Beer pick of the week: Gamma Ray
October 29th, 2008 by Jeff Holland in Drink
Gamma Ray
Terrapin Beer Company
Athens, GA
11% ABV
Terrapin’s latest Side Project is an ambitious one. A wheat wine is similar to a barleywine, but with a large addition of wheat for a lighter body and a spicier flavor. Terrapin’s version also adds a large portion of honey, giving it a mead-like strength and a boost of floral esters. The aroma of the Gamma Ray is as intoxicating as the liquid in the glass: a perfume-like mélange of lavender, white pepper, bananas, bready yeast, and orchard fruits. The taste is honey-sweet on the tongue, with a grainy, wheat taste emerging in the middle. Booze-soaked tropical fruits mix with lemon and spice for a breezy but potent cocktail of pineapple, kiwi, ripe apple, cherry, honeysuckle nectar, banana, clove, white pepper, ginger, and bubblegum. Super smooth and creamy, with a slick, almost oily feel upfront, it becomes tongue-tickling and fruity as the carbonation releases on the swallow. Remarkable drinkability for its body and strength. Gamma Ray would pair perfectly with pungent cheeses, nuts, and bright fruits, perhaps together in a salad of bitter greens. One of the best beers yet from Terrapin.
(photo by Jeff Holland)
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