Southern Tier Gemini

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

Light orange honey, cloudy, with soft bubbly covering of foam. Sweet malts jump out, tropical fruit, orange peel, some alcohol. Sweet caramel malt with candied citrus peel bittering, slight floral impression. Another ST Imp IPA thats too malty and not hoppy enough for me, although it has the very nice tropical hop impression. Smooth and soft with medium heavy feel. Drinkable, but disappointing.

(22 oz. bottle from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maryland/catons target=blank>Montgomery Plaza Liquors) Sweet, soft and hoppy...Pours hazy light-medium amber. One finger or so of even white head that retains well. Aroma of vanilla, caramel, bread, grapefruit and pine. Mouthfeel is fairly soft and smooth, sticky finish. Rings and sheets of lacing coat inside of glass. Flavor is sweet caramel and vanilla malt overlain by medium-heavy pine and grapefruit. Bitterness builds toward finish. Light touch of alcohol toward finish but ABV is pretty well-hidden. Pretty well done big IPA.

I wonder if Sourthern Tier meant for this to be a mantle piece and not a beer. Took me about 10 minutes just to open it - knives, scissors, 2 different bottle caps. Sheesh! Pours a caramel-gold color with a massive pillowy off-white head that leaves streams of sticky lacing everything. Aroma is intense - Pine, Grapefruit, Pineapple, Apricot, Caramel, and some spiciness. For as intense as the aroma is, one would thing the taste would be very bitter and pungent, but it’s just the opposite - it is very smooth. Taste is caramel malts, some piney hops, and bits of apricot and grapefruit. I’m a bit disappointed.......I was hoping it’d be more bitter and balanced, instead there is a lot going on, ala Dreadnaught.

Golden beer with yellowish foamy head. Fresh hoppy nose with pine and floral hops. Very hoppy beer with lots of pine, orange pith, grapefruit rind, apricot, caramel sweetness and something earthy. Nice blend that was different from the parts.

Bottle courtesy of jsquire. Thanks, Jeff! Poured a small off-white head that mostly lasted, splotchy lacing, hazy, no carbonation noted, and a golden orange hue. The nose consisted of caramel malts, citrus hops, pine, clove, and some pepper. The flavor was that of caramel, lightly bitter, some grapefruit, malt, spicy and the ABV was well masked. Mildly tingly mouthfeel and medium in body. Very quaffable and not over-the-top hoppy tasting IMO, nice balance, and worthy of a try if you get the opportunity.

Bottle courtesy of Kryprtic: Poured a hazy light orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some great lacing. Aroma of floral and bitter hops is quite intense but enjoyable nonetheless. Taste is a mix between some citrus hops with huge dose of dry and bitter hops with some lovely floral notes. Very well balance between the different hops varieties with a low key sweet malt backbone. Full body with limited filtration and great carbonation. I have to admit to being surprised by this one and this brewer is really impressing me.

Objectively speaking: Yet another Southern Tier gigantic hoppy beer, a blend this time and fortunately, some interesting features (wheat) sneaked in all right.
I like: I enjoy how the wheat is still quite noticeable (certainly my favourite feature, though not quite bringing a sense of balance to this monster). Certainly aromatic with a strong focus on the citrus hoppiness.
I dislike: I’ve not tried Hoppe yet, but I’m quite a detractor of Unearthly, so it’s no big surprise I find this overwhelmingly sweet AND overwhelmingly bitter. Syrupy body reduces the drinkability enormously. Astringent finish lingers and destroys the tastebuds.

Pours pale, hazy gold, with a one-inch head of white. Lacework is decent after the fall. A full coverage skim-coat sits beneath frothy strings and dots. Aromatics are fruity, piney, and tropical. Fairly toned-down for a IIPA, with the nose being pretty restrained. What is there though has a very nice combination of peaches, pears, spruce, and tangerines. Creamy and sticky mouthfeel. Slightly crisp and tacky. The pallet delivers the hops where the nose left off. Resinous, juicy, and substantial. Loads of orange oils, grapefruit, peach, pine sap, and bark-like earthyness. Bitterness is full-on, and balances some honeyish residuals. Warming alcohol steps forward as the bitterness and zesty fruit lingers. Light malt and balancing for the style. With Unearthly being such a tough act to follow, I was expecting something lesser. Happy to be wrong.. Great beer!