2002: John & Spike
Terrapin Beer started as a day-dream between founders Spike Bukowski and John Cochran, and became a reality in 2002. The brewery's first beer, Rye Pale Ale, debuted at Athens, Georgia's classic city Brew Fest. Later that year, John and Spike sent the beer to the Great American Beer Festival, where it won a Gold Medal in the American Pale Ale category, and put Terrapin on the map.
2003-2006: Expansion
After the win at GABF, the next year Terrapin expanded distribution to Atlanta. In 2004, Rye was bottled for the first time, and the brewery took home a silver at the World Beer Cup for Golden Ale. 2004 also marked the first high-gravity beer sold in the state of Georgia and the beginning of Wake-n-Bake Imperial Oatmeal Stout. By 2006, Terrapin was distributing to more areas in Georgia, plus cities in South Carolina and North Carolina, and in Nashville, TN.
2007-2009: 9000 Barrels of beer
In 2007, Terrapin brewed 9000 barrels, celebrated the 5th Anniversary of the brewery with Hop karma, and moved into their current production space at 269 Newton Bridge Road in Athens, Georgia. The first public tour was given in 2008. That year also marked the beginning of Terrapin's side project series: a line of unique, creative beers. In 2009, Spike also brewed the first batch of Hopsecutioner IPA.
2010-2012: Bottled & Brewed
Hopsecutioner was bottled for the first time in 2010, and became Terrapin's #1 go-to beer. Terrapin started distributing to New Jersey, and began a journey around the world with the legend of Kunkles. In 2011, So Fresh & So Green became the first commercially distributed wet hopped beer brewed in Georgia. 2012 was a big year for growth at the brewery with the installation of a 100-Barrel brewhouse.
2013-2015: Taste the outdoors
The ability to “taste the great outdoors” became a lot easier in 2013. When Terrapin released RecreationAle, the first craft beer release in cans in Georgia. The Reserve Series also made its debut that year. In 2014, production installed a new 24-head canning time, allowing for more can beer releases, like UP-Hi IPA. By 2015, Terrapin transitioned their largest year-round beers to cans, including Rye, Hopsecutioner, & Golden. The tasting room in Athens was renovated in 2015 to make space for an indoor stage and a new gift shop!
2016-2017: Survival
In 2016, Terrapin released what is now one of their most popular packages: the IPA Survival Kit. The first ever style specific IPA pack featured favorites like Hopsecutioner, as well as an exclusive IPA style. In 2017, Terrapin expanded distribution to Kentucky, Ohio, Delaware, and Mississippi. And expanded brewing at the ATL Brew Lab.
2018-2019: Sun & Water
In 2018, the brewery became the first craft brewery to install & operate a wastewater-pretreatment facility in an effort to reduce the brewery's impact on the local water system. than Krunkles became part of the year-round line up on became Terrapin's fastest growing beer. Terraprint was launched in 2019, featuring signature Initiatives like installing more than 700 solar panels on the roof of the Athens brewery, and installing a new beer filtration system to reduce waste.
