Terrapin Phlux Capacitor - Terrapin Beer Company

argock

Virginia

4.24/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz brown bomber into a small clear goblet. No freshness date. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $8.49.

A: Murky brown with soft short cap of light beige head with decent retention and only a few scraps of lace.

S: Vinous aroma with fairly bland malt but tannic oak with some herbal, earthy hopping

T: The maltiness is muddled and doesn't have enough sweetness, breadiness, or other desirable malt character -- mainly too tannic oak carries the flavor on its own with some dark malt sourness. The hops are herbal and earthy.

M: Soft carbonation with some boozy feel but not syrupy.

O: Not what I was hoping for -- I was hoping for something more in the vein of Oaked Arrogant Bastard, but instead this has some flat maltiness with very tannic oakiness.

Wow -- what a difference 10-11 months can make. Consumed at 55F from an oversized wineglass. My original overall score for this fresh was 3.28. I let one bottle age, refrigerated at 35-40F for most of the time period. THis beer has made leaps and bounds. This tastes like an exceptional oak-aged American barleywine with spectacular minty, woody, herbal, earthy hops notes, and big malt flavors with burnt caramel, toffee, rum raisin, and treacle. THe oak flavor has the slightest hint of vanilla but mainly finishes with a mildly tannic, slightly drying finish. The mouthfeel is low carbonation and there is still some booziness in the feel. I am really impressed and, compared to the fresh version, this is a completely different beer. I think this beer could probably be even better in 4-6 more months to let the booze fade a little further without going away completely and letting the malt flavors come together even a little more. Still, I am shocked at how much better this beer is with a pretty minor amount of age. I would seek this out and I plan to see if I can find it in town this weekend -- it blends the best of oak, American hoppiness, and subtle but rounded maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 01:10:11 | More by argock

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

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

32oz Growler from Beverage World. Served at around 50F.

Pours dark red with a two finger light beige head that recedes to the tiniest of wispy caps and a ring and leaves some sheets of lacing behind.

Aroma features a lot of oak, some vanilla, cherries, dark fruits, toffee, caramel. Strength is on the weaker side.

Flavor is oaky, dark fruits, cherries, raisins, vanilla, toffee, some caramel, some herbal and resinous hops, moderate sweetness in the middle, good bitterness on the finish and a decent amount of alcohol burn as well.

Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, a little sticky and oily, strong carbonation.

This is an oak bomb, and a pretty solid beer overall, but there are some quirks keeping it from being great: weak nose, hot, a bit messy at times.

Serving type: growler

07-08-2012 03:22:30 | More by elgiacomo

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a brownish color and a thick, cloudy consistency. There was a small amount of foamy head that lasted a good amount of time. Good lacing.

S: A sweet aroma of malt, light hops, and some sugary elements.

T: Tasted of some malt, light hops, a big shot of toffee, and some oak as well. This is a hard flavor to pin down, but very interesting and lively.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: American Strong Ales tend to be sort of strange beers, and this is no exception. Still, it's well worth a shot. Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 13:14:55 | More by avalon07

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

Georgiabeer

Georgia

2.8/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Once again an over oaked beer from Terrapin. I like strong ales of various types, and they can indeed benefit from a touch of wood, but Terrapin has a noticeably heavy hand with the oak. In this case, the beer has a strong spicy, woody note in the nose and especially in the flavor that pretty much dominates the other components. Some residual sweetness comes through, but otherwise, this is overwhelmingly woody. The beer pours a slightly murky orangish brown with a head that fades away to a thin ring. I'd prefer some balance here and a defter hand with the oak.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:52:48 | More by Georgiabeer

rapidsequence

Virginia

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

22 oz bottle from Pints O'Plenty.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish brown. Tan head with short retention. Some decent lacing.

Smell: Very sweet smelling with lots of oaky vanilla. Brown sugar and maple syrup. Some sweet, almost cake-like malty aromas. Pretty sure this thing has Chinook in it-- it smells vaguely like an out of date Arrogant Bastard, with some oak added.

Taste: Yes, very sweet and lots of oak flavor. Its pretty hoppy, but not bitter enough to balance out all the candy-like flavors. A bit of bitter alcohol burn near the end, and a long, sweet, malty finish.

Moouthfeel: Nothing really wrong here I guess. Carbonation seems a bit on the lower side, but that's OK for a sipper. Some oaky tannins remain after each sip.

Overall: Its OK, but not really that well executed. Seems like a not too great strong, hoppy, brown ale that they oaked. I can't shake the out of date Arrogant Bastard comparison in my mind either.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 23:47:23 | More by rapidsequence

babaracas

Florida

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

Pours a muddy red tinged dark brown with half inch of fast fading tan fizz. Smell: dark brown sugar, fig, oak (slightly smoky), anise note. Taste: heavily caramelized sugar, dried dates, sweetness is cut by a somewhat citric bite along with some tannin action. Vanilla-ish flavor comes along and then everything dries out considerably. Booze soaked raisin in the finish. Oak is dialed up a bit too high. Not sure what they were going for here. It's tasty, but I'm left far more interested in the base beer than what's in my glass.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 04:11:09 | More by babaracas

Immortale25

Florida

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

Poured into a Florida Beer Co. glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a solid brown color with a 1/2 inch tan head that retains a bit before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and spotty surface foam. Very resilient webs of lacing.

S- Strong, borderline astringent oak with a semi-grassy hop aroma. Slight hint of rubber.

T- Ouch. Lots of rubber and band-aid astringency in the onset with some brief roast midway before ending back where it started at the rubber. I guess that's the oak I'm tasting, but it's just too heavy on the resins, smoke or whatever is producing the astringency. As the drink progresses, things get more bearable and the hops are able to peek out a bit but the oak never ends up being complimentary.

M- Medium-heavy slick body with medium fluffy carbonation.

O- I can see how bourbon drinkers might be down with this one, but I just can't get into it. I will say, though, that the alcohol is well-hidden and ups the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 04:42:33 | More by Immortale25

Vec2267

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - deep mahogany with a thin tad head that retains well

S - brown sugar, oak, fruit, slight spice

T - oak, chocolate malty presence well balanced by a piney hop bitterness, boozy

M - less than syrupy but quite chewy

Malt dominant with heavy wood tones. some notes of chocolate and fruit. A big boozy bomb with character, right up my alley and a nice example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 01:25:43 | More by Vec2267

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

jzauder

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had a 22oz bomber on 6/13/2012

Appearance: looked like a dark Belgian ale, a very pleasing dark burgundy color. Just a little bit of foam that rapidly disappeared

Smell: A very clean, resin-y aroma. I picked up a cherry flavor at first with hops on the back end

Taste: You could almost confuse this for a barleywine with it's rich flavor. The oak barrels give it a heavy, almost whiskey-like aftertaste. Medium carbonation. It's a strong beer, but the alcohol sneaks up on you.

Mouthfeel: thick at first, but the aftertaste is very smooth.

Overall: I feel like this would pair well with a cigar. I'm not totally into the whole wood-barrel aging (usually because it mellows out any hop flavors), but the oak works here. It gives the beer a flavor almost like whiskey or brandy. Strong ales aren't my preferred style, but I would definitely try this one again and again. Very complex beer, but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 14:39:53 | More by jzauder

bum732

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

S: Bold nuttiness with some wood. Some fruitiness as well.

L: Very dark brown, white head that dissipates, some lacing.

T: Cedar wood with a nutty brown malt. Some toffee and coca, but quite dry throughout. Some hop character, but restrained. Some wood, but definitely in balance. Finishes fairly dry with residual maltiness and wood.

M: Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Just a bit of alcohol.

Really enjoyed this. Like a brown ale times 10. Not too sweet or malty like a barleywine. Really well balanced overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 03:08:46 | More by bum732

BeerDawgs

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 22oz bomber picked up at Greens ATL, pored into a snifter glass

A - A dark amber, zero clarity. 2 fingers of head and some lace retention.

S - Sweet, brown sugar, and oak aged prevalent. The sugary sweetness overwhelms though

T - Very sweet malty taste, just like a strong ale should be.

M - Full bodied, well carbonated.

O - Very well done for the style. Not the best oak aged ale I have had, but good none the less

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 03:34:12 | More by BeerDawgs

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

7ate9

Virginia

2/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A medium brown pour with decent head and retention.

This sniff is almost all wood. A raw, green unpleasant wood that comes across as cheap wood chips or green cedar. Upon warming a bit more, some malt characteristics wrestle through and the wood takes on a not much more pleasant herbal, sweet-gale-like nose.

The taste is even more dominated by wood. A whisper of spiciness and malt hit the front of the palate and then the finish hits hard with herbal, green, chewing-on-a-pencil-type of wood flavor and strong, solventy alcohol. the finish lingers for minutes but I wish it wouldn't.

Very dry, tannic, with an unpleasantly hot, acrid finish.

It was hard for me to drink. The wood character was completely unpleasant and dominates the entire experience. The mouthfeel was unpleasantly dry with a brutal chewed asprin finish that makes this beer a struggle to get through.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 11:14:46 | More by 7ate9

WrathsU

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark brown almost black with a khaki head. The head is moderately thick and very long lasting.

S - Chocolate malts and oak up front. I'm guessing these are virgin oak or barely used oak barrels because it is strong. Some slight dark fruit smells meld together with a faint alcohol tinge.

T - Sweet and bittersweet chocolate up front right away. Some oat and heavy malt flavor behind that. The the oak hits, wow does the oak hit. Finishes almost like a scotch with that oak flavor and the strong alcohol presence. Alcohol is definitely a bit too strong for me.

M - Light medium bodied which is a bit off putting because of the strong flavors going on. The body should really be borderline thick with the alcohol and flavor profile of this beer.

O - A very boozy, oaky, flavorful beer. This one is not an easy drinker, I suspect the longer I let it warm the more flavors that will appear. Definitely meant for sipping and nurturing. Overall a pretty decent beer worth a shot, especially if you like oak.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 22:16:09 | More by WrathsU

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Duck Rabbit snifter.

A: Poured a dark, reddish-brown, with a mocha ring around the brew that stuck around throughout the session.

S: I got straight up melted Jolly Rancher first and foremost. Also, so bright candy such as Pixie Stick dust, Mallow Creme, vanilla, and wood.

T: This was pretty sweet, yet very complex. This was definitely "American" in nature, and made no bones about it. Dark fruit is not the best way to describe this, so I'll go the candy route: Bit O'Honey, Snickers, Almond Joy (wood aging... coconut influence), Twix (the cookie part), marshmallow and TONS of butterscotch.

M: I got a good bit of solvent alcohol after a few sips to be honest, but I think that will meld with the other ingredients quite well over time. A moderate amount of lacing and quite a bit of sugar.

O: I've never tasted anything like this from Terrapin and I believe that overall, it was a success. I think I'll grab a bottle for the cellar. This one was meant for that anyway.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 00:27:24 | More by Chaney

billab914

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Devil's Backbone glass. It poured deep mahogany in color with a thick, fluffy, tan colored head to it. Nice lacing and retention as I drank it.

The aroma has a pretty big oak presence to it with notes of wood and some vanilla. Some very nice malty flavors come out in it as well with some caramel, toffee and a slight dark fruit flavor to it.

The taste shows a little bit more of a roasted malt, slight coffee like flavor to it. Caramel and toffee sweetness come out more towards the finish. The oak really compliments well with some very nice notes of vanilla and oak.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied for the style with carbonation being a little above average. Overall, I thought it was a very good beer. Everything really comes together very well in it, and the oak compliments nicely. Very flavorful and drinkable beer overall, and one of the better side projects in recent memory in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 23:30:06 | More by billab914

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle - $7.99 at Olde Crabapple Bottle Shoppe in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a very dark reddish-brown body with a tall, unabashed, light beige head. A smudge of lace here and there as it goes. Well, it looks promising, hopefully it'll perform better than their anniversary beer I had earlier in the day.

Smell: Oven-toasted nuts and a notable note of dark bread crusts with a small edge of roast, chocolate, but it's mild, at best. Spicy oak wood, zestfully earthy hops hinting at dried citrus, pine needles, sun-dried grasses, and even a sliver of cleansing spearmint.

Taste: The first sip made me think of an emboldened Hop Karma given a dose of oak, and, well, that initial impression stayed with me until it was long gone. Toasted bread, toasted nuts, with a small helping of lowly sweet caramel and even less than a hint of chocolate and roast. Earthy, piney hops with some citrus, a little mint, and a full-on grassiness. The oak character remains fairly subtle, be it in the nose or the on the tongue, though warmth allows it to come out more, though the hefty hopping and myriad of dark crystal malts provide plenty of interference. Robustly bitter throughout. Dry, grassy, slightly oaken finish with a long bitterness.

Mouthfeel: A little beyond medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: The fervent Side Project release pace has, at least for now, slowed to about a one-per-year trickle, though it hasn't stopped the Terrapin new-beer parade as we've got Easy Rider, Road Warrior Kolsch (didn't catch it), Tree Hugger (been meaning to try it), their 10th Anniversary beer (ugh), and, presumably, another Reunion: a Beer for Hope release. This one, I thought it was alright -- I still can't shake my thinking it's a Hop Karma bumped up and given a touch of oak.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 22:40:21 | More by ChainGangGuy

rajendra82

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The murky brown body reminded me of a Belgian Dubbel, and was topped off by a two finger thick head. The look was unremarkable, but the oaky and hoppy smell was quite a nose hair burner. The taste was presented a somewhat unpleasant mix of wood aged astringency and hop bitterness up front when the beer was cold. There were notes of coffee and chocolate mid palette, and the finish was woody and abrupt. I found the beer to be quite thin bodied. Gets sweeter and more rounded with a warm up, which takes a lot of the harsh edges off.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 03:33:59 | More by rajendra82

oberon

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The latest Side Project,#16.Poured into an imperial nonic a hazed deep amber with a thinner lacey slight off white head atop.Sharp resiny hops and light oak from the aging in the nose,some sweet alcohol zip is there as well,the hops are real assertive wich is a very good thing.Somewhat boozy and fruity with some caramel that quickly melds into resiny sticky hops,love the balance and love the big hops!This style is my favorite style when done right and this is done right,big hefty boozy malty and a large dose of deep resiny hops,I loved it.I love the hop burps left behind.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 21:41:29 | More by oberon