Terrapin Easy Rider - Terrapin Beer Company

Duff27

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Near inch-tall white head on a cloudy pale golden hued bodied beer. Cap and collar left, nice lacing pattern.

S- Faint lemons from the hops.

T- Bright citrus hops first and foremost. Lemon zest. Bitter hops dominate the malt profile. Pretty easy drinking yes.

M- Medium to medium-thin mouthfeel, Good carbonation point for the style.

D/O- Session beers were (are) all the rage these days. This one is pretty middle of the road in my opinion, although I could be just spoiled have Zombie Dust around most of the time. Having said that, would take this anytime over BMC if we are strictly taking alcohol by volume in comparsion.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 03:27:59 | More by Duff27

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to elCharderino (Reddit) for this interesting beer.

Pours a white fluffy and bubbly 1 finger head that fades semi slowly with lots of layered lacing, over semi hazy golden orange colored beer.

Nose has a really nice hop aroma, almost Gumballhead like but not quite, light fruity Armarillo, bit of citrus like with tangerine and nectarine peach like, little citrus, little grapefruit, an aromatic slight earthy hop.

Taste starts with a light malt base, touch of a reddish toasty malt and some pale malts. Then mostly hops, slightly earthy before changing to some citrus and fruity hops, little tangerine and peach like hop fruits, touch grapefruit, juicy, slightly grassy and touch spicy hop kick as well. Finish is fairly bitter and a bit dry with a nice floral grassy and slight spicy hop, long lingering bitterness, touch citrus and some malts.

Mouth is med bodied, good carb.

Overall fairly nice APA, nice hops that add good flavors without overpowering on bitterness, earthiness, or fruitiness, and the malts bring a nice flavor that also doesn't overpower or ruin the beer. Nicely balanced and drinkable, good flavors, well done APA IMO.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 01:27:14 | More by jlindros

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up this 4 pack at Giant in East York PA, enjoyed chilled from a mug.

The color is dark golden bordering on amber with a thick creamy off white head which measures several inches deep. The smell has a slightly tropical and somewhat pine tinged hop odor with slight citrus notes blending in well with light spice, very fragrant and pleasant aroma. The feel is good with slight bitter and spicey hop edges with mild body and light sweetness with moderately low astringency and only a bit thinner than some with a nice oily hop presence on the palate.

The flavor is full of hops, plenty of green vegetal and spice flavors coalesce with a mild tinge of pine and tropical fruit. If I had to guess I would say this is a C hop, probably columbus dominant in the flavoring addition since it has a nice rind-like citrus quality and there is enough malt to keep it from feeling sharp on the tastebuds even though it has a nice residual bitter taste after the swallow. Overall I recommend this if you like a session-quality beer with hop forward attributes, very tasty and a nice Extra Pale for any occasion.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 18:41:27 | More by Slatetank

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a standard pint a clear light to medium golden with a thinner glingy white head that settles into a soapy-like mass.Love the big shot of citric and piny hops in the nose,they really jump out at ya like the label says,a light caramel base is noticable.The Maris Otter malt plays a big role on the palate with it's mildly sweet biscuit malt flavors,citric hops in the back end.It could be beefed up a little in the body and the hops could be a little bigger on the palate but it's a nice session ale in my opinon,good for a grilling night like tonight.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 17:18:00 | More by WoodBrew

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass. I like the label (Terrapin's are always cool though), has the classic turtle riding a motorcycle. Kinda reminds me of the movie that I haven't seen in years, which I'm sure was their intention. Liquid comes out hazy yellow slightly lighter than straw. Very pale white frothy head, sticks around shortly and gives good lacing.

Smell is good, hay, citrus, floral and herbal. Decent grains, pale and caramel malts stick out the most which give some sweetness. Hops finish with floral and citrus peel. Not too strong, but when it says "session" on the label I usually don't expect it.

Taste is right on par with the smell. Malt backbone a little bigger though. Somewhat bready with some sweetness. Finishes with a nice hop bite, primarily citrus, grapefruit with a hint of lemon, again nothing too strong.

Mouthfeel is good. Great carbonation level. Dryer than I would have expected and to my liking considering the flavor isn't to strong. At the same time though, it's heavier than I expected.

Overall a solid representation of a Session Pale Ale. This isn't distributed to my area so I personally wouldn't seek it out, but it would be a wonderful beer to have fresh on a hot summer day. Terrapin still hasn't let me down so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 22:59:31 | More by AndyAvalanche

beer2day

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Light gold color. Even with an aggressive pour, got only a light sheen of thin white head. No lace, either.

Nose is bread malt, light dry raisin and a faint note of fig. Not what I want in a pale.

More bread malt in the flavor. Nice hop bite in the finish, with lots of malt balance. Bit of sourness in the finish. Strong British-American hybrid maybe?

Feel is actually quite nice. Malt body gives it some heft against the light abv.

Glad I tried it, but probably won't go back.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 21:20:37 | More by beer2day

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at cellar temperature.

L – Pale amber color with a great 4-finger white bubbly, foamy head. Really nice retention and great lacing. Clear with lots of carbonation bubbles.

S – Bready, grainy, and sweet caramel malts with a nice hop aroma with grapefruit, orange, mango, and peach notes. One of the best smelling pale ales that I’ve tried.

T – Starts off sweet with caramel and bready malts and gradually builds to a nice hop bitterness with mostly grapefruit and orange notes. Really tasty.

F – Medium-bodied with lots of carbonation, a sticky and crisp mouthfeel, and a pleasantly bitter and dry finish. Bittersweet grapefruit hops linger for a nice amount of time.

O – This is a very tasty and drinkable beer. It actually impresses me much more than Sierra Nevada’s pale ale (blasphemy, I know). It looks, smells, tastes, and feels great. Just an all-around great beer from Terrapin.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 21:57:07 | More by BlackBelt5112203

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Actually a great deal of carbonation with tons of bubbles and a 1/2 inch of head that sticks around for quite a bit.

S - Nose actually has some mild citrus hops twang with a good deal of cracker malts.

T - Taste starts off malt forward with some cracker malts and toffee then quickly to an enjoyable level of citrus that gets your attention and hold it to the finish. Not too overly bitter and fades out nicely.

M - Light and crisp.

Overall this beats every light beer and most session ales out of the park. I just wish I knew a place to get a six pack since the single ran me 3 bucks.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 01:33:45 | More by DrDemento456

claspada

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden color with a thinner glingy white head that settles into a soapy-cap and recedes to leave decent lacing.

Aromas begi with good amount of citrus and herbal hops with a subtle toasty, nutty notes.

The tastes begin with an average amount of hops, light citrus (grapefruit and orange) and lighly toasted maltiness. Not an overly dynamic flavor, but well done and vibrant.

The mouthfeel is light in body with a good amount of carbonation and smooth finish.

Overall this is a straightforward, enjoyable, drinkable session beer. A decent but not revolutionary amount of flavor. Definitely better than most session ales but not in the high class of Surly Bitter Brewer but few are.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 17:13:08 | More by claspada

Josiah2729

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into pint glass.

Appearance: Dark orange gold. White 2 finger head. Nice lacing througout.

Smell: Citrus hops, medium malt, nice heavy hops

Taste: Decent citrus hops, medium roasted malts, nice dark bitter profile.

Mouthfeel: Nice carbonation with light to medium thickness.

Overall: Nice session ale, hoppy, but not overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 05:57:26 | More by Josiah2729

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pale, transparent golden yellow with a loose, soft, white head that has a short-lived retention

S - spicy hop aromas

T - light malt body, spicy hop character with some faint herbal notes

M - light bodied, well carbonated

This is a rather simple beer, but it's refreshing and very easy to drink. It has just enough flavor and hop character to keep me interested. I probably won't have this again, but it was good to try once.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 21:07:36 | More by tdm168

smakawhat

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real pale amber, almost yellow but just a sort of faint orange and really crystal clear body, with some faint cola rising bubbles. Three finger head forms and is shocking white, with some good retention but lots of varied sized bubbles.

Nose is really wonderful. Big tropical mush of mango and peach on this, it smells like a solid IPA more than anything. It sort of reminds me of Odels IPAs strangely.

Very light bodied, but just manages to give a nice depth in the palate from the nose. Juicy body with a little bit of wet, bringing light bodied fruit tastes and hop mellowness. Malt angle on this seems a bit buried here.

Overall though it's a super fun easy drinking beer, for a pale ale. And 4.5 makes it even more fun to drink!

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 23:56:22 | More by smakawhat

rangerred

Tennessee

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

An aggressive pour yields a rocky 2 finger head over a light gold body. Amazing head retention on this one.

Aroma has lots of citrus hops and almost has a musty character about it. Also a slight hay note, possibly from the malt.

Things really come together in the taste. Definitely hop forward but not overwhelmingly so. Lots of citrus; pineapple and orange, along with a little bit of bready malt. There is a moderate bitterness leading to a crisp, dry finish.

Overall, this is pretty tasty for being a lighter beer. My one complaint would be the mouthfeel is watery but that has to be expected with a beer of this strength. Something I would definitely pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 21:44:32 | More by rangerred

JRed

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours golden in body with white bubbly head that leaves pretty lacing. The aroma is nice, Citra dry hop brings out mango, papaya, and grapefruit. Tastes of mango, papaya, bitterness in the background with some mint and evergreen. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Great session pale but why the 4-pack? Tsk tsk

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 23:37:20 | More by JRed

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, poured into my Firestone Walker tulip.

Easy Rider pours a fairly clear tangerine, lightening a bit towards the out edges of the glass. A finger or so of white foam crowns the beer, showing good head retention and leaving a little bit of lacing behind. The nose has a bit of a biscuity aroma, and some tropical mango notes that seem to grow in intensity as the beer sits in my glass. The flavor leads off with a similar bit of bready maltiness, before a fairly firm bit of bitterness comes through. The tropical fruit finish from the hops is a little bit disappointing in its lack of intensity. The finish goes beyond trying to be sessionable, and stats heading towards dull. The body is fairly light, with just a little bit of a malt backbone to it, and it's matched with a breezily spritzy carbonation. Easy Rider's a decent attempt at brewing a sessionable pale ale, and I'm hping trying it again earlier in its release cycle will only find me enjoying it even more.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 21:41:45 | More by axeman9182

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a shaker. Poured a slightly hazy golden yellow with a one and a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount very slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, fruit hop, and earth hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, earth hop, fruit, and fruit hop. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. I really enjoyed how refreshing this one was with all of the floral notes going on. This made it rather enjoyable and easy to drink. I fully understand where they got the name from as I found myself taking massive sips of this one without even knowing it. The carbonation was a little lacking for my liking in this style, but still not bad. Definitely a must try from Terrapin.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2012 10:39:23 | More by thagr81us

CampusCrew

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, golden hued with not much lasting head. The smell of hops is overpowering, good thing, lots ot citrus. Its defintly as advertised. Huge hop session. The flavor is amzing and the perfect lawmower beer for people who really like beer. The beer drinks thin but thats what they were going for. Great for the summer and i can see drinking this at the ballpark

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 00:02:14 | More by CampusCrew

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 12oz bottle to Due South pint glass on 6/19/12
*From notes

A: Clean 14k gold. Brilliantly filtered. A white, two finger head tops the glass. The lacing is solid, though the collar is meek.

S: Pretty damn juicy, especially for a 4.5% ABV APA. Lots of fresh, tropical-like fruit and a touch of warm sun tan lotion round out the bouquet. It literally smells like summer.

T: The flavor profile is a bit more subdued and a tad watery. Slightly stunted and mild on the mid, followed by a decent hop bite that dries out the palate a bit. The finish has a good amount of grapefruit to it.

M: Mild, crisp and soft. Light bodied and really easy to drink. The bubbles are lively and make for a refreshing bottle of beer.

O: One of the better APA's I've encountered of recent. It's not in the same ballpark as Zombie Dust, though what is? I really enjoyed the tropical hop quality to it, though I would really have liked a bit more of it. All in all, a very good session beer that should be sold at it's current price in SIX-PACKS!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 00:37:33 | More by Rhettroactive

avalon07

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellow color and a clear consistency. There was an inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A good amount of citrus and some hops in the aroma. Typical, but good.

T: Tasted of an average amount of hops, light citrus (grapefruit, orange), malt, and a hint of grain. Not an overly dynamic flavor, but well done and vibrant.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Light-bodied.

O: This is a straightforward, enjoyable, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 02:18:50 | More by avalon07

brewcore

South Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A: Aggressive pour yields a one finger white head that short lived retention. Deep gold in color. Excellent carbonation climbs the glass throughout the session.

S: Quite fragrant. Malts are sweet, grainy and with a little barnyard funk. Floral hops.

T: Hops and malts are well balanced. Hops are predominately citrus, grapefruit. Slight bitterness and that same barnyard funk in the finish.

M: Thin to medium mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation makes for easy drinkability.

O: A good pale ale but not as easy drinking as I expected. Easy enough to be a session beer. Terrapin promotes this as a session pale ale but why the heck are they selling this as a four pack? What happened to the good old days of sixxers? Good, but I would rather drink their rye pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 21:27:37 | More by brewcore

kylehay2004

Florida

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: half finger head and little lacing on a hazy copper body.

S: very nice floral and musty wet sock hop notes with caramel and toasted malts.

T: more grassy and floral hops which are musty and come accross of English hop varieties. Not very bitter or sweet really. more toasted malts in the background.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: Definitely sessionable. I like how this one is more musty and floral as oppose to other session beers which go the light IPA and citrus route. I hope this one comes back next year.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 01:39:15 | More by kylehay2004

billab914

Virginia

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

12oz bottle poured into my Terrapin glass. It poured golden in color with an inch of white foam covering the top of the beer. Nice lacing on the glass as I drank it.

The aroma has a pretty decent, juicy, citrus hop presence to it. I get a good amount of sweeter, slightly bready and grainy malts to it as well which seem to give it some balance. for a beer under 5% abv, I was pretty happy with the flavors.

The taste shows a little more of a bitter grapefruit, citrus rind presence to the hoppiness. It's got some sweeter, slightly grainy flavors coming out in the finish. Pretty well balanced and flavorful for the style.

The mouthfeel is leaning towards the lighter side with carbonation being a little above average. Overall, it was a pretty nicely flavored and easy drinking beer of the style. It had a pretty nice juicy, American hop profile to it. My biggest issues is the $10 a 4 pack pricing. It's just not even close to being a competitive price for what it is. It was 50 cents less than a 6 pack of DC Brau's the Public cans, which is probably a pretty good comparison in this market. It was a pretty good beer, but I can't see myself ever choosing a 4 pack of this again over other similar beers that come in 6 packs for the same price.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 19:44:41 | More by billab914

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Four pack from Oak Tree.

Golden body, slightly hazy, topped by four fingers of snow white foam. Low key lace.

Pleasant citrus aroma, featuring grapefruit.

Light sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Juicy fruits along the side. Mild bitter nip at the swallow.

Light mouthfeel, good carbonation.

It is what it sets out to be, a hoppy session ale. A cross between golden ale and ipa. Let's not call it something light mild ipa or imperial golden though. Just enjoy a few at a time.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 04:11:31 | More by RonfromJersey

BlackBearForge

Florida

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear golden yellow with a blush of amber and a fizzy white head with modest lacing.

The aroma has faint bready malts with a citrusy hop presence.

Bitterness builds quickly with this beer with a nice biscuity maltiness taking the edge off of the somewhat grainy finish. Hops are citrusy, think grapefruit and the beer is a bit tart.

Mouthfeel is light but not at all watery. with active carbonation that lends no creaminess.

Bitter, refreshing and relatively low in alcohol, very drinkable and definitely earns it's name Easy Rider.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 22:48:27 | More by BlackBearForge

Reaper16

Alabama

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

12oz. bottle served into a nonic pint glass

Pours a fairly light, golden yellow color. It's clear and bubbly and it doesn't look too different from a pale lager or cream ale. It's certainly lighter than most American Pale Ales (which surprises me considering that the beer's label boasts of the amount of Maris Otter used in this beer's grist). The head retention gives this away as a craft beer: one finger of tight white bubbles.

The aroma is fresh and full of flavor for such a relatively light little ale. The hops come across first: orange pith and lemon zest, mostly. Sweet lemon, though; this is a sweet-citrus hop profile. There's a good amount of malt here to balance things. I pick up on a buttered biscuit aroma for sure, as well as a bit of the more nutty character of something like a Maris Otter malt. Nothing particularly impressive, but it smells well-crafted.

The flavor is less balanced. I say that only because instead of simultaneously experiencing the malts and hops as you do with the nose, Easy Rider releases its flavors in distinct waves. The initial taste is dominated by hops: so much sweet orange flavor, mixed with a bit of lemon. Around the midpalate the nutty malts start to peek out from the citrus candy flavors. The finish is nearly entirely specialty malts. It's a woody, sawdusty, astringent malt finish.

The mouthfeel is light, as you'd expect from a 4.5% ABV beer. It's also much drier than I expected. The finish especially grips your cheeks with a wood-like astringency.

Overall, this is a pretty fine little session ale. It's got enough hop flavor and enough specialty malt flavor to make this an intriguing all-day drinking option. I think Terrapin should make this a year-round six-pack beer. It's perfect for a day spent outside.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 21:30:18 | More by Reaper16