Good going, team. So far, I'm five for five with the Terrapin Side Project series, though I am a bit behind reviewing them. That's because tonight, I'm sipping release five, Monk's Revenge Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale, though in fact this is not the first time I've tried it. Way back in April, I sipped the stuff on draft at Charlie Mopp's in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and was blown away by the stuff (despite the hefty price of eight bucks a pint, if memory serves).

If you've read my reviews of the first four beers in the Side Project series, you'll likely know I've been less than enthusiastic about them. They've been good, though not great, solid, if not spectacular. Still, at $6.99 a 22 ounce bottle, I've been expecting more than I usually got.

Not this time, though. Monk's Revenge may well be the best of this series, a noble experiment that I for one hope Terrapin  brews up again. Brewer Spike Bukowski got his inspiration for the beer during a trip through Belgium, and in fact brought back the yeast used from one of the 7 exiting Trappist breweries (Chimay? Orval? They won't say).

Here are the specs from the brewery:

ABV: 9.8%
IBUs: 99
O.G.: 19.7
F.G.: 2.1
Malts: 2-Row Malt, Pilsner malt, Munich, Special Aroma, Pale Crystal, Acidulated
Hops: Magnum, Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe
Adjuncts: Dextrose

Terrapin Side Project Volume 5: Monk's Revenge Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale pours to bright golden color with a light and creamy head formation and an absolutely brilliant spicy nose of musty, earthy Belgian yeast. A steady stream of tiny bubbles rises from the bottom of the glass to the head; as the liquid descends, a fine layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides.

Fusion beers don't always work, but for me this one does. It retains the essence of a fine tripel, with a light and crisp palate laced with more of those funky Belgian yeast notes and fruity notes of berry and pineapple. It's deceptively light on the palate just like a tripel. In that respect, I think, it does miss the "double IPA" mark a bit since it lacks the big, chewy malt character that style implies.

Fear not, however, IPA is well represented in the slightly grassy, herbal, floral, perfumey aromatic and lingering bitter hop finish. To be sure, this beer isn't as hoppy as some of the super IPAs out there, but it is a lot hoppier than any tripel I've tasted before. Along with the pronounced alcohol warmth, this imparts a very dry finish.

I've been sitting on this bottle for five months now, and it's as good now as I remember it on tap back in the spring. The bottle conditioning with live yeast helps with that. If by some magical chance you happen upon a bottle, by all means pounce upon it. It's rare you'll come across a beer as tasty and as innovative.