Southern Tier Gemini

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Lakewood, New York USA

After a long struggle with the wax top, which seemed to have hardened into plastic, I finally was able to uncap the bottle. While the Unearthly is one of my favorite beers, I was not a fan of the Hoppe. To me it just seemed like a beer which had reason to exist. Who wants a pale ale with 10% alcohol. But the Gemini might be the only useful purpose for it. It stands up quite well to the Unearthly and does it make its presence known despite the overpowering hop flavor of the Unearthly. The Gemini pours a slightly hazy orange-yellow with a fluffy white head. There’s good lacing on the glass and beautiful carbonation. The taste and aroma are exactly as one would expect. Everything from each of the two beers is there and noticeable: the intense peachy grapefruit hops from the Unearthly, and the fruity malts of the Hoppe. The Hoppe seems to drown out the sweetness of the Unearthly leaving a very bitter alcoholic flavor which lingers on the tongue. To me this was not an improvement on the Unearthly. Overall, not a bad beer.

In short: A sweet dessert-IIPA. A big orange and caramel candy in a bottle.
How: Bottle 22oz (love those waxed bottles). Drank fresh a few days after purchase
The look: Partly cloudy golden-yellow body topped by a very small white head
In long: Nose is crisp caramel hard-candy. Very well malted body. Caramel and dried candied fruits (orange mainly) but never sugary. Finish has an orange candy flavour. Not very bitter at all, I didn’t detect much of those typical American hops from the Unearthly or Hoppe even if it’s supposed to be a blend of both, weird. This is a very interesting twist on this classic genre. The beer was never annoying despite being rather sweet/candy. I didn’t think much of it at a tasting session but a full bomber proved to be surprisingly drinkable. Southern Tier Mini-gem.

Cloudy golden colour with a white head. Hoppy, fruity, piney aroma with a light sweet note. Hoppy fruity and piney bitter flavor with caramel sweet notes.

Bomber bottle aged from 2007 spring....cloudy burnt orange color with a tan head...mellow malty aroma, bananas with lemons on the last day of consumption....a whoosh of salt that changes into an almost buttered popcorn flavor...sweet at the same time as the saltiness...malt blanketed grapefruit and banana, easy to drink ...you want to keep sipping to enjoy the layers...the alcohol is disguised as well in the aspect of the interesting layers of this beer, ...with an added creaminess to the brew, this is a great interpretation of the Gemini sign

Hoppe and Unearthly were pretty good beers, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with either one. Somehow, the combination of the two is tremendous. The alcohol presence of Unearthly is toned down, and the balance of hops and caramel malt is nice. But what’s the deal with the horrible smelling wax?

Bottle. Aroma has notes of citrus, honey, caramel, grass, and flowers. Wonderful aroma. Hazy medium orange amber hue with an average sized off-white head that mostly diminished and left good lace. Flavor is caramel sweet and fruity then ends with a solid bitterness. Palate is full bodied and oily soft. Alcohol is well masked and body is nice and smooth. A very good DIPA with a fantastic nose, flavor and palate. Very good chilledStellar.

Courtesy of GMCC2181. Bomber pours copper with gold edges and white head of foam. The aroma is grapefruit hops, pine hops, some grassiness, a bit of roasted malts and a backbone of mild sweet malts. The aroma seems a bit on the light side, lighter than I had hoped. The taste has the feel of a fairly thick high FG body ushering in a balanced attack of grapefruit hop and pine hop bitterness that seem to interchange back and forth in strength. There is a persistent malty sweetness and mild roastiness floating around in there too. Very nice, thanks again Gabe.

Date: 08/23/08, 22 oz. bottle

Aroma - Fresh hoppy aroma of citrus and pine jumps right out, caramel and toffee follow quickly

Appearance - Clear orange/amber pour, solid off white head with good staying power, and some good lace

Flavor - Loads of malty sweetness up front, caramel, and some sweet toasty grain contribute. Bitterness builds slowly, but ultimately keeps things in check with a barely dry finish.

Palate - Medium body and carbonation, slightly sticky and palate coating

Overall - Big and brash, alcohol barely noticeable, a lot of malt character, as is common for the style. The hoppy nose is inviting, but the malt takes over after that.