brew dog blog

Yet another score from State Line Liquors.  Grabbed this Southenr Tier gem because I missed the boat on it last time it was aroud (making this bottle pretty old, since it’s ostensibly from the last batch), and because well, it’s one of my favorite styles of beer from one of my favorite breweries.  Southern Tier has had some nice successes with highly hopped beers, and the Gemini, which is a mixture of the Unearthly (reviewed here by t-bone a little while back, and oftened enjoyed by many a brew dog) and the Hoppe, which I haven’t had a chance to have yet, looked pretty promising.

The Gemini is inexplicably capped with some sort of strange concrete/wax hybrid that was annoying to get off, even after utilizing various kitchen tools of various sharpness and flexibility.  It was a fork, I beleive, which dealt the seal it’s death blow, and I was finally able to crack this fucker open.  I didn’t quite know what to expect from this brew, but it was definitely surprising on a few levels.  Poured a beautiful color that’s a bit darker maybe than the average Double IPA, but had a nice huge head and had a big variety of hop flavors going on in the nose.  I was pleasantly surprised that this beer was lighter in body than the Unearthly, and lacked a bit of the somewhat excessive sweetness of that brew.  The Gemini is therefore a more balanced Double IPA, but I would hardly call it restrained.  At a whopping 10% ABV and in a bomber, this beer set me straight almost immediately.  I took some time with it and drank it over the course of about an hour, and the warmish end of it was very intensely flavorful.  Sometimes I drink these beers too cold, especially on hot days, and I’m glad I took my time with this one in front of the AC.  The malt flavors were great, very drinkable and this pleasantly carbonated Double IPA is probably even better if it’s super fresh, and without the physical challenge attached.