Beer review: Terrapin Wake 'N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

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Terrapin Wake 'N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. (Staff photo / Alan Shaw)

Terrapin Wake 'N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. (Staff photo / Alan Shaw)

Beer: Wake 'N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Brewery: Terrapin Beer Co., Georgia

Notes: A winter seasonal brewed with coffee especially selected for Terrapin by Jittery Joe's Coffee in the brewery's hometown of Athens, Ga. Terrapin's website says the coffee is a blend of Costa Rican, Guatemalan and Zimbabwe beans.

The beer is about 9 percent alcohol, which actually puts it on the lower end of imperial stouts brewed these days. Many newer ones are more than 10 percent. Not that that's a problem either way.

What an aroma! It has a great, rich coffee smell that has hints of cream. This is one of the best-smelling beers I've had. The taste is awesome. The flavors of coffee combine with sweet malty notes without the tannin bite you would expect from coffee or stout. The body is -- of course -- smooth and glassy with a velvet quality from the oatmeal. I'm not a coffee drinker, but that doesn't stop this beer from being one of the best stouts on the planet. Seek it out; it will not disappoint.

Have you had Terrapin Wake 'N Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout? What did you think? Use the comment field below to sound off.

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Alan Shaw

Alan Shaw has been a fan of craft beer since the 1990s. He is partial to hops and has been an editor at the Herald-Tribune since 1997. He can be reached at (941) 361-4914, by email or mail at 1741 Main St., Sarasota, FL 34236. Follow him at @alancshaw on Twitter and on Facebook.
Last modified: January 23, 2013
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