Terrapin Reunion Beer 2010
Continuing the annual release of Reunion Beer — a collaboration that started in 2007 between Alan Shapiro, president of SBS Imports, Pete Slosberg, creator of Pete’s Wicked AleT, and Virginia MacLean, long time friend and colleague — Terrapin Beer Company and Bison Brewing (along with Pete Slosberg) have come together for this year’s version. The goal of this limited, once a year release is to help raise awareness for The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.
Terrapin Reunion Beer 2010 Label
The 2010 iteration of the collaborative release is an 8.5% ABV Belgian-inspired Scotch Ale. Brewed in the style of a Scotch Ale, the beer is then fermented with Trappist yeast to bring in that Belgian influence and an overall unique drinking experience.
Appearance
Reunion 2010 pours a copper in color with a small, light khaki head that faded slowly.
Aroma
Rich, sweet malts (a combination of five different varieties) are the first component to greet your nose. They are quickly followed up with a tell-tale Belgian yeast presence that brings in a little pepper, light fruits (raisin) and subtle herbal notes.
Taste
The flavors of this brew pretty much follow the impression the nose gave me. The combination of the more traditional Scotch Ale components mixed with the Belgian yeast bewildered my taste buds for the first few sips, but eventually my brain caught up with what was going on in the beer. The yeast brings a mild pepper as the combination of it with the malts brings out a dark fruit presence and sweetness. There is a welcome hop bitterness that helps balance out the sweet malts, but it’s far from biting as the beer transitions to a slightly warming finish that becomes more apparent as the beer warms.
Overall
I’m pretty sure that this is my first Belgian inspired Scotch Ale and, like I stated, it took me a little bit to wrap my head around it. The combination of the smokier Scotch Ale characteristics with the Belgian yeast is an intriguing combination that I would like to try again now that I am more familiar with it. Looks like I’ll need to try and find another bottle of Reunion 2010.
Rating: 3/5