Terrapin So Fresh & So Green Green - Terrapin Beer Company

fsvan

Tennessee

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber poured into imperial pint glass.

A- Dark, bright, clear orange. Two fingers of light, fluffy head.

S- Tons of fruity hops. Mango leading the way gives a more sweet than bitter smell, although the bitterness isn't pushed completely aside.

T- First off, this is more DIPA than IPA, in my opinion. Fairly strong bitterness coats the tongue, with that fruity sweetness from the smell washing over it. Finishes with a strange sweet yet bitter hoppiness on the back of the tongue.

M- Medium bodied, well carbonated.

O- Not bad, but not great. A hop bomb of a single IPA, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 01:33:50 | More by fsvan

TheWhiskerReview

Tennessee

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 Challenger Hop release

Pours a clear burnt orange with a 2-finger white head which reduces quickly to a small ring leaving a minimal amount of sticky lace.

The nose has a small core of faintly bready pale malt and mild esters with a dominance of wet hop aroma on top. Unfortunately, with the use of the Challenger hop, the aroma is waaaay less pungent and complex than it could be (this is naturally my American bias talking)- wiffs of hop oil and wet grass with faint touches of papaya and orange zest. There is, however, a certain woody-earthiness that I've smelled many times before, oddly enough, in some Pinot Noirs.

The medium-bodied palate is a touch oily on the mouthfeel with a bitterness that, although moderate in nature, seems bigger without the super-pungent hop flavors to balance out the presentation. Flavors include bread crust, earth, leaves and spices with a continuation of that woodiness on the bitter and mildly resinous finish.

I wasn't really feelin this upon first opening, but now that I'm nearing the end of the brew I'm starting to appreciate it. I wish they chose a different hop varietal but then again I've never tasted a wet hop ale made with Challenger so I can respect it for that. The Pinot Noir-like woodiness made the nose really interesting but the palate was merely so-so. That also may be because I just tasted the SN NoHem and Estate before this, and it's really hard, I feel, to come close to those.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 04:31:19 | More by TheWhiskerReview

Swim424

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bomber into anchor bar pint glass

A- seems to be a deep orangish/red. looks very clean. Can see some bubble coming up, but not a ton. small head that falls into a thin head that seems to maintain.

S-again clean and crisp. I can smell some malt, along with so hops. some pine, and floral. very nice.

T- Very good. hops hit me up front. finishing with some malty hop to it. Like i keep saying and they advertised it seems very clean and smooth. not over powering hops but they did very good at bringing out the flavors instead of just bitterness.

MF- very smooth, with maybe a little creamy feeling after it goes down. gave me a slight tingle on the tongue when it first hits, but very nice.

O-overall i got to say this is just a very smooth and crisp beer. It isnt over powering, which i do usually enjoy, but it still has enough bite to it to satisfy that, while balancing it well with the malt and hop flavors. This is a very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 03:34:53 | More by Swim424

shand

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into an imperial pint.

Ah, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Fresh hop season! 2011 bottling with Challenger hops. Challenger? Yeah, Challenger. Interesting choice for a fresh-hop brew, let's give this a try. It sure looks like an IPA, copper color with two fingers of head. Good retention and lacing, you know the drill. Let's get some mood music on for this beer. Drinking to it while listening to So Fresh and So Clean should be a requirement. The aroma is a herbal and spicy hop over biscuity malts. Not very pungent for a fresh hop, but let's let this keep going.

The taste? This is obviously full of Challenger hops. Challenger is a really strange choice for a single-hop fresh hop IPA, you're usually much more likely to find them in something like an ESB. So, you're getting what I imagine is an absolutely huge amount of Challenger hops in here, providing a strong herbal hop, with a strong bitterness and spiciness on the backend. Nothing like the stereotypical, bright, fresh hop. This is actually a real nice change, there's a solid biscuity malt on the backend. The mouthfeel is nice and smooth, and the drinkability is very good. Looking for something different in your fresh hop haul? Slot this one in.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:41:34 | More by shand

OSUBeerStudent

North Carolina

1.93/5  rDev -47.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle bought from Sam's at the pre-WBF party.

A - coppery clear pour. Very small head that dissipates. No lacing to speak of (first warning).

S - Just...bad. For a beer called "So Fresh and So Green Green" it neither smells fresh nor green - very, very little hops in the aroma at all. A little biscuity malt and the faintest whiff of hops. As the score says, I am not impressed.

T - more of the same, but somehow worse. No hops. This beer can't be that old, either for the new batch. Drainpour. It had no hops and very little malt - just watery.

M - eh, it was ok. Carbonation wasn't off or anything.

Overall, just bad. I sincerely hope it was just this bottle. It's gotta be, right? There's no way they'd put out this kind of beer with no hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 01:16:45 | More by OSUBeerStudent

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A small-headed, copper colored beer, this beer has an appealing allure, but balls a bit short. It's aroma is modestly hoppy, not nearly a fresh as I expected, given the name. Fruit, a touch of alcohol, some herbal hoppiness and a touch of resin. Muted. The flavor is similar to the taste, with a bit of pale malt coming forth. Medium body. A bit of warmth, and a dry character in the finish. Could be much better.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 02:25:10 | More by Suds

FanofHefe

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber poured into a Duvel tulip; no dating on the bottle. Mostly clear, amber body with a one-finger light tan head. Only a smattering of lacing.

The caramel malt aroma seems to overpower the hops. Still, a bit of hop aroma, mostly an earthy, slightly grassy aroma.

The flavor is a little better. The hops come through just a little more with some citrus flavor that balances decently with the malt. Still, a little sweet overall.

Medium to light mouthfeel. Easy to drink, but not in the top tier of IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 20:20:18 | More by FanofHefe

Aaron420

North Carolina

2.78/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. I wanted to get my hand on this one when it first came out finally found it just wish I could have had it fresh.

A: Poured a murky amber with a small tan head that dissipated quickly.

S: Little to no Hop smell came through to me, but a lot of maltyness.

T: Taste was the same as smell very little to no Hop flavor. I am hoping this is due to the fact that this was a little on the old side by the time I found it.But the malty flavor that came through was very smooth and tasty.

M: A medium bodied smooth drinking beer that was a little heavy on carbonation.

O: I wish I could have tasted this fresh cause I probably would have tasted a completely different beer, but that is what I get for buying an IPA that was released about 8 months ago. Just couldn't pass up a Terrapin Beer that made reference to Outkast.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 19:49:05 | More by Aaron420

jacobseyb

Alabama

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass a nice deep orange color. Good citrus notes on the nose, some sweetness present. Taste is balanced with an initial tinge of hoppy citrus bitterness. Feels amply carbonated with some hop oil and a medium body. Overall a good representation of an IPA with a fresh hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 02:13:52 | More by jacobseyb

bum732

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

S: Rich bready malt, marris otter i think, some fresh hop resin, some hop spiciness

L: Golden amber, crystal clear, tight white head with good lacing.

T: Resiny and piney hoppy malt, fairly sweet and malty. Slightly spicy bitterness with some resin. Finishes fairly clean and semi-dry.

M: Medium-thin mouthfeel, medium carbonation.

Disappointing for a "fresh hop" ale. No bottling date, so not sure how old it is. More of a pale ale than IPA, still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 01:54:59 | More by bum732

BrewCrew2010

New York

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a deep amber body with a thick, white rocky head.

S: A simple and quiet nose of floral hops with some malts. Expected more of a hoppy nose.

T: Slight bitter & floral hop flavor balanced with sweet malts.

M: Medium-light body, medium carbonation, slightly resin texture.

O: Would never have guess this to be an IPA. Needs to be a bit hoppier. I would drink this again, but I wouldn't pay for it. It was really missing something.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 21:23:07 | More by BrewCrew2010

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A little weak I thought, I was hoping for something more. Honestly I thought this would be much hoppier since it's a wet hop ale. I honestly didn't get much of a hop flavor at all. Perhaps it's the type of hops they used. The color was a really nice gold and I even though the aroma was pretty nice but this brew just turned out to be a little on the boring side when it comes to hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 00:26:31 | More by Knapp85

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a HotD Tulip on 2/23/11.

Pours a medium golden amber with a finger of head of off frothy white head. After the head dissipates it leaves the littlest of fine white lacing.

Smells of fresh citrus hops but the smell is not as strong as I had hoped it to be.

Taste does have a strong hop presence but the malt really stands out in this one. The taste actually reminds me of a really fruity barley wine that was just bottled and the hops are still kickin around.

Mouthfeel is very smooth. For a fresh hop IPA I expected it to have more resin after taste left in my mouth after the swallow but this has almost no after taste at all.

Drinkability is moderate. Its a good beer but I don't find anything spectacular about it. It does have a good ABV for a good round of drinking(6.6) but Terrapin would have to do some tweaking if this ever was turned into more then just a one off. It could however be a very good choice as a base for a IPA/DIPA tasting.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 02:22:39 | More by UMNbeerhunter

cdizinno

South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Deep clear amber in color. Nice thick and fluffy, off-white, bubbly, rocky head. Mild lacing.

S: Definitely VERY "green" and floral/earty.

T&M: Defintely original tasting. Very grassy and earthy hop taste. Mildly sweet with a mild to moderate bitterness. The earthy hop flavor hangs on the tongue. Medium bodied.

Very good IPA. Hopped to the brim with such fresh hops that it is like chewing on sweet buds. It is over the top on a single hop which gives it this original flavor. NOt up there with the best, but a very drinkable IPA that is ulitmately satisfying.

Serving type: growler

03-11-2011 22:44:41 | More by cdizinno

Florida9

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep clear amber in color. Forms a thin, but stable, off-white, bubbly, rocky head. Little lacing.

S: For a fresh hop beer, there is a strong malt component to the aroma. Aroma is also very "green" and herbaceous. Almost to the point of being minty or reminiscent of parsley.

T: Much like the aroma, this beer is rather malty with more of the herbaceousnecss. Parsley-like. Mildly sweet. Mild to moderate bitterness. The herby flavor hangs on the tongue.

M: Medium in weight, though somewhat sticky, with appropriate carbonation.

D: A decent beer, with a very fresh, herbal taste, but somehow this beer fails to showcase the beauty of the fresh hop.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 19:33:01 | More by Florida9

vapodge

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

bomber poured into a pint glass

A - super clear, medium golden, well-carbonated producing a nice head, solid lacing

S - citrusy hops, but not nearly as overpowering as I was expecting; smells a touch sweet, too

T - hops are definitely there, but balanced out by a malt backbone; this beer tastes better than I remember it when I first had it a month ago, but it wasn't ultra-hoppy then, either; fairly sweet

M - fairly high level of carbonation, not much aftertaste

D - easy to drink, but not super-memorable or noteworthy; think hoppy pale ale, but not too hoppy

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 05:27:39 | More by vapodge

HopDiggityDawg

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Any time you can get your hands on a very fresh Ipa or DIPA you almost have to try it.

Poured amber/copper, decent head
smell - floral, didn't hit me like I thought a beer this fresh would but a nice smell.
taste - very clean, good hop hit, not too malty at all, which I like.
Mouthfeel - a lot of carbonation, light/medium mouthfeel.
Drinkability on this one is very high.
I think that my expectations were very high. I think this is because this beer is packaged like a DIPA, it's in a bomber with a Feb. freshness date. Even though I knew going in that it is an ipa with 6.6%. All in all, I liked it and if I were out and they had it in a bottle or on tap I would not hesitate to jump on one.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 15:19:50 | More by HopDiggityDawg

theboozecruise

Louisiana

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into an imperial pint glass. It's a deep orange color, darker than a typical IPA. There's an impressive head with good retention and lacing.

It's hoppy... very hoppy. It's a more floral hop note with a little bit of sweetness to it. Pretty good.

The flavor is just more of the same... hoppy, not a lot of balance. It's good but not great on the flavor.

The mouthfeel is good, despite the dominant hops there really isn't a bad aftertaste at all.

Not a bad IPA, but not one I'd reach for again with other IPAs on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 23:31:26 | More by theboozecruise

cosmicevan

New York

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

thanks to key west for having this available at conch as a single and thank you to TSA for not breaking everything in my suitcase!

A - Cracked the bottle and poured into a duvel tasting tulip. Poured a really nice amber color with a thin pinky of white frothy head. Carbonation was lively and I could see the bubbles racing from the bottom center to the top of the pour. Lacing was semi sticky leaving some ringish clling. Clear and crisp...dare I say, so fresh and so clean clean?

S - Malty hops. One of the maltuer IPAs I've ever smelled. Tamer than most pale ales even. Smelled nice, but not really what I usually look for in an IPA.

T - Again, somewhat like a bitter pale ale. It is odd to have the bitterness without the hoppiness I would usually look for in this kind of brew. I wish there was a bottled on or freshness date since this kind of feels like what I expect an IPA to taste like after the hops flavoring becomes heavily faded. Malty and tame, but not as smooth as something like HoTD's Ruth...but along those lines. I find Ruth to be a relatively tame Pale Ale, but this is an IPA.

M/D - Surprisingly bitter and tingly in the mouth with the almost absent hop presence. An easy drinker but this is no IPA like I'm used to. I tend to expect a big hop profile and this beer is really lacking what in my opinion is the crucial element for the style. The malt backbone is dominating. Not a bad beer, but I wouldn't drink it if I was in the mood for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 01:49:48 | More by cosmicevan

metter98

New York

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear light amber in color and poured with a thin white head that faded into lacy patterns of bubbles. There is a light amount of visible carbonation.
S: There are moderate aromas of citrus and pine resin hops in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has flavors of citrusy and piney hops along with a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer isn't that difficult to drink, although I couldn't see myself having more than one of these in a single sitting.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 00:25:37 | More by metter98

HeyItsChili

China

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at GBX the other night.

A - Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours a bright amber with golden highlights. A big foamy head settles on the top and has great retention.

S - The aroma is sort of mildly brown sugar sweet and really light floral hops. Not nearly as pronounced hops aroma as I would assume.

T - Seems a little bit flat to me. Malty, with very little hops flavor. A bit of a letdown.

M - Low carbonation

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 03:09:11 | More by HeyItsChili

mjaquillard

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from 22oz bottle into a pint.

Appearance: Very light appearing, much more so than I would have though.

Smell: Really earthy, more like british hops rather than american citrus hops. Not that this is necessarily bad...

Taste: Definitely not overwhelmed with hops like I was hoping.

Mouthfeel: Missing. A severe lack of carbonation and body.

Drinkability: I am usually a huge fan of Terrapin brews, but this one was really disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 14:25:08 | More by mjaquillard

Axic10

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 22oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear copper with a finger of fluffy off white foam that settles after a few moments.

Smell: Fragrant floral hops, earthy notes and subtle malt aroma.

Taste: Bitter piney hops, grass, I'm picking up some sort of weird apple juice flavor at the end that I'm not digging.

Mouthfeel: The body was too thin I thought with a dry finish.

Drinkability: I thought I'd like this more than I did. The nose was close to being pretty good, but the taste and body killed it for me. Not horrible, but I don't see myself paying the money for this one again.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 01:28:59 | More by Axic10

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a look typical for the style, with a slightly hazed copper-orange-rust liquid sporting healthy bubble motion that feeds a fluffy off-white head. Lace sticks then slides immediately down the wall of the glass, with only a little of it sticking permanently.

Unsurprisingly for a fresh hop beer, the smells is fragrant, perfume-like, crisp, clean, breezy, pine-laden, pithy, citrus-rind goodness.

The taste is just what you might expect, being an extremely clean, breezy dose of hop-forward flavor, dangling somewhere between lemon rind and evergreen tips. Malt is quite subtle, having the mildness of a water cracker, present and pleasing but very much in a supporting role. It is to the hops what the cracker is to the pungent Roquefort cheese. Pretty dry and not much left in the finish other than a quick flash of lemon/lime zest.

Feel is tingly from carbonation but tempered by a medium body with just a tad of stick to it. Round enough, smooth enough, nice enough.

What's the problem? Seems this one is a little underrated. It's no hop bomb, but c'mon, "fresh hop" does not equal "hop bomb." It performs as advertised, no more and no less. Had they bulked up the malt a bit, we would have had something a little heartier, but then it would have lost as much as it has gained in being a true "fresh hop" flavor. I like, I like.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 23:09:24 | More by Metalmonk

aepb1

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Tan body with an airy off-white head

S- Hops! Floral, piney hops, some sweet hops under that

T- Some bready sweetness right off and then moves into grassy/piney hops finish. It's not overly hoppy, much less-so than the nose

M- Medium bodied, creamy and good carbonation

D- Incredible nose! Very easy to drink and a nice beer

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 15:32:19 | More by aepb1