TERRAPIN RED RYE // SILKY AND SMOOTH // NICE AROMA

TERRAPIN RED RYE // SILKY AND SMOOTH // NICE AROMA

I’ve come to realize that I’m a seasonal drinker. I like hoppier beers in the warmer weather and maltier beers in the colder weather. So, seeing as how we’ve recently been having some nice 75-degree days, I decided to break out something a little more suitable. Terrapin has been one of my favorite southern breweries for a minute because of their ability to get some really awesome flavors into beers that have been basically run into the ground. Using rye in IPA style beers makes them somewhat more refreshing to me and I may be the only person that thinks that, because I know a lot of people that would say that it makes the beer a bit heavier and unsessionable. With that in mind, I cracked open a can of Terrapin’s Red Rye India Pale Ale named Mosaic. Here are my thoughts:
Terrapin is now putting a portion of their beers in cans, which I am a big fan of. I prefer for beers to be in cans for multiple reasons, but mainly because of the preservation of the beer. It’s also more recyclable than other containers, but enough about packaging, let’s get to the beer.
The beer poured a deep amber color with about half of a finger width of off-white head. Retention was about average and left some decent lacing as it dissolved. The aroma was absolutely fantastic; filled with tons of rye and awesome notes of hop resin. More specifically, you get a ton of the Mosaic hop scent (hence the name of the beer.) It’s crazy that you get that much of a hop scent that is so powerful from one hop. I also got a little bit of caramel and some fruity notes as well that leveled everything out to a nice blended aroma. This is one thing that Terrapin really does well, because regardless if it’s in the form of French Toast for the French Toast Wake N Bake, or something simple like a basic Pale Ale, Terrapin really knows how to pack in the aroma as well as the flavor.
The flavor of this beer is a bit of an oddball to me. When I first began drinking, the beer was much colder and the flavors really popped, but as the beer warmed, I began to taste less and less of that great flavor that I was picking up in the beginning. On the front end, you’re hammered with a ton of malt flavor with a bit of caramel. After that passes, about midway through, you start to pick up a little of the rye flavors. This is where I got a little bummed, because I really would have loved to have more of the rye in the beer that’s named a Red Rye IPA. Aside from the lack of rye, you get some fruity bitterness towards the backend and as you finish the sip, you get a lot of that Mosaic hop bitterness. Though when that bitterness shows up, you really just get it on the back of your tongue and then it’s gone. A bit of a bummer, but the flavor wasn’t bad. I would drink this again, but I would have to do it quickly so that I could enjoy all of the flavors that the beer has to offer.
Mouthfeel on this one is like pure velvet. It is so silky and smooth, and really so much different than a lot of IPA style beers I’ve encountered. I’m not sure if I liked that aspect, because I found myself wanting a little more carbonation in some sips, but others I was perfectly content on the lack thereof. The beer doesn’t set very heavy on your stomach, so I could easily see myself drinking a few of these on a hot day, but after a few, I could see it being a little much because of the 6.2% ABV. Have fun but not too much, because it will sneak up on you.
Overall, this was a pretty decent beer. Not something I would choose over other things, but it’s something that’s pretty decent for the style. I really wish the aromas had carried over into the flavor a little more so it could have been a little more refreshing. The aroma was really the highlight of the beer, and for Terrapin, that’s about par for the course, although some of their beers really pack the punch with the flavor as well. The beer as a whole was good, but like I said, nothing I’m going to rush out and buy again. Don’t let that stop you from trying it though. Keep drinking new beer and even if something isn’t good to you now, revisit it in a few months. I’ll probably take my own advice and try this again in a few weeks so I can really decide how I feel about it. Cheers!