They’ve created a Monstre

Way back in 2008, when San Diego hosted the Craft Brewers Conference and World Beer Cup, we met a ton of brewers from all over the country (and world, for that matter), but for reasons that would eventually become more apparent we really hit it off with the boys from Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, Georgia.

After an extremely, shall we say, jovial evening at the old Linkery location, the boys were having trouble getting a cab so Jay graciously offered to give them a ride back to their Mission Valley motel in his inherited-from-his-grandfather Buick Roadmaster, which fortunately for them sat around 10 people comfortably (how crazy is that? Jay Porter actually owned a car at one point). In any event, we kept in touch with the Terrapin crew, particularly Dustin Watts, their head of sales and marketing, and it was only a matter of time before we headed out to Athens.

If you’ve never been to Athens, Georgia and the UGA campus, you really owe it to yourself to schedule a trip out. Not only do you get a healthy dose of independent music (Athens spawned the B-52′s, REM, and Neutral Milk Hotel) and SEC football, but Farm 255 is probably the most farm-to-table restaurant I’ve been exposed to. In fact, the restaurant is so intricately tied to its own farm, Full Moon Farm, all the produce and meat from the farm go directly to the restaurant, and only the restaurant. Add to that one of the South’s premier craft breweries, Terrapin, and you’ve got a little slice of heaven. I could go on and on about the local craftsmanship we were exposed to during our stays, but you really have to experience it for yourself.

Fast forward to 2009, during my last trip out (which oddly enough happened to coincide with Terrapin’s anniversary celebration) Dustin told me that Terrapin was selected by Belgian Brewery De Proef to brew one of the next “Brewmasters Collaboration” series (remember Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey’s ‘Signature Ale’? Same deal). We were suitably stoked because it would mean we would legally be able to serve a Terrapin beer here at The Linkery (they don’t distribute all the way out here — yet).

Well, the time has come. This Sunday at 11:30AM, September 5th, we’re tapping a keg of Monstre Rouge.  The Rouge is an Imperial Flanders Red ale.  Some Flanders Red Ales you might have had include Duchesse de Bourgone and Rodenbach Grand Cru with a flavor profile of both sweet and sour.  The Imperial means they used double the malt and sugars and therefore the alcohol is boosted to a hefty 7.5%.  This beer has a very De Proef nose with a heavy malt backbone and a slight funky aroma from the Brettanomyces used in it’s fermentation.  The mouth-feel is complex and delicious with a hint of tartness and toasted American oak, paired with an intense hoppiness that is very American.  This beer is unlike any other I have tasted with both the American and Belgian styles of brewing complementing each other brilliantly.

Come celebrate Labor Day weekend with The Linkery, Georgia, and Belgium on Sunday morning.

Here’s a couple more pics of the tasting session from the day they received the beer at the Terrapin brewery.

Terrapin Brewmaster Brian “Spike” Buckowski (holding the bottle) and Dustin Watts

Dustin, Spike, some guy, and Eric (green checkered shirt, owner of Trappeze Pub, Athens’ version of Toronado

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