The cause was a good one. Athens, Georgia's Terrapin Beer Company had decided to brew a line of beers in honor of the historic Georgia Theatre. What's more, proceeds from the sales of the beers in the series would help to restore this classic artistic endeavor. How could you go wrong supporting that?

Terrapin will be doing four beers in this series according to their website. The first came sealed in a commemorative cardboard box, better to hide the golden tickets. Golden tickets, you say? Yes, golden tickets. Four lucky drinkers will find a golden ticket granting them lifetime access to the Georgia Theatre, a worthy prize indeed. Sadly my bottle, number 278 of the run, did not contain one of same.

Terrapin talks about the theater on their label:

Circa 1889, the cornerstone of the first YMCA in the South was laid at the corner of Clayton and Lumpkin streets in Athens, GA.  In the basement of the building was a 168 square-foot indoor pool dubbed the "Iron Tank". When the guys in the pool got rowdy, their splashing would often douse the kerosene lamps that lit the subterranean tank. true to it's roots, the Georgia Theatre is still the kind of place where the lights go down when the guys get rowdy around a "tank"ard. Iron Tankard, an old stock ale, is the first brew in Terrapin's Georgia Theatre series.

Now that we've got that settled, you ask, just what is an "old stock ale"? Old ales or stock ales are not all that dissimilar from barleywines. They contain lots of unfermented sugars (or dextrins) that add body and flavor, usually have a pronounced caramel flavor and are fairly strong in alcohol. These beers are often good candidates for aging, hence the "stock" moniker.

Terrapin brews their version from Munich, Crystal, Special B and Two-row malts. The beer is hopped with Goldings. The alcohol content is formidable at 9.4% by volume.

Terrapin Georgia Theater Iron Tankard Old Stock Ale pours to a dark golden -chestnut color with a light but very creamy head formation and a rather faint nose of sweet malt and alcohol. Taking a sip, a full and rich liquid fills the mouth and warms it immediately with alcohol. Interesting notes of soft fruit (perhaps raisin and plum) are apparent, along with buttered toast, butterscotch, honey, caramel, chocolate, and a hint of molasses. The finish hints at hops, but just so, and it's more the rocket fuel alcohol burn that leaves the finish dry.

This is a curious release for March in my book, as it's better suited to the cooler weather. One could make a case for perhaps storing a bottle until the cooler months. Overall, the alcohol burn seems a bit harsh and out of balance to me. The beer is complex enough, but that pesky alcohol roughness detracts from the total experience. And although there are many flavors here, none of them really jump out at me; it's more like I have to go looking for them. They seem a bit too subtle.

I'd rate this as a 3 star brew, even with the fact that some of the proceeds go to charity. At $13.99 a bottle, I can't recommend it. Better to buy something else and go online to the Georgia Theater website and just make a donation..

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