Beer Pick of the Week - Terrapin India Brown Ale

With the opening of Terrapin Beer Company’s new facility in Athens, Brewer Spike Bukowski’s creations that formerly had to be brewed in a contracted facility can now be made right at home. His most recent experiment is an India Brown Ale, a melding of styles that puts a little malt backbone in the hop-heavy India Pale Ale. Make no mistake, hops dominate the palate here, with the citrus and piney notes of Chinook, Columbus and Centennial hops up front, but a nutty, bittersweet chocolate malt flavor comes on in the middle. The aggressive hop character reasserts itself in a bitter finish. This is a bold, earthy ale that would be appropriately served in a tankard.

Terrapin Beer Company, Athens, Ga. 6 percent ABV. Available only on tap at area bars, including Brockett Pub in Clarkston, Zucca Bar and Pizzaria in Smyrna, select Mellow Mushrooms, and most Taco Mac locations, among others.