 Rastacouere (5328), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Apr 30, 2008
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.
marchcow (513), Coralville, Iowa, USA
Sep 28, 2008 Breadlike malt aroma with a citrus pineapple background, some gingerbread and cookie. Bubbly tan head with a clear golden amber body. Fairly thick on the tongue, creamy with flavors of hops, Malt is strong enough for a rich balance. Alcohol seems buried somewhere in there. Caramel sweetness is present. Very good.
BMan1113VR (896), Los Angeles (and Dallas, TX), California, USA
Sep 25, 2008 Bottle thanks to zathrus13. Wax was fun trying to get off. Pours with a large, creamy, tight bubbled, off-white head. Slightly chil hazed golden yellow body. Head sticks like glue, both to the top of the beer and the side of the glass. Aroma has lots of candi, caramel, apricot and tangarine hops. Really a room filling aroma. Taste is sweet at strong with some light citrus and faded fruity malts bringing up the rear. Alcohol is well hidden. Creamy smooth mouthfeel, light bubbles. Great beer!
Pwn3d (617), NYC, New York, USA
Sep 24, 2008 650ml bottle as shown. Right off the bat I was excited for this bad boy being that un*earthly is as if god himself was pouring beer in my mouth. The wax is a total bitch to remove. Once opened, this possesses some of the intensity but it more refined in that the unfiltered hop adds more of a body to the brew. Awesome.
nuplastikk (459), Maryland, USA
Sep 13, 2008 500ml bomber bottle split with Ann. Unless you count trying to open corked bottles without a corkscrew, this beer is one of the hardest to open that I’ve ever had. Wax really did the job in terms of sealing it. Glowing, murky orange color. Very piny evergreen aroma. Equally piny taste, a little syrupy. Lots of hop character. Great balance of flavors compliments the high alcohol well. Awesome dry hop character. Excellent beer.
EricE (252), Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Sep 11, 2008 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.
|
