Southern Tier Gemini

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

Pours a clear gold with a very thick white head. The nose has a strong earthy and floral bitterness to it with some wheat and citrus notes. Comes across the palate with earthy and floral hops in front moving into a a lot of citrus notes on the back. It has nice lingering after taste to complete the beer.

Bomber from a trip to the East Coast. This is a great IIPA, aroma is somewhat subdued with more malt and bread than strong hops, but the flavor is very well balanced between the hops and malt. Not too bitter, which is something I like. Complex, I pick up different things as it warms. I could drink this all night.

22 oz. wax topped bomber from Binny’s (Orland Park, IL) that I’ve been sitting on for a bit in the fridge. Takes a bit of effort to etch a good spot in the wax, but eventually gives in. Pours a nice amber with golden bits and lightly hazed with small offwhite head. Aromas are very nice giving off heavy citrus hops that are grapefruit dominant, some orange, piney resinous qualities, and sweet carmel malt mixed in. Initial is bitter, moving quickly to an impressive carmel and toffee malt body that balances well, a touch toasty, if not a bit too dominant. Grapefruit subsides in taste, with toasty carmel malt mixing with florals and piney qualities, resinous and earthy version of the style not bursting with citrus everywhere you turn. Dry, hides the alcohol well, but is still stern and strong. A touch of orange or other less sour and bitter and more sweet fruit mixes with the malt towards the back end of the body. Finishes malt forward, toasty yet still very bitter. A nice balancing job, but a bit too malty for my tastes in this style. Still, pretty good.

22oz bottle 2/11/09 (Binny’s Naperville)-Pours an orange body with a nice tight off white head. Aroma of floral hops and a bit of malt. Taste of hops, pine, malt, and dryness. This medium to full bodied brew is very well balanced and quite tasty. It hides the ABV very well. Nice brew.

Pours a golden clear color with a very thick white head. Aroma has a strong earthy and floral bitterness to it with some wheat and citrus notes toward the tail end. Flavor starts off with earthy and floral hops up front moving into a a lot of citrus notes. After the citrus starts to fade, the wheat sweetness comes through with a slight orange flavor and a taste I can only describe as dry leaves taste (in a good way). Overall the bitterness is heavily present through the whole beer and lingers around quite a bit after it’s down. A great beer as a whole but somewhat of a similar flavor to some of their other high gravity beers.

Tap @ Acadia Cafe Minneapolis. Pours a golden orange color with minimal head. Flavor is grapefruit, citrus zest, honey, candy sugar. Solid malt backbone to compliment the strong hop notes. Medium bodied, fizzy on the palate. Sweet finish.

Pours light orange with a small head. Surprisingly mild aroma, with floral hops and a good brown sugar maltiness to counter. Good balance to the nose. Tons of malt character in the flavor - almost too much - though I feel like the slight lack of hops is because this bottle has been sitting a bit long, and the hop oils have all broken down. Good, for sure, and it’s very smooth - but it would be better fresher.

Bomber. Golden pour with white head that quickly diminishes into a halo of lace. Pine and grapefruit on the nose. Flavor is initially sweet and then turns bitter. Big hop presence, but the malt backbone stands up nicely. More pine and citrus on the palate with hints of bitter orange peel. A bit oily with a medium/full mouthfeel. Sweet and bitter finish. Very nice.