Terrapin Stout
Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House

Very black pour, small tan head that dies away. No lacing.

Smells of roasted malt, bakers chocolate, and strong, black coffee. No messing around, the smells are all blended together and they hit you like a hammer.

Tastes like a very strong, dark coffee upfront--roasted beans, wonderfully bitter--gives way to semi sweetness, dark chocolate and light mocha chocolate. Ends on a kick of bitter malt and vanilla.

Kudos to OC, for another great beer.

This beer is brewed by the local brewpub with some coffee beans from one of the local coffee shops. What a great marriage. If only Iowa's beer laws permitted a bigger brew. While this beer is not high in ABV (I don't know specifically, but less than 6.2% by law), it is very high in flavor. I applaud this effort at making a huge beer without being able to make a huge beer with a huge alcohol content.

Pours to a pitch black color with a nice fluffy tan head. Laces beautifully down the glass.

The smell is of a very dark coffee roast. Maybe a sumatra blend? Not much else to it. I would have liked a bit more depth, like some vanilla or cream, maybe some hops or sweet malt or chocolate. Quite well done considering the limitations.

The taste has much more depth than the nose, thankfully. Has the rich and bold sumtra flavors, of course... very bold, rich and earthy. Also has the vanilla and chocolatey sweetness. Still not much, if any, hops to be detected, but it's quite bitter on its own for sure.

Mouthfeel is medium to full. Quite creamy. Huge drinkability. Gives a bit of a jolt, however, so be wary of drinking it too late if you're not accustomed to caffeine buzzes.

Great job from the Old Capitol. This is my favorite beer from them, as well as the most complex I've tried; though unfortunately they were temporarily out of their other seasonal: a bourbon barrel aged brown ale. An Iowa brewed Imperial Stout may still seem like quite a distant dream to me, but this beer is friggin' great, and it shall do for now!