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

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.64/5  rDev -3.7%
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

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-20-2013 23:50:51 | More by mikeincharleston

dapatte2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -20.6%

05-15-2013 01:57:28 | More by dapatte2

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +5.8%

05-09-2013 05:34:29 | More by Kelp

deuce9259

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -14%

05-04-2013 04:23:00 | More by deuce9259

GTB

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-24-2013 03:14:50 | More by GTB

ramblinwreck101

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

04-12-2013 21:49:10 | More by ramblinwreck101

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.09/5  rDev -18.3%
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

TrickkyGangsta

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.8%

04-02-2013 23:33:44 | More by TrickkyGangsta

Robyn

South Carolina

1/5  rDev -73.5%

03-29-2013 12:18:14 | More by Robyn

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-18-2013 02:37:17 | More by marlinsfan4

oline73

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-18-2013 01:59:28 | More by oline73

duceswild

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-17-2013 18:02:13 | More by duceswild

michaeljstraub

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-15-2013 11:36:07 | More by michaeljstraub

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.8%

03-12-2013 01:16:00 | More by DaPan

cosmicevan

New York

3.94/5  rDev +4.2%
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 +6.6%
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%
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

Guinnsslvr

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

02-21-2013 03:29:58 | More by Guinnsslvr

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.49/5  rDev -7.7%
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

OldTime

Georgia

4/5  rDev +5.8%

02-17-2013 19:22:54 | More by OldTime

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

02-17-2013 15:24:09 | More by DaveHack

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.6%
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

57md

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

02-15-2013 23:05:05 | More by 57md

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
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