Terrapin Spike & Jérôme’s Collaboration Ale - Terrapin Beer Company

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.09/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Found this one at City Bev awhile ago, and have had it cellared since. Thought about bringing this to a get-together this weekend, but my curiosity got me and I cracked it last night. Poured into a snifter.

Pours a dark muddy brown with ruby highlights. Little-to-no lace on top. The nose is odd - mushy old apples, wet leaves, slight burnt caramel scent, faded hops. I know this isn't a fresh release, but still disappointed with the nose. Smooth mouth. Good carbonation, syrupy finish.

The hop profile has long since faded, not that it was massive to begin with, but it's got that "old" flavor going on. Mild fruitiness, but not a whole lot noted - plum, apple. Not as sweet as expected. The bourbon character is very subtle, though that's not surprising either. All-in-all, this wasn't a big letdown, but it was just an average beer that I wouldn't pull the trigger on again when there's so many better options out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 15:22:40 | More by Onenote81

cosmicevan

New York

3.94/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

picked this up when i was in NC a few months back. enjoyed from my terrapin snifter.

a - brew poured a transparent caramel mahogany with a very thin head that was gone quick.

s - really pleasant english barleywine with big toffee and caramel notes. some booziness hits my nose with a mentholated feel. really pleasant creaminess almost old ale like.

t - much like the nose a zap of caramel and toffee. there is some weirdness on the finish which is somewhat peat like. fairly one dimensional and a bit on the sweet side, but all in all, nice.

m - a bit thin and has a rubbery finish.

o - overall not as bad as i was lead to believe by some of the reviews. not the greatest barleywine in the world, but fairly good. finish is a bit odd, but other than that, this one is pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:58:56 | More by cosmicevan

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Man do I feel like a sucker for some reason I though this was a 100% bourbon aged barleywine and found it a steal at $8.99 a bottle. Regardless I never had a Barleywine over two years old before so this should be an experience.

A - Surprisingly vibrant with carbonation giving me a 1/4 inch of mocha head that settles to a mild lace ring. Color is a very dirty amber brown.
S - Smells of sweet sherry, some caramel malt, a touch of bourbon and maybe figs. No noticeable ABV in the smell.
T - Not very hot but you can detect the heat, and surprisingly some bourbon (it's faint for aged 1/3 but it's there) Notes of sherry, toffee, and mentioned raisin and fig combination. Quite balanced more so than the 2011 version of Mad River's "John Barleywine" which is nice. All flavors seem to be balanced and accounted for.
M - Has a bit of a harsh boozy bite but ABV is aged out pretty well. Not bad.

Overall seeing the latest scores made me kind of mad I got this but glad I tried it for myself. I found it much more balanced and drinkable than this years Boulder "Killer Penguin" or as stated the John Barleywine. Try it you may be as surprised as I was.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 01:00:58 | More by DrDemento456

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I picked this up a while back and decided to give it a try after several months of cellaring. Poured chilled into a snifter.

the color is a deep burgundy/ dark garnet with tranlucent clarity and thick cream of beige with tight bead. The lace clings well and retention is decent. The smell is very earthy with prune and raisin oriented with dried fruit essence in the yeast ester and slight alcohol note with pine twigginess in aroma and subtle date notes. Mouthfeel is very intensely malt
rich with spice and viscous in texture with mild bitterness w/ slight dry malt tinges and sweet elements that balance w/ dry alcoholic finish.

The taste has the aforementioned date and fig with mild raisin fruitiness and light toasted malt notes with subtle yeast that brings a mild fig-like earthiness and subtle pine from the hops which adds to the overall complexity with a moderate amount of alcohol in the finish. Overall a deep malt forward beer with dark fruit from the yeast makes for a pleasant sipper and contributes to a very rich and substantial ale-a collaboration that is fruity, spicy and drinkable. I recommend sharing this since it took me two sittings to finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 14:54:24 | More by Slatetank

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.49/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Very boozy, this characteristic dominates the taste.The bourbon is not as flavourful a choice as could have been made. Some rye edge, more just big malting. generous retained head on an Amber coloured body.
Apparently the better of their collaborations. Doug's bottle.So-so drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 04:07:10 | More by northyorksammy

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I poured the Barley Ryne into a tulip style glass. The foam was pretty minimal on this aged bottle. The coloring is a very deep reddish-brown, when held up to the light.

Off the top I get a fairly strong amount of sour from this beer. The fruitness plays fairly well with the sour presence.

The woodiness from the barrels offsets the amount of sour in this one. You can definitely taste the bourbon and feel the warmth immediately. The balance is a little off.

Overall this is a mixed offering. I wish I could have compared this to a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 01:36:20 | More by ummswimmin

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This poured out as a nice looking amber color with some brown hues in there. The head was pretty big, the retention was strong and the lacing was pretty good too. The smell of the beer is boozy, big amounts of sweet malt on the nose with some caramel and wood also. The taste of the beer is sweet, it's got a decent dry bitter finish with a caramel flavor in there from start to finish. There are some subtle vanilla flavors in there too. The mouthfeel is pretty thick, decently carbonated and smooth. It's got some boozy heat in there too when served around room temp. Overall it's not a bad barley wine at all. Quite nice with a good complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 19:19:14 | More by Knapp85

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Nothin beats a good barrel aged barleywine during a big storm, and I’ve already reviewed the perfect beer for this weather, Mother of All Storms, but I did have this in the queue. Thanks to littletriggers (Reddit) for this one. With two great breweries, Terrapin and BFM, it must be something.

Pours a light fizzy barely head that is mostly just foamy bubbles somehow living on the top of the beer, but disappear to nothing fairly quickly, somewhat typical for 10% beer but that’s a little sad still, a slightly hazy darker cranberry red color.

Nose is loaded with sweets, tons of toffee and candy, caramel, some molasses and brown sugar, the candy from candy apples, syrup, etc. Light fruit aromas too, hint candied apple, light fig and white raisin, etc, with faint hints of esters from the booze. There’s also a very faint hint of bourbon barrel, but its quite a background aroma that I really have to seek out to get, and faint dusty wood. IN summary, nose is pretty much candy.

Taste brings more sweet malts, plenty of toffee and candy syrup, little molasses and brown sugar like as well, light nutty flavors, etc. Fruit comes in again, with a candied apple, light golden raisin and fig again, similarly to the nose, as well as a light fruity rye component that perhaps also brings a touch of spicy rye but hard to tell with all the sweets. This time however, a big dusty oak barrel cuts through, toasty oak with a dusty wooden shelf flavor, and hint of vanilla rounding, as well as a faint flavor of bourbon on the background, a light soft perhaps a wheated bourbon. Very light booze in the middle, some warming and tingly, that increases a bit the more I leave it in my mouth to swish around and gets a little tingly at points. The wooden barrel really comes on stronger than I thought it would for what the nose led it to be, and the fact that only 1/3 of the beer was there. Maybe that’s why they blended 2/3 fresh beer back in. Light syrupy sweet candy flavors stick to the mouth, and move to the sweet sticky finish that at least dries a bit. Long warming booze on the back of the throat, with a lingering candy syrup, toffee, candied fruits, and light very slightly earthy bitter hops coming out on the back end of the finish, and a light dusty barrel still.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, little syrupy and sticky, lighter but decent enough carbonation.

Overall not bad, but not knock your socks off. It did have all the great sweet malt flavors, candy galore without being overly sweet, etc. The nose was mostly lacking barrel and bourbon altogether, but the flavor brought a nice barrel, with hint of bourbon, and good candied fruits. The hops barely come through on the finish which could have come in a bit on the front end for a nice touch, but not I’m nitpicking. A nice tasty beer overall that I can sip and ride out the storm.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 00:37:24 | More by jlindros

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Hazy, dark amber pour, with a thin off-white head that sank down to a small ringlet. Aroma of sweet caramel malts, toffee, bourbon-soaked oak. The taste was similar, caramel malts and toffee sweetness, hints of vanilla and dark fruit esters, light bourbon and oak. Pretty standard stuff, but also a bit too mellow for me...but then again I prefer the American-style to the English-style, so objectively, it's about right. Medium body, smooth, drinkable, with relatively well-hidden booziness. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 06:19:32 | More by Rifugium

tdm168

North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - dark opaque amber with little head

S - bourbon barrels, baked apples, sugar, vanilla, wood

T - brown sugar, wood, caramel, baked apples, faintly bitter, vanilla, alcohol

M - full bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a full flavored, complex barleywine. Each flavor appears as an individual at first. As the beer warms there is a little cohesion and balance that comes about. In the end, it's a nice barleywine, and definitely well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 00:37:54 | More by tdm168

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle from Sprayberry Bottle Shop (Marietta, GA). 7.99. Bottled 2012. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Pours ruddy chestnut with a half finger dirty cream head. Almost zero lace.

Smells of sweet sugars, vanilla/oak, caramel and some orange-ish fruit. Nice.

Taste is a sweet mix of caramel, woodsy vanilla, toffee, sugars, tamarind, a dose of unidentifiable funk and a kick of booze. A really nice blend and the slight alcohol burn never gets overbearing.

Creamy but semi oily medium thick feel with modetate carbonation. Long, sweet, full toffee/ caramel finish.

So glad that I gave this newer batch a try. While the 2010 batch bottled at BFM had soured, this 2011 batch bottled here in Georgia was a really unique and tasty barleywine. I'm kinda wishing I had purchased another bottle to try aging. If you were burned by the last batch, you should let this redeem it's self by giving this edition a whirl.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 08:24:51 | More by ThickNStout

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Off-white head, moderate to low retention. Clear lacing. Dark, coppery hazy body. Aroma includes vanilla, caramel, port, brandy, and random deliciousness. Wow. Taste includes most of the same flavors with some slight alcohol heat. This is really quite amazing and I really can't wait to try this one into the future...

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 05:56:51 | More by KickbacksSteve

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Thanks to johnyb for this bottle!

So, yeah, my experience with the BFM version of this beer was less than stellar, but hope remains for this one, as Spike has done some very good work in my eyes. Let's see: This stuff pours a clear amber-ruby topped by a half-finger or so of glowing off-cream foam. The nose comprises oak, bourbon, ruby red grapefruit flesh, mandarin orange syrup, sweet caramel, and a twinge of tangelo. The group doesn't seem to get along all that well, but the cacophony isn't too loud, necessarily. The taste brings in more of the same, with more rind for the tangelo and a hint of acetone. Once again, there isn't much cooperation among the flavors, but things don't go too far off the deep end. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying-ish finish. Overall, though this was still sort of a muddled beer, it did sit much better with me than the BFM version. I think the recipe still has some faults, but I don't completely mind finishing this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 21:50:38 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy dark amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin beige head that died down and left wispy patterns of bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of sweet malts and caramel in the nose. A bit of bourbon also becomes noticeable as the beer warms up.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has some hints of bourbon from the barrel aging in the finish.
M: It feels full-bodied and a little sticky on the palate and has moderate amount of carbonation.
O:This beer is relatively easy to drink because the alcohol is well masked from the taste. It is a pleasant beer to sip.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 04:03:02 | More by metter98