What has Terrapin done to Hopzilla?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by mondegreen, Mar 17, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mondegreen

    mondegreen Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2009 Georgia

    Hopzilla was Terrapin's 12th Side Project (Released Late Summer 2010). It was a big tropical DIPA with a GIANT Citra hopped nose. It was a touch on the sweet side but monstrous and (IMO) delicious. In fact, it's the only Side Project in the last three years that was worth the asking price. I bought at least half a case over the late summer/fall of 2010.

    It has just been released in 4 packs as a part of their Monster Beer Tour, and it isn't even the same beer. It's boozy and hardly bitter at all with nothing but sweet alcohol in the nose. I'm quite disappointed in Terrapin for this one. I was withholding judgement on the Miller "investment" for this release, and it looks like it's the same old s&^t. Yeah, I'm mad...

    Pictures to show how stark the visual difference is:

    Original Hopzilla:
    [​IMG]

    New "Hopzilla":
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Lantern

    Lantern Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2011

    Wow. Nuts.
     
  3. crusian

    crusian Pooh-Bah (1,989) May 14, 2010 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    almost made a special trip to get some... glad I didn't. LOVED the side project... made my luggage smell awesome for a month. broke one. :slight_frown:
     
  4. Mavajo

    Mavajo Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2007 Georgia

    I still haven't forgiven them for Tomfoolery.

    Also, Terrapin, enough with the freaking turtles. We get it. All it does is make every single beer you release look the same.
     
  5. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    Just to play devil's (beer)advocate, seems like there may be some serious lighting at play here based on the drastic difference in color of the brown bottles. I passed on buying the $16-4pk I saw today, thinking I would grab a single before deciding on larger quantities. Glad I did.
     
  6. cmac1705

    cmac1705 Crusader (481) Apr 30, 2010 Florida

    I guess I'm not the only one who finds their beers terribly mediocre?
     
  7. Mavajo

    Mavajo Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2007 Georgia

    Whoa wtf, this is retailing at $16 for a 4-pack? What a screw job. That's a 6-pack of Hopslam. What the hell is going on at Terrapin? It's like they created Wake N Bake, and then lost their damn minds and haven't been able to get anything right since. That Theater Session was a bunch of garbage too.
     
  8. RoryOMoore

    RoryOMoore Pundit (901) Mar 26, 2009 New Jersey


    What's wrong with turtles???? :grimacing:
     
    stabbingcontest and Etan like this.
  9. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    In Terrapin's defense it was at a small wine shop in western Virginia that is usually a buck or two high on their 4/6 packs. Having said that...(Curb anyone?) I think it is safe to say this isn't a standard $10-11 four pack. They also had Ten Fidy fours for the same price, just to give you a ballpark. Also, I may be in the minority, but I liked Tomfoolery!
     
  10. mondegreen

    mondegreen Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2009 Georgia

    Nope, no lighting at play. Both rooms are lit with 3-light overhead fixtures. I put the new version in front of my monitor to illustrate how clear the beer is VS the old version, so the light coming off the monitor makes the bottle look lighter. I can take a picture in the exact same spot as the old one if that would help.

    Hopzilla is retailing for $13 a four pack in Athens. Would be totally worth it if it were the same beer as the Side Project. I thought it was better than Hopslam.
     
  11. Cazlo

    Cazlo Initiate (0) Sep 7, 2011 Pennsylvania

    I agree the side project Hopzilla was excellent, one of Terrapin's best, but I feared the new version would not live up to the original. I'll reserve judgement until I try it. I want to love Terrapin, I miss my w-n-b and side projects, but they do make it hard sometimes. :confused:
     
  12. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    You can't tell me they are in the same light based on the common denominator, which is the brown glass. Regardless, the most noticeable thing to me from the photos is the complete difference in clarity. The first looks like very cloudy and the second looks nearly transparent.
     
  13. mondegreen

    mondegreen Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2009 Georgia

    The overhead lighting is the same. The second picture is backlit, whereas the first is not. I'm not opening any more beers tonight, but I'll open another Hopzilla tomorrow and take a picture in the same place as the first in order to give an equal reference. And yes, the Side Project iteration of Hopzilla was opaque and possibly a touch lighter than the new version.
     
  14. axeman9182

    axeman9182 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2009 New Jersey

    Count me as another one who loved the first release of Hopzilla, and was eagerly looking forward to its return. I'll still pick some up, and hopefully it's not too much different to me.
     
    jzeilinger likes this.
  15. Sneers

    Sneers Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2009 Pennsylvania

    I'm no professional brewer, but it probably has to do with the decision to change the label from dragon to turtle.
     
    hefehead12 and dazedandconfused like this.
  16. jzeilinger

    jzeilinger Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,213) Dec 4, 2004 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    No, I agree with the OP. I have one in my glass right now and it isn't the same beer I had a few years ago in the bomber. The description and the pictures depicting the color difference is absolutely bang on. This year's batch is just a little north of "meh" compared to the batch two years ago.
     
    Lantern likes this.
  17. BirdsandHops

    BirdsandHops Pooh-Bah (2,825) Apr 14, 2008 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I absolutely loved Hopzilla the first time it came out. On draft, it was one of the top 5 DIPAs I've ever had. The bottle version wasn't quite as good, but still much better than most. I will reserve judgment on the new batch until I try it, but I'm very excited to see it again. Keep in mind that it's been nearly two years since the last batch they made and the recipe may have changed slightly due to hops available and freshness of said hops. I know "It's not as hoppy as it was last year" is a running joke, and I take my own memories with a grain of salt large enough to give everyone in Belgium hypertension, but many IPAs seem less aromatic and intense this year compared to last. Even if I don't like it as much, I will probably wait until I try it on tap and/or again next year to completely dismiss it.
     
  18. jzeilinger

    jzeilinger Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,213) Dec 4, 2004 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    It might be a running joke but it absolutely isn't the same beer from two years ago. I would agree with your statement but this years batch isn't the same fruity hoppy cornucopia that it was a few years ago, farm boozier. (I'm not trying to start an argument either.). Based on this years batch, I may or may not buy it again next year.
     
  19. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    It may be counterintuitive but after all this bashing I am now craving some hopzilla and I've never even had it.
     
    Lantern and muletrane like this.
  20. BirdsandHops

    BirdsandHops Pooh-Bah (2,825) Apr 14, 2008 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I'm not disagreeing, I'm just saying that hoppy beers especially can be quite variable from year-to-year. I'd also want to try it out on tap as well since Terrapin beers are often quite different on tap than from the bottle (Moo-Hoo on tap is super chocolaty and tastes like YooHoo with alcohol while from the bottle it's much more roasted and smoky tasting) and would give it a shot next year.

    This year's batch of seasonal IPAs are almost all disappointing compared to last year's as well. I bought a full case of Hopslam and a minikeg last year and loved every bottle while regretting seeing them go. This year I bought a single sixer and still have a bottle or two left just because it doesn't grab my attention. None of the big seasonal IPAs has impressed me as much this year as last.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.