Terrapin Phlux Capacitor - Terrapin Beer Company

Corkpuller

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I'm not normally a terrapin fan, but I'm not sure why this beer is so poorly rated...

This beer has a lot going on it. The aroma is very complex with an almost sherry (palo cortado) like oxidized aroma: chocolate, hazlenuts and toffee. It's quite boozy on the nose, but not much in the way of higher alcohols.

The palate is quite dense, creamy with some angular wood notes adding interest. The booze attacks and recedes in waves, with lots of flavor and aromas intermixed. It tastes pretty similar to the nose, but the push and pull is really what sets it apart.

I would probably only drink one of these in a sitting, but I really liked it - and I consider myself quite picky in the strong ale/barleywine categories.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2013 12:55:45 | More by Corkpuller

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Murky mahogany color with a greasy yellow-white head. A cloudy brew, for sure.

Smells of English malts, cardboard, earthen hops, herbal notes, and a touch of grape jelly. So-so.

Tastes hoppy crisp with floral and herbal notes, malty sweet/stale, and somewhat fruity with notes of apple and grape. Barrel wood is showing off, a little. Woodsy and bright, with a nice English character. Finish is long and minty with menthol and tobacco tones.

Drinks with the booze kept on a leash. Sudsy and decently smooth. Not a masterpiece, but not too shabby.

Decent ale. Wish the nose was more complex and more potent. Easy draft to finish. Great name.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2013 22:19:22 | More by thecheapies

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Barcade in Jersey City, NJ

A: Pours a hazy yet almost opaque mahogany to medium brown in color with minimal amounts of visibel carbonation. The beer has a quarter finger tall dark beige head that quickly reduces to a very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Huge aromas of eye-watering booze along with lighter notes of dark fruit (raisin) and oak. Additionally there are notes of molasses and the booze mellows as the beer warms up.

T: Very similar to the smell with some dark fruit (raisin) sweetness upfront with molasses, oak, and vanilla notes. Heavy amounts of alcohol in the taste.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Significant amounts of alcohol heat in the finish.

O: The alcohol is far too noticeable in all three phases of this beer - past, present, and future (smell, taste, and mouthfeel). Great name for this beer but not an easy one to drink and did not live up to my expectations.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 17:13:37 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On-tap at Barcade, Jersey City, NJ

A: The beer is hazy reddish brown in color. It poured with a thin off white head that left lacy patterns of bubbles on the surface and a thin ring around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of boozy alcohol in the nose; these become stronger as the beer warms up.
T: You really need to warm up this beer to get flavors other than alcohol out of the taste as then there are some hints of oak. The alcohol and notes of bitterness linger through the finish.
M: It feels full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some dryness in the finish and a good amount of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is a trifecta when it comes to alcohol because it's very noticeable in the smell, taste and mouthfeel. This isn't one of the easiest beers to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 12:33:39 | More by metter98

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange-ish to brown in color with a tan head. In the aroma, sweet vanilla, cinnamon, and mocha like. In the taste, well, it tastes like a coffee latte, with vanilla and cinnamon. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry coffee and cinnamon like aftertaste. Quite coffee like, good flavor and nice warming aspect to it too.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2012 19:44:18 | More by OWSLEY069

beer2day

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Saucer as part of Raleigh Beer week.

Dark caramel brown pour with 1/2 finger of mildly red-tinted cream head poured into a snifter. Light retention and thick strands of lace.

Raisin and figs come to the nose first, along with burnt (almost scorched) caramel. Very nice balance of flavors, but not quite as strong as I was hoping.

Raisin and figs really come out in the flavor, especially in the finish. Finish borders on being sour. Beer gets a bit big with yeast. Moderate alcholol burn.

Syurpy smooth with substantial body.

Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2012 16:07:55 | More by beer2day

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

On tap at Al's in a snifter.

A: The strong ale is dark, a deep brown color. Opaque of course. The strong ale does sport an unusual hued head - looking off white like pancake batter.

S: The strong ale's firm malt foundation is unshakeable - a thick richness that can't hide anywhere. The oak? The oak, though, is late to the party, hesitant to show up. That leaves the malts to do the heavy lifiting until very late in the game.

T: Caramel and brown sugar, toasted breads also. The effect is a resplendent, decadent body that, curiously, lacks oak. Seriously, I struggled with the part of the mix. The transition from cold to warm things improved a big, adding an oak chip feel. That finish actually is nice, but only after it warms. Brown sugar and oak, along with the rich caramel, lingers on my palate. That finish makes up for the lack of oak earlier.

M: The finish is an apex. Before that, the ale struggles with itself. A malt-rich strong ale if that's what you're looking for.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2012 15:23:58 | More by akorsak

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into an imperial pint. Poured a deep red-orange with a minimal off-white head. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wood, caramel, sweet alcohol, spice, and subtle dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, banana, spice, wood, and sweet alcohol. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. I have to be honest about the flavor on this one… The alcohol dominated this brew. Upon my first sip I was concerned that this beer wanted to beat me up and steal my lunch money. It was a big bruiser of a beer despite the alcohol content not being THAT high. The look and aroma were pretty decent for the style though. Glad I got to try this one on tap as I doubt I could have handled a bomber of this to the face on my own.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2012 10:48:11 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Comes out of the tap an opaque, slightly reddish sable with a thick, light golden tan head. Strong aroma is malty and yeasty and has a curious resin-like, almost varnish-like, overtone. Malty flavor has that same resin overtone plus hints of hops, wood and horehound. Smooth texture has good, firm body and a subtle fizz. Maybe this ale’s origin in another dimension (with voyeuristic intentions) is what gives it that odd taste.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2012 20:09:22 | More by Cyberkedi

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Busy Bee in Raleigh

A - dark amber with a thin white head

S - bread, chocolate, floral, grapefruit, strong hop aroma

T - bread, alcohol, piny, grapefruit, chocolate

M - smooth, medium bodied, well carbonated

This to me is an odd in between version of a regular IPA and a black ale. It has characteristics of both. It's a solid beer worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2012 21:26:28 | More by tdm168

kylehay2004

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1.5 finger head with nice retention on a deep murky brown with no light getting through.

S: chocolate and caramel malts with breads, yeast, oak and cedar notes. Nicely complex.

T: very woody with oak and cedar prevailing in the middle and finish. Chocolate and caramel malts up front. Finish is slightly tart with also some brown sugar sweetness.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall:  a touch boozy which I think is accentuated by the strong wood presence. Although I feel the taste is simple, it does a good job of bringing in wood notes which dominate but don't offend.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2012 23:21:31 | More by kylehay2004

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Barcade, Philly, PA

Poured a dark mahogany, mostly clear, with a finger of tan head; moderate retention and lacing. Lots of toasty elements in the nose, bready, nutty, citrus and pine hops with a dash of spice. Taste of toasted bready, somewhat nutty, caramel, very woody, a dash of dark chocolate, moderately hopped with notes of citrus zest and pine, and again a little bit of indistinct spice. Medium body, pretty easily drinkable, for a decent beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 03:03:32 | More by Rifugium

bigkingken

Virginia

2.3/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

I was drawn in to this bomber by the artwork on the label and the desire to try something creative from Terrapin. There was almost no hop aroma coming out of the head after or during the pour. It's dark, brown, and ever so slightly hazy. Surprise, surprise, there's barely any hop flavor to go along with the absence of hop aroma. It's got a really strong oak flavor but not much in the way of malt complexity. Seems a bit simplistic overall, sort of like my sister. Without any flavors coming in from the hops or malt bill, it screams a single note of flavor, and not one that I particularly enjoy. Not a fan of this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 20:15:43 | More by bigkingken

C20Percent

Virginia

3.14/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: Pours a dark copper-brown with a bubbly head of light tan foam on top. Clean look.

S: Caramel malts. Vanilla. Oak. Toffee. Butter. Tropical fruits. Taste like a average imperial amber ale.

T: Heavy on oak. Malty. Vanilla. Boozy. Very average.

M: Decent carbonation. Little bit of a bite. Whatever chewiness is there brings out oak. But, this is largely forgetful.

O: This is a mostly forgettable brew. Very disappointed with Terrapin overall. Probably done with them.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 23:02:59 | More by C20Percent

maximum12

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up in Atlanta on my last work trip. When in Rome...22 oz. bomber split with my wife. Bonus points for an '80's movie reference. Although a Buttercup reference would have been better.

The pour is dull red leather with a blond head. Head isn't much to ping the brewer about, sugar & oak. Weird combo.

Phlux Capacitor tilts the sugar pinball machine. Enough straight-sugar-syrup to catch an entire hive-mind of bees. Fig syrup, oak syrup are mixed in with a heavy hand. Malty. Boozy. Did I mention thick & syrupy? It has the feel of gargling Walgreen's cough medicine. ...in a good way. Eleven ounces or so is plenty, thank you very much.

A simple, boozy, thick-necked beer that's been dipped in a sluggish river of oak. Not bad, not great, somewhere in between. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:39:20 | More by maximum12

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

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

L – Ruby brown color with a 2-finger tan frothy head. Really nice retention but no lacing. Clear with lots of carbonation bubbles.

S – This beer has so much going on in the aroma: rich malt scents with caramel, toasted bread, molasses, and brown sugar notes as well as dark fruits like cherries and plums, earthy leather, and a healthy dose of oak. This smells terrific.

T – Unfortunately, the taste doesn’t follow the nose so much. It starts off sweet with caramel malt, molasses, brown sugar, and a little bit of plum. Then, a sharp oak and alcohol astringency takes over. There’s some spicy and citrus hop bitterness at the finish, but the intense amount of oak just about takes over the taste as soon as it appears. There’s not as much balance or complexity as the nose suggested.

F – Medium-bodied with good carbonation, a sticky, sharp, and astringent mouthfeel, and a dry, spicy, and slightly bitter finish. Woody dryness and astringency lingers and blends with the warmth from the alcohol.

O – This isn’t a bad beer, but it could definitely be better. I was expecting so much more after the outstanding aroma. The main pitfall is that the oak is overdone. Woody dryness can be a really nice addition to a beer if it’s subtle. The strong oak presence adds an unpleasant astringency to the beer and hurts both the taste and the mouthfeel. I found that it became more bearable if I sipped it like a glass of scotch instead of drinking it like a beer. If Terrapin held back a little on the wood, this beer could be very, very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 17:01:02 | More by BlackBelt5112203

SGDJosh

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes taken on 8/12 at home:

A - Pours medium-dark brown with a light head on top.

S - vanilla, sweet malts, oaky goodness.

T - Caramel, vanilla, and not much noticable bitterness even though it is 88 IBUs. Rich flavors but balanced.

M - Medium body with good carbonation.

O - I had this before and wasn't impressed but this was a really good batch. Great balance between body, flavor, and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 14:01:37 | More by SGDJosh

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

foil wrapped bomber (22oz) served in a snifter.

pours a deep amber / copper shade while yielding roughly an inch of tan head; middling retention and lacing. malt-forward nose is fairly robust, offering notes of dark fruit (notably cherry), oak, earthy hops, and a little brown sugar. doesn't get the mouth watering exactly but it does compel a taste.

flavor delivers the cherry, hops, oak, brown sugar, along with some caramel / toffee in the background. hops are a player though the malt character dominates. interesting... solid, relatively tasty beer though nothing mind-blowing. medium-full bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation.

overall, worth a try - some tasty qualities to it, reminds me a bit of a barleywine with some definite overlapping characteristics i'd say - but i won't kill myself to get my hands on another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 22:17:05 | More by BostonHops

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 23 ounce bottle, this is a brownish colored brew with a one finger tan-colored head. The beer is clear, dark, and had a notable ruby highlight. The scent is all about malt. Toasted, bread-crust and some fruit...there's a pine and herb hop scent in the background, but malt stands out. The taste is sweet, malty, and more than a little warming. It's not quite hot, but the alcohol comes through, which is a little distracting. Full in body, nice carbonation...spice and hop-bitterness linger in the aftertaste. This is a solidly good brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:13:28 | More by Suds

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to JonnyGalt (Reddit) for this interestingly named beer at least.

Decent but small creamy head darker colored, nice lacing, super murky chestnut color

Nose pretty good, toasty brown malts, nice toasty oak, light sweet reddish candy malt aromas, molasses, caramel, toffee, hint of earthy hops with a light celery like herbal, hint of vanilla, aromatic.

Taste strong oak, pure oak chips, toasty, light vanilla. Malts are toasty brown molasses caramel toffee hint smoke. Then earthy hops, some pine like pine tree sap not hops, syrupy, chewy. Finish is quite sweet, more oak and spruce pine sap, bitterness, woody esters, light booze and spicy chewy hops

Mouth is syrupy med bodied, decent fluffy carb,

Overall meh, a few flavors I wouldn't like in there, nothing special, oak is way over done (which I know since i've done it in my homebrews a few times), and the spruce like pine is not nice, weird bitterness, although there are some saving decent flavors in there.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:09:29 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to JLindros for sharing this beer.

A - Poured a clearish chestnut hue with a thinoff white brownish head that fades to a light blanket.

S - Aromas of light older hops, sweet almost toffee malts. For the ABV the nose isn't all that noticeable either. Quite nice and inviting.

T - Taste is slightly underwhelming for me. Almost slightly metallic and older hops. Booze becomes noticeable lots of malty sweetness; not necessarily toffee or caramel just kinda generic sweetness. Lots of oak chips in this which while I don't mind it if one isn't used to it I can see why it would be unpleasant.

M - Mouthfeel isn't bad for a strong ale, that said there are alot of flaws here. Too boozy which makes the oakstand out more.

O - Overall this beer wasn't that bad but it wasn't that good either. Too boozy and lightly metallic, still cool beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 23:33:10 | More by rudzud

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a reddish brown color with good carbonation leaving a small tannish cap which fades leaving a nice dose of bubbles and light lacing

S: Sugar sweetness, dark fruits and oak

T: Immediate caramel, toffee and brown sugar sweetness with underlying dark fruits, the beer then opens up creating a huge sweet American oak presence leaving a rathr sweet, slick and oak tannin finish with a light touch of vanilla.

M: Medium bodied but a tad thin on body for nearly a 10% ABV beer of this style, booze is masked on the palate. Sweet, sticky and a little decadent

O: Not to shabby, I rather enjoyed this beer. I do not believe this beer will be cellar worthy considering the thin body and heat. Nice to drink fresh though.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 13:57:02 | More by barleywinefiend

sommersb

Tennessee

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 08-15-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 22 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap covered in foil
Glassware: Signature glass
Purchased: Single from Frugal MacDoogal, Nashville

Appearance is a dark brown, cloudy color with a finger's worth of tan head. Features good head retention and very good lacing.

Aromas are of dark fruits like raisins, spicy and woody hops, and caramel malts. I also get strong alcohol smells.

The taste is bold and spicy, with a big hoppy bitterness of pine and woody varieties. Other flavors are oak and then nutty malts. Some sweetness is evident, but the balance is tipped in favor of the hop bitterness. Shows some warming of alcohol.

Creamy and full bodied, with a lively level of carbonation. The aftertastes are bitter and somewhat dry, but you also get a dose of malt sweetness.

Overall this is a big and bold, hop-forward strong ale with a good malty backbone. Very much like an American Barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 01:35:44 | More by sommersb

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy dark copper color that's completely opaque with a one finger light beige head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Sweet malt aroma with hints of dry oak, earthy hops and vinous dark fruit. Slightly earthy with a musty wood character followed by leather, caramel and toffee. As it warms the dark fruit notes come out with hints of plum, raisin and fig. There's also a slight diacetyl cream presence but it's pretty faint.

Medium bodied with a strong barrel presence that's countered by leathery and sweet malts, zesty spice, earthy hops and vinous fruit. Tastes like virgin oak barrels were used with lots of dry, ashy oak that slightly overpowers the other flavors. After it warms, there is some leathery malt and boozy heat but it's lacking the sweetness and complexity that the nose suggests. The diacetyl character is gone but it's lacking in complexity with lots of wooden toothpick flavor, leathery malt and boozy heat. The ABV us poorly masked and the vinous dark fruit notes found in the nose are very faint. I was really excited to try this beer but it was a bit of a letdown.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 07:54:23 | More by corby112

southeastmat

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Ruddy brown almost a bit red. A good head on the first pour that goes away quickly but leaves a thin head as you drink.

S: Great smelling brew. Cherry. Fruit. Just a bit of wood on the back end of this beer.

T: A big bold beer. It hits up front with sweet malt then fades into some bitter hops. A great dark cherry fruit lingers on the finish.

M: Thick and complex. Coats the palate and really hits up front on sweet caramel malt.

O: This is a great 'end of a hard day' beer. It has a great warming quality and a terrific fruit taste that mellows out as you keep drinking. That oak comes out as it opens. You put this with a big rib eye or a nice piece of prime rib - prognosis awesome.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 02:16:41 | More by southeastmat