Review - Southern Tier Brewing Company's Gemini
"blended hoppe & unearthly High in the winter sky, two parallel stick figures are visible & known as the twins, or the constellation Gemini. The astronauts of the 1960s flew as teams of two in a program named after the celestial pairing. At Southern Tier, we have our own fraternal twins, Hoppe & Unearthly. Blended together & placed in this vessel, the mission of our Gemini is to travel high & take passengers on a journey far into the heavens." -- Southern Tier Brewing
Pours a dark yellow hue producing a large frothy white head with decent retention. Still body with a slight haze and thick, sticky lacing. Aroma carries a moderate to heavy hop profile with grass and perfume notes, and a hint of grapefruit. Alcohol levels are well-masked. A quick stir of the glass generates some sweeter citrus aromas and allows the alcohol warmth to come through a bit. Initial taste is slightly bitter with some faint alcohol burn, growing increasingly more bitter with a more pronounced alcohol warmth. Some gentle grassy hops with some green pepper bite in the background. Medium bodied with a creamy texture, there is a defined alcohol presence on the mouth leaving a slightly warm finish with active carbonation. The palate is left wet, slightly bitter, and with a soft film.
Our palates are left in a euphoric state. This beer is an interesting journey from start to finish. Characteristics from both beers show through at different times and, although the hop profile is subdued from the Unearthly, there is a significant hop presence towards the end of the glass. This is a great beer, but certainly not a session beer. We reviewed this one from a half-pint. A full pint would be dangerous.
Reviewed on February 7th, 2009.
