall impression: Below average, but it seems like it could potentially be pretty good with a few tweaks.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 23:39:33 | More by PDXHops

generalnotsew

Tennessee

2.65/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Looks a tad weak on the pour. Very light bright yellow with a decent foamy head that weakens pretty fast. Very, very sweet tropical notes in the nose. Just a twinge of bitterness and hops. Looking for something a little more harsh but it isn't bad. A tad too creamy and sweet. Carbonation seems way too low and there is a very noticeable alcohol burn going down. It is like drinking cream with pineapple juice but there is a decent amount of hop bitterness in the aftertaste with a very dry finish.

Overall not too impressed with this one. Far too sweet for me and the alcohol burn is too much. Wish I hadn't bought two bottles now.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 04:15:48 | More by generalnotsew

Hophead717

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Perfect, deep golden straw, with a fizzy half-finger head that quickly dissipates. Some lacing sticks along the glass.

S: Light grassy hops, with some notes of sweet tangerine. Definitely smells like a fresh IPA, with a some graininess coming out also. Alcohol is quite noticeable.

T: Incredibly sweet upfront--a mix of honey and citrus-sweetness. The finish is lightly bitter, but very underwhelming for a "Hopzilla." Very boozy--one of the most noticeable ABV IPAs I've sampled.

M: Very good, well-carbonated for a high-end ABV beer.

O:This doesn't really work for me. In a way, it reminds me of Hopslam with the sweet lead-in, but there's no strong hoppy-presence to balance that, save for a touch of bitterness at the end. Underwhelming to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 01:42:45 | More by Hophead717

jethrodium

California

2.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle courtesy of RaffyS. Thanks. Pours a hazy light amber with a small white head that settles to a ring and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is dank hops, sweet caramel, sugar cookie, pine, and a bit of alcohol. The taste is sweet with sugar cookie, dank hops, some caramel and pine as well. Quite sweet. The finish has some moderate bitterness as well as some lingering alcohol. Medium body. Medium carbonation. A bit too sweet, and the sweetness doesn't mask the alcohol all that well.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 08:46:43 | More by jethrodium

SaCkErZ9

Florida

2.9/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

"Terrapin Side Project number 12 is none other than the fearless "Hopzilla" Double IPA. This Hoptastic creature clocks in at 110 IBU's and has all the hop explosions of a B-Rate monster movie.
Made with 100% Maris Otter malt to back up the barrage of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma, this beast knows no boundaries. With all of this hoppy goodness packed into one beer, we wouldnt have called it by any other name."

Pours from a gold foiled 22oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours lighter than I expected, almost a dark straw color with a reasonable size foaminess on top.

Aroma is hoppy and alcoholic. Very fruity and sweet with citrus being the mainstay of the aroma. There is a nice malt backbone as well but this one seems too sweet.

Definitely a little sweet on the tongue. Cloying up front with large doses of fruits and berries. Sticky sweet and oily on the palate. BItterness is completely lost in all of the caramel malt.

Not a fan of this one. When I read this one had 110 IBU's I was a little excited. However, those IBU are overwhelmed by the sweet caramel malt and makes this one alcoholic, sticky, sweet, cloying, and tough to finish. I have another bottle of this too :(

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 21:37:36 | More by SaCkErZ9

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- pours a brassy golden amber color with a finger of off white head. Solid head retention leaves a half a finger cap.

S- Not much of an aroma here. Some light lemon and orange peel citrus, spiciness and leafy hop aromas come out but one has dig rather deep. You get some alcohol heat on the finish as well.

T- Mild hop resin, pine and citrus qualities hit the palate at first. You get malty sweetness in the middle. Very boozey finish that kills off the initial flavors that you tend to want to linger on the palate. This would be much better without the the alcoholic astringentcy on the finish.

MF- slick oily mouthfeel with a medium body. Average carbonation.

D- poor drinkability

Overall a beer that needs work. Which doesn't make sense cause the side project incarnation was flipping delicious. Great start, messy hot finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 03:40:22 | More by Viciousknishs

Steasy66

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz into dixie cup, 'vintage 2012' no idea how fresh
A- light brown, a bit cloudy, 1 finger white head that fades fast.
S- Pretty weak, not much here at all.
T- Sweet, citrusy, a little bitter, nothing to write home about.
M- Thick, good carb
O- Like hopsecutioner, nothing to write home about, but nothing wrong with it. I like a sweet DIPA but this lacks the hops to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 01:29:37 | More by Steasy66

Mavajo

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Pours a light golden color with a fast-receding fluffy, white head. The aroma is absolutely loaded with tropical fruits, grapefruit, etc. - never smelled a beer this intensely fruit. While it's a truly delicious smell, it made me a bit leery of the taste - I don't really like my DIPAs loaded with tropical fruitiness, and I'm starting to worry this will skew to the sweet side. I take my first sips and, as expected, it's a bit of a letdown. Lots of tropical fruits, a bit of an odd medicinal/chemical character, and then the hops. Much too sweet. This isn't what I want from a DIPA - I like my DIPAs loaded with hops, bitter, resiny and dry. Extremely disappointed. I guess it's not wrong, per se, but it's not what I was wanting from this brew. It ends up being an unremarkable and unimpressive taste.

Not impressed by this beer. I won't be having again. Should be renamed Tropicsweetzilla.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 20:01:11 | More by Mavajo

dubinsky

California

3.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a foiled bomber into a C&B Bruges glass.

A - Pours a light, hazy golden orange. My pour yielded a nice two finger fluffy white head which left some nice lacing as it came down the side of the glass.

S - Tropical fruits are the first impression i get with this DIPA. Pineapple, mango, orange, fresh cut grass, some earthy tones and a malt sweetness are the forerunners in this aroma profile. There is some good hop aroma, but as i expect from the style, its fairly subdued compared to the sweet aromas.

T - This is one sweet DIPA. Great hop flavor which again resonates of sweet Maui pineapple, mango, sweet citrus and grass. A huge malt backbone is a bit too sweet for my tastes.

M - Full bodied with great carbonation. Somewhat of an alcohol burn lingers.

D - This beer is too sweet for me and that makes it not very drinkable. One is fine, but any more would drive me into sugar shock.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 02:27:52 | More by dubinsky

notchucknorris

California

3.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours an extremely cloudy pale golden color with a creamy off-white head.

S: Very dank and strange smell with a lot of sweetness and some oak.

T: This is way sweet for me. It reminds me of Southern Tier's Oak Aged Unearthly, which I didn't care for. Overripe apricot with a slight hint of citrus hops. There's a buttery and oaky flavor that lasts through the finish and is a bit overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 00:21:31 | More by notchucknorris

kneeland

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

If you're a fan of IPAs, then this is the beer for you. They call it a double India pale ale, and they're not lying. I, myself, am not a fan of IPAs, but the taste of Hopzilla was excellent.

The color was a perfect oranged wheat tone. Looked a lot like Blue Moon for comparison. The head worked for me, not too much foam, the carbonation stuck around.

I found the smell to be very floral, with hints of citrus.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 18:54:35 | More by kneeland

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Revised 3.20.13

A - Pours a clear honey color and very mild carbonation. Initially pours with a white, foamy one fingered head the subsides to a thin white ring.

A - Tropical fruit smells - mango, pineapple, some oranges, and sweet grapefruit.

T - Alcohol and booze!! The ABV totally slams the tropical fruit/malt combo. Light bready caramel malt; candied mangos, oranges, and red grapefruit with light pepper in the finish.

M - Heavy side of medium body, mild tongue carbonation, and a lingering mixture of spicy pepper, almost sugary tropical fruit, and booziness.

O - Very alcohol forward and boozy which dominates too much, would not be opposed to dialing back the alcohol level on this beer and let the the ingredients shine as opposed to the alcohol; the alcohol presence is borderline obnoxious for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 22:39:27 | More by jzeilinger

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, orange amber colored with a fluffy white head that dissipates leaving some lacing, very clear

S: oily pine hops, thick and resinous, intimidating esters present, like fermented flowers and fruit

T: sticky sweet flavor reminiscent of barley wines, oddly dark fruits, much less bitterness than expected, pine hops

M: greasy, heavy alcohol presence, lower carbonation

O: this is slightly better than average due to flavors and a feel that are less than ideal in this style, fruit should be more tropical and less stone, sugary greasy quality puts me off

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:15:40 | More by M_C_Hampton

TBoneJones

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Heard good about this brewery so I picked a few off the shelf while vacationing in Florida last month.
Thinner than I expected head on the pour into a pint glass.
Nice orange copper coloring.
Bubbles rise steadily from glass bottom.
Pine skunky smell with alcohol.
Upon taste I like how the malt blends in with the alcohol, but then there is the alcohol !! Warming for sure, and then a bit astringent.
Nice carbonation overall. Hops big and nice but gives way to the alcohol in short order. A different type of big DIPA, some say sweet in a good way, but I'm not sure how to pinpoint what's happening enough here to say it's a favorite. Although i cant help but compare brews in this range to Maharaja, I'm glad to try something new in this style.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 03:33:51 | More by TBoneJones

Yesac

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Light tangerine color, murky in the glass. Little to no white head.

S- Citrus and piney hops.

T- Right along with the smell.. very bitter citrus hops with strong tropical fruits (pineapple etc).

M- Thick bodied, creamy. Very low carbonation.

D- Very bitter, thick. ABV well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 02:55:05 | More by Yesac

Treebs

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2012 12 oz. bottle served in a pint glass.

A: Pours a clear amber color with a frothy white head forming on the pour. It recedes a to thin ring and leaves some mild stick down the glass.

S: Big pine and resin hops with a mild citrus fruit backing. Some fruity alcohol and some wheat malt are on the finish.

T: Tons of big and oily hops resins are left over. Mostly resiny up front with a mix some booze. Fruity flesh with some bread malts that cut through the hops a little bit.

M: Medium bodied, sticky and oily with a slight warming alcohol on the finish. The carbonation is nice.

O: Definitely lives up to the name. The hops are in your face, but there definitely is some malt presence to cut through it. Good, but forgetful.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 01:35:36 | More by Treebs

nick76

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The aroma is very hoppy with citrus and pineapple as well as caramel malt and a touch of metal. The appearance is amber with floating particles and a nice head for the style but fades without being foamy. The taste is very much like the aroma. The palate is smooth. Overall a good beer but the finish is very alcoholic and a bit to metallic.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 23:58:07 | More by nick76