Pineapple Express
Terrapin Beer Company

From Notes: Pours a deep straw producing 2 fingers of somewhat lasting, pillowy, white foam head that leaves only a few blotches & streaks of lace. Aroma is sweet, doughy wheat, pilsner malt, a little grass & lemon (hallertau hops?), yeast & a hint of yeasty fruit esters & thin smoke. Pineapple is present but backstage. Taste is a little bitter, slightly tart, yeasty & smokey up front. Wheat in middle with a hint of clove, hoppy grass & lemon combine with cracker & biscuit of Pilsner malt to produce a clean but snappy pepper, dry finish. The smoke is detectable throughout the sip but the pineapple is very subtle. Aftertaste is bittersweet, clean & shortlived. Mouthfeel is light bodied or if you are really pushing it light-medium bodied, lively with carbonation, crisp, dry & oh so drinkable. Pineapple Express (Side Project 21) is the winner of Terrapin's first annual Employee Homebrew Challenge.

 

A big burst of carbonation when opened. Fairly clear, light-golden color with an overly huge white head filling the entire glass. Smoke and pineapple heavy in the nose, along with some nutmeg and medicinal notes. More of a rauchbier than a helles in the flavor. Big smoke upfront with a helles taste in the background. The pineapple is subtle, but present, and the entire beer is pretty-well balanced on the whole. Rauchbiers aren't really my thing, but I can appreciate how well-crafted this is and think a lot of people would really enjoy it.

 

 

Tasted from draft at Firkin on February 27, 2015.

 

 

 

I give this beer a lot of credit for being both (a) a beer that maybe shouldn't work, but strangely does, and (b) really going out on a limb, as far as I'm concerned, while somehow strangely keeping its wilder impulses fairly reigned.

While ostensibly a Helles Lager, the overall effect and composition of Pineapple Express lends itself more to smoke beer discrimination than anything else. The nose is sugary, with pineapple overtones, but its heart is all campfire and wood; the flavor matches, but moreover extends the sentiment, with a cascading and clarion assertion of its smoked malt base—a brewing decision that keeps the texture and the malt-load light and fluffy, but adds a dark, burnt richness to the body of the beer. Meanwhile: true to its Helles Lager inspiration, the beer is a very blonde golden complexion—echoing the grilled-pineapple notions that suffuse the brew—but it's paired with a somewhat sediment-heavy turbidity, a payload of yeast that helps accentuate the subtle tropical-fruitiness provided by the pineapple addition.

Overall, I'd have to say this is a success—though I'm a non-trivially big fan of smoke beers—and a surprising success, at that, given the adventurousness of the concept (not to mention the employee homebrew provenance). It's tasty, yes, but bonus points are due for nailing a beer that was born from what could have been a sketchy premise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulling into Terrapin Beer Co.'s station is Pineapple Express, the winner of our first annual Employee Homebrew Challenge. Inspired by a late night grilling session with friends, a couple chunks of pineapple got thrown into the mix, and an idea for a new beer style was born. The team brewed up a Helles lager for the base brew and used real pineapple and smoked malt to conduct the winning recipe." Brewed in the style of a German Münich Helles Lager with pineapple and smoked malt added. Entry number 21 in the side project series, released in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft early 2014.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a Terrapin snifter. Served above 55º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy lemon-tinged white head over a hazy golden yellow body. Dense speckled sediment and dense haze impede clarity. Retention is good, lacing is light and spotty. 3.75

(Smell) There's no mistaking pineapple and other fleshy tropical fruits are front and center in the aroma. Secondary notes include biscuity pale German malts, a pinch of smoked malt and a modest grassy hop bitterness. Potency is moderate. 3.75

(Taste) Cracker malt profile with a mild dryness and light sweetness paired with a grassy hop profile and a moderate bitterness. The unique flavors come through in the finish with a pinch of smoke and some charred pineapple, neither profound nor underwhelming. I personally think that the malt and hop base of this style were ideal for these two additives, as they shine wonderfully against the simplicity of a lager yeast strain and generate a moderate acidity and smokiness that I enjoy. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is smooth, chewy, light. Carbonation generates a moderate crispness for a soft, fluffy mouthfeel. Body is medium+ for the style, medium overall. Balance is slightly acidic and dry over sweet, smokey and bitter characteristics. Alcohol presence is light with no off flavors. 3.5

(Overall) I don't get enough beers that dabble with pineapple, but this one does a pretty good job at blending pineapple and smoke to a style that keeps ingredients fairly light and simple, thus the pineapple and smoke are difficult to miss and quite enjoyable. I didn't find much to dislike about this beer personally but it didn't blow me away either. The pineapple, smoke and malt/hop profile were right on par with my expectations. I could see why this was at least justified to win a brewery-level competition. 3.5

Terrapin Beer Company's
Side Project 21: Pineapple Express
3.56/5.00