Terrapin Rye Pale Ale - Don't Judge a Beer by the Label

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

I picked up a six pack of mix-and-match beers/ales at Whole Foods. We don't have a great selection around here, so I thought it would be fun to see what I've been missing.

Caleb got the first draw, and he went with the Terrapin Rye Pale Ale. I would say that he picked based on the label. I must confess that the Georgia Terrapin Beer Company does have an eye for a catchy look on the bottle. Really now . . . this label is just saying: Buy me and drink me.

Thumbs way up to the designer at the Terrapin company.

Caleb took a sip, and he looked a little pale but said it was pretty good. I grabbed the bottle and had a swig and said: "UGH." This beer is hoppy as heck. They might have added some floral notes (which I could not taste) and some rye malt to take off the edge, but once you take a sip, your taste buds are shot for life or until the next day at least.

Once I weighed in, Caleb (who is just now old enough to drink) did confess that he did not think much of this pale ale either. I guess when you're young, it's hard to call a spade a spade. Well, I'm of a certain age and have lived overseas and tried all kinds of spirits. If it tastes bad, I'm just going to say it.

Do NOT serve Terrapin Rye Pale Ale at your barbecue bash. No one will be able to taste your grilled food or barbecue if they take a swig on this. I think it burned the hair out of my nose and probably killed some brain cells to boot.

If you take a few shots of Everclear (not that I suggest that), then you might be able to drink Terrapin.

This ale does rate high online, but take that with a grain of salt or rye. Most online rates are way overrated. Feel free to give Terrapin Ale a try. Double dog dare ya. It might do it for you, but I'm not killing my taste buds especially when I'm grilling out and making great food. I want to taste my grilled food. After a sip of this, all I could taste was swamp water funk. Brushing my teeth and gargling did not help one bit. This stuff has to wear off - and very slowly.