Brewery: Terrapin Beer Co.
Beer: Cranberry Pumpkinfest
Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 5.6%
Character: Brewed with traditional pumpkin pie spices and contains real cranberry juice. Pumpkin was added to the mash, as well.
Ratings at time of Review: BA: 84 | RB: 64
Metal Connection: ABSCESS – Freak Fuck Fest (Naked Freak Show II: Orgy Of The Gaffed)
BeerMetalDude Rating: 4.5/5
So, this is my first official full beer I have had from Terrapin Beer Co. Back in 2013, I had a taste of one of their beers at a bottle share, according to my Untappd. I really want to thank my good friend, Tom for giving me this can of beer. I know it’s blasphemy among the Craft Beer Community to actually enjoy a beer from a company like this, considering they were bought out by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, a division of beer giants, MillerCoors, thus ending their run as a Craft Brewery. I really enjoyed this beer. It wasn’t what I expected it to taste like. I wouldn’t mind having this beer again. Shhhhh. don’t tell my beer snob friends!
The can artwork is amazing. As like most of their labels, this one features their cartoon turtle mascot, this time sporting a nice farmer’s outfit, complete with red flannel, overalls, and a straw hat. He is sitting in a field with a trailer full of pumpkins, barrels full of cranberries, and a large pumpkin with a tap handle on it, pouring beer into a wooden mug. What is there not to love about this artwork. it’s so fitting!
I used an awesome can shaped pint glass from Noble Rey Brewing Company. This beer poured a clear dark amber red color topped with a large 1.5 inch eggshell colored foamy head. Thin layer retention that left small spotty lacing.
The aroma was pumpkin pie spices, which hit the nose first. They aren’t very powerful, but just right up front. There is a hint of pumpkin in the way of sweet potato or yams. The best part of this beer is the addition of the cranberry. It added a slight tart sweetness to the aroma, leaving a good tickle to the nose.
The taste is a bit different than the aroma, as the cranberry tart sweetness dominates the palate right away. The gourd and pumpkin pie spices make up the body of the flavor, but masked behind cranberry helps make this beer a unique beverage. The aftertaste is exactly what this beer offers, a slice of pumpkin pie with a cranberry topping.
The body was not very heavy, around the medium thickness. The mouthfeel was creamy and oily, adding a nice characteristic to this amazing flavored beer. The finish remained oily.
Overall, as I said, I am a blasphemer (well, duh!) for actually liking this now MillerCoors owned beer. This was just too good of a unique flavored beer to spark my interest. Considering they are big money, they are still not distributed here in Texas, so I am not sure when I will be able to get my hands on another Terrapin beer, but there are a lot more actual independent breweries putting out excellent beers for us beer geeks!
Metal Connection: My favorite part of my reviews, the Metal Connection! This one was fun to pair. For this beer, Cranberry Pumpkinfest, I went with the song “Freak Fuck Fest (Naked Freak Show II: Orgy Of The Gaffed)” from the debut album, Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men from the California Death Metal Punk masters, Abscess. This band should not be new to you metal heads who follow this site. Abscess was created in 1994 by Danny Coralles and Chris Reifert of Autopsy fame along with Clint Bower of Hexx. The style of Abscess is definitely different from the members other bands, as Abscess is a great mix of dirty under produced Death Metal and raw sloppy Punk. The vocal approach from these filth purveyors is the one thing I love so much about this band. Clint Bower, and Chris Reifert trade off a lot on main vocals, and even double up making a horrifying sound. Awesome shit! Oh, and yes… you heard that correctly. They said “Monogolid’s Ballsac Bouncing off a Hunchback” within those lyrics! You’re welcome!
Beer Metal Media 