Sunday was a good day, overall. I was sitting at the bar at Charlie Mopps Public House in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a small city right on the outskirts of Atlanta. I go there, you see, because they have two things that I really like a lot: beer (75 on tap at any given time), and football, New England Patriots football. And so I enjoyed my game with beer and wings and the company of a friend, and of course the fact we won 48-28 really did not hurt matters at all.

Being the Christmas season, I first enjoyed a pint of the newly tapped Anchor Our Special Ale , 2008 edition. Then I had a Stone Arrogant Bastard with my Buffalo Wings, and a Sweetwater Festive Ale (another Christmas beer) after that. All well and good Bruguru, you say, but what has this got to do with Terrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster?
 
A lot, really, as we shall shortly see. But at this point it seems appropriate that I should regale you a bit with a bit about the beer under consideration. Athens, Georgia'sTerrapin Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster is a very limited run beer, draught only at that. It's a special version of their Big Hoppy Monster (no duh), an Imperial Red Ale as they call it. And the Oak aged version has more than oak aging to set it apart from your everyday run of the mill Big Hoppy Monster, as the specs below from Terrapin's website outline:
 
Big Hoppy Monster
Hops: Ahtanum, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Warrior.
IBU's: 75  O.G.: 21  ABV: 8.0%

Big Hoppy Monster (Oak Aged)
IBU's: 80 O.G.: 2.23 ABV: 8.5%
Hops: Ahttanum, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Warrior, Monster (Dry Hop)

Simply put, in addition to aging this brew in oak, Terrapin adds more malt, more hops, and gives it a higher alcohol kick. It's just a bigger beer all around.

When it arrived to me, a full pint no less of this glorious brew, I could not help but admire its beauty. The rich orange colored liquid accented with a tinge of brown sat serenely beneath a creamy head of foam, and even before the pint reached my nose (and lips for that matter) I knew I ws in for a treat. I was amazed at the chocolaty, slightly nutty and decidedly caramelly malt goodness that bathed my tongue with a thick and rich texture.

I had little time to appreciate those malt flavors, however, because they were soon overwhelmed by complex hints of wood and vanilla, and resiny, grapefruity, piney hops. They simply exploded in the finish, depositing a long dry bitterness, no mean feat with a beer of this malty caliber. I marveled again and again at this wonderful brew, and remarked to my companion several times at its noble character.

Then I got the bill, and was shocked to see the price tag of a whopping nine dollars for one pint of Oak Aged Hoppy Monster. Now, I don't mind paying extra for premium beer, and would have had no problem with a six or even seven dollar price tag for my pint. But Terrapin has a definite habit of overpricing their beer, often charging a dollar more and giving you two less bottles than other brewers.

And that leads us to my long and verbose opening. Was my Oak-Aged Big Hoppy Monster a great pint? Sure it was. Was it the best I've ever tasted? Definitely not. Anchor brewed up magnificent, rich spiced ale and shipped it from California to Georgia. Price: $5.50 for my pint. Local Sweetwater was also on their money with their Holiday brew, Festive Ale, for which I paid $5. And Stone Brewing also got me a pint of their Arrogant Bastard all the way from California, again for a meager five bucks. And all of these beer are as strong as, if not stronger than, the Terrapin.

So why does Terrapin charge so much for this beer? Value is a function of not just quality, but also price. And for that reason Oak Aged Big Hoppy Monster, a five star beer in quality, gets a three star tag from me overall.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.