Terrapin Gamma Ray - Terrapin Beer Company

Jerone

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a cloudy amber with some orange in it, one finger head that fades away, no lacing probably due to high alcohol.

Wow, the smell is of wheat, honey and orange. You get a bit of alcohol on the nose too, warms your nose a bit.

The taste goes from a sweet honey and banana then leaves a taste of wheat and tangerine in your mouth. The alcohol and the banana flavor works really well against each other and is one of the first times that I actually like the taste of the alcohol. Tons of flavor and all of it is delicious.

Hefeweizen on steroids is what this beer is, I will order or buy this beer for sure the next time I see it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2011 22:57:46 | More by Jerone

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a cloudy bright yellow with a half inch of white fluffy head.

S - Smells pretty sweet. Honey goodness with warming alcohol and a slight grain background. Almost has a caramel like smell

T - Sweet at first but then slams my palate hard with alcohol it makes me gag a bit. After a few sips my palate adjusts and I taste sweet honey (not as much as others describe) and an aggressive bit of grain and finishes sweet and malty.

M - Very heavy in fact sipping it the ABV is noticeable the entire time. Will avoid this style.

Overall I guess I don't like wheat wines since this burned like hell and only has subtle moments of flavor and enjoyment. Avoid if you can.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2011 00:54:05 | More by DrDemento456

jpro

South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Had a pint of this at Closed for Business... was not aware of the 11% abv... ruh-roh! Looked really delicious in the glass - a nice cloudy orange with a fluffy, meringue-esque head. Aroma dominated by wheat, banana and clove - almost like a supercharged hefeweizen - very sweet, too. Taste is heavy on the banana and honey, with some nice wheaty graininess in there. A touch boozy on the finish. Mouthfeel is creamy and on the heavy side. It was a bit tough to get through this pint (between the sweetness, heaviness and alcohol percentage) - it was nice to try, but probably not something I'll frequent - which I guess I won't be able to anyway, considering its a Side Project.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2010 03:13:14 | More by jpro

reeverbythespeak

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This yeast beast kicked my butt one night. At a pint a serving it will catch you quick. There was nothing outstanding or depressing about this beer. The head was thin, probably the tap system, and the portion was huge. This is very much a wheat wine with it's totally cloudy body, and an alcohol burn to match it. I would say a wheat drinker would prefer the SunRay, and the wine lover the Gamma. Very rich in flavor and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2010 05:58:13 | More by reeverbythespeak

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap, original release vintage (~10/2008) at Trappeze in Athens, GA.

Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a half-finger slightly off-white head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of robust caramel malts with a hint of wheat twang. The aromas from the honey seem sweeter than they do fresh and have lost a bit of earthiness.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Husky caramel malt and wheat flavors up front segue into a syrupy sweetness midway through the sip. The ending is fairly clean and leaves a lingering sweetness.

Mouthfeel is good. It has a smooth thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed the aged version however I think the fresher beer has more pop. Worth a shot either way.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2009 19:46:56 | More by glid02

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Stopped by for a quick one at the DR and found this tasty.

Pours a beutiful rusty gold, cloudy, slight carbonation with a thin lacey head.

The nose is exquisite. Bananas, honey, citrus with some grassey malt. On the tongie, nice smooth honey coats the tongue with a nice malt aftertaste.

This beer has nice mouthfeel. Easy to drink with little cloying. Good body for the style, nice balanced. Nice drinking beer, I plan to have another.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2009 16:42:27 | More by garcia2a

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Orangy honey in color... no head, no lacing

S - Honey, flowers, little bit of spice and sugar...

T - Sweet honey, decent spice... some wheat and malt tones. The sweetness is controlled well without being cloying. Alcohol on the back end.

M - Full bodied, sticky. But once again, controlled well.

D - Very tasty without being overpowering or over sticky.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2009 01:15:32 | More by rfgetz

chaz410

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

All I have to say is thank you, specifically Dustin for letting me try this phenominal beer!

I loved this beer. My second favorite beer from Terrapin next to the monster.

The nose on this beer is basically the combination of a wheat based beer, a belgian dubble, and fruity notes.

The taste is really an amplified version of the smell, it's basically like drinking a combination of a high quality banana based wheat beer with a dubble belgian with zings of fruit such as dark grapes.

I loved it, get it, you'll thank me, and terrapin

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2008 03:16:38 | More by chaz410

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz. bottle dated best by Nov. of an unspecified year. Probably the last bottling of this. Poured into a CBS snifter.

Appearance - Clear golden amber body. No head. No bubbles. Lots of legs. Looks sweet.

Smell - Honey and sugars dominate. Lots of light malts. Booze. Some hops. But it's all an afterthought to a sweet malt base.

Taste - Wheat is really an afterthought to this beer. Lots of ridiculously sweet malts. No complexity. Some harsh grainy aspects from the wheat. It's not pleasant to drink. Finishes sweet and just a bit bitter.

Mouthfeel - Sugary. Sweet and thick. Boozy still. Ugh. Nothing off about it, but just really sweet and one-dimensional.

Overall - Nothing interesting here. A glass of sugar. Some wheat comes through but it's mostly sugar. I'm glad they discontinued this.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 05:14:38 | More by Alieniloquium

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not sure of the age on this bottle but its at least a year and a half. Has notches for best by but without a year on it, and at 11% I can't see this thing really going bad.

Golden amber color with impressive clarity. 2 finger active white head falls away to a lace rather quickly. Miscarriage grapes and honey on the nose with lots of fruit including cherries strawberries and melon.

Almost reminds me of a big Belgian brew. Sweet exotic berry fruits up front. Touch of wheat adds a bit of roundness to the big thick body. Dark fruits and thick honey like taste on the finish coats the throat, alcohol barely noticeable. Caramel rides along the tongue with spicy herbal flavors and.due berries and fruits including apples and pears.

mead-like

Age has really let the complexity of this beer shine with lots of subtle.fruit flavors that all balance each other our without being too sweet. Alcohol is there but barely plays a part. Honey soothed the throat. If you can find a bottle pick it up!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 04:30:22 | More by jtierney89

SteveTheBeave

3.15/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Growler from Cumming Beverage and Growler Shop
Cumming, GA

A: Golden orange but cloudy

S: Strong banana smell, overpowering

T: Banana and spice, strong alcohol flavor

M: Medium body, near flat with low carbonation

O: Beer was average, strong alcohol flavor (11% ABV),

Serving type: growler

05-20-2012 00:28:18 | More by SteveTheBeave

siege06nd

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic pint...

A. Pours a very cloudy orange color with a finger and a half of crisp white head. Head quickly dies down to a half finger, but it lasts for the duration. Pretty solid lacing. Very good, loving the color and the contrast with the super white head.

S. Super sweet, with loads of honey, cherry, prune, grape, maybe some banana, and brown sugar. Notes of apple and pineapple. Basically a saccharine bomb with lots of juicy fruit.

T. Follows the nose pretty closely with honey, bread crust, brown sugar, apple, and banana. Pretty good flavor profile here. Sweetness is very aggressive, but I'm pretty sure that is too style. Booze is well-hidden for 11.0% and the fruit flavors are distinct if not strong. Quite nice.

M: This is undercarbed and a little one note. Needs a bit more complexity and some roast or grain balance to counter what is a borderline overwhelming fruit presence. The flavors are good, would just like to see them spread out more. Thick and cloying.

O: For style, this is one of the better wheatwines I have had. That being said, I wouldn't reach for this again and again. It doesn't look like many other people did either, which is why this is currently retired. Drinks a lot like carbonated fruit juice with a little booze kick, but the cloying sweetness seems appropriate for the wheatwine style. I enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 23:32:11 | More by siege06nd

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Gamma Ray doesn't look all that electromagnetic or radiant. All its carbonation has since long decayed and, if not for all its cosmic particles (aka the chunks of muddy sediment) being cautiously left at the bottom of the bottle, it would look completely like sludge. As it stands, however, this golden-amber beer looks like cognac.

I've come to expect when seeing honey listed as an ingredient cloying sweetness and, more often than not, spicy alcohol vapors. This bouquet is abundant in both and features little else. Aside from a vaguely earthy and floral honey quality, the beer's aroma has a commanding presence without showcasing any redeeming flavor.

I still see liquid in my glass - and I sure as hell smell alcohol coming from it - but the flavour all seems to have disappeared. Granted, I might have over-estimated the preservative powers of Gamma Ray's honey and 11% alcohol but it's hard to imagine this ever having featured any other characteristics. This is a startlingly thin, plain and potent beer.

Gamma Ray is less a monster than it is a skeleton. There's no meat on these bones. A little less alcohol and we might have a simple quaffing golden ale. A little more alcohol and the faintness of golden raisins and orchard fruit might come to life. This is too digestif-like to be beer but too beer-like to be digestif. Complete oxidization helps nothing.

Terrapin is an excellent brewery that I'm sure had high expectations for Gamma Ray. Unfortunately, something with the recipe just didn't quite pan out. While the Savannah Bee honey has a lovely flavor that I'd hate to take away from, I think future batches will need more hops and much more malt if they are to really be enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 23:29:19 | More by biegaman

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.73/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer has been in my basement for about 2 years waiting to be consumed on a night just like tonight.
The beer pours a bright clear copper to almost gold hue with loud fizzy carbonation that froths up about 1 cm of rocky eggshell white head that fades rapidly to a sturdy edge layer and wispy islands.
Aroma is sweet and fruity with peaches and pears and a bit of floral honey mixed in. Ironically I have some Savannah Bee Company at my desk at work and it was used in this beer.
I dont get any hops or booze on the nose.
First sip reveals a sticky textured fairly thick bodied brew with very fine and spacious carbonation.
Flavor is what the nose advertised with sweet fruity malt dominating the profile. I get peaches, pears, caramel, and some white grapes. There is just a little booze on the finish, but the beer is VERY dangerously drinkable and I am finishing this bottle waaay to fast to be good for my sobriety. Good thing Im just going to bed after this review.
Im not sure if this was hot when it was young, but it is excellent right now. If you stashed a bottle, send it to me, or at least enjoy it now!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 03:55:45 | More by sulldaddy

Ungertaker

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a DC Brau tulip.

A- Poured a clear amber with minimal white head that leaves no lacing.

S- Banana bread, honey, caramel

T- Liquid banana bread with a generous amount of honey. A slight astringency lingers at the finish.

M- Thin to medium with very little carbonation.

O- A delicious offering. A little sweeter than I would normally pursue, but I would gladly make an exception to enjoy this again!

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 02:48:25 | More by Ungertaker

PatDreadful

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From the cellar. Vintage 2/2009. Drank it on the 3 year anniversary. Poured into a DFH Chalice while listening to 'Where is my mind?' by The Pixies.

Appearance: Heavy wheat haze muddles up the the honeycomb color of the beer which is expected from the style. Very minimal head retreats rather quickly, I attribute this to the cellaring and the ABV.

Smell: Think sweet- honey, caramel, and unfermented wort (almost syrup-like) completely dominate the nose. It really lets you know what is in store.

Taste: Wow, the honey really dominates the initial taste. This slowly gives way to a very pleasant caramel malt flavor. Not heavily toasted but cooked enough to get that nice cloying sweetness out of the malt. The ABV is very well hidden as the sweetness really overpowers it, leaving it to linger in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: No carbonation to speak of due to the extended cellaring. I think the lack of carbonation excentuates the heavy body which is slightly unpleasant. Of course, I can't blame the brewer for this.

A nice beer to drink on a winter evening while looking forward to spring. High ABV warms while the wheat gets you thinking of the spring.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 01:28:47 | More by PatDreadful

LiquidBread219

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A= Deep amber in color, Small white head that diappears rather quickly.

S= Smells like honey, a little wheat, and caramelized malts.

T= The honey really comes out in the taste it's really strong and the caramelized malts really have a nice backbone to this beer in the front of the beer. Then you get some wheat followed by a strong alcohol bite at the end of it. I thought this was basically a sweet beer with a strong alcohol taste.

M= Medium bodied, Light carbonation.

O= Overall I haven't had many wheatwines this was a a good one it was a little bit on the sweet side but overall a decent beer and different from what I normally have.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 02:26:46 | More by LiquidBread219

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a clear amber with minimal head, only lacing and an edge to it.

S: smells of caramel, bread, and a slight spicy yeast. Lot of banana as it warms.

T: definitely a beer I appreciate as different. The taste is more yeast-heavy than the others, with some spice on the back end and fruity flavor on the front end like banana. The caramel and bread are the a bit.

M: medium carbonation, which is more than I expected from the appearance, but it's also very smooth and fairly heavy.

O: This beer is banana bread as a beer. Wonderfully different. I wonder if they brewed it with banana or if the yeast produced banana-like esters. Solid beer, about $2.50 a bottle, but difficult to find.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 03:42:23 | More by Holland

ummswimmin

New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I found this bottle down in Florida, and I wanted to try something different.

I poured this into a pint glass. It was an amber color with almost no head, just a tiny bit of film.

In the bouquet I get honey and wheat. There is some vinous quality. On the side of the glass this beer was pretty sticky.

The taste is a mouthfull of sweetness; almost like a cross between mead and beer. That said, I really don't like this beer. It isn't pleasant. The flavor was really heavy, like a punch to the face.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:15:44 | More by ummswimmin

HardTarget

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Hazy peach colored glass glows comely and warm.

Smell: Rich honey and white grape sweetness with heady whiffs of alcohol. Some rum raisin aspect as well.

Taste: Sweetness rushes toward overwhelming sugar bomb before drying out in an alcoholic mist. Rich flavor, has a Belgian Trippel yeastiness and a boatload of fruity grapes and pears.

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, medium low carbonation, slick texture.

Overall: Nice! The 11% is there, but it's well supported with a balanced beer that lets the yeast and esters really shine. A heavy sipper, but a very enjoyable one.

Big thanks to IlludiumQ36 for my 97th style reviewed!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:22:28 | More by HardTarget

bobbypaulson

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

got this beer as an extra from a super generous trader. This beer was poured from a cool 12 oz bottle, I love all the terrapin labels (will always make a trade for some more terrapin brews!!!). pours a cloudy orange with NO head. I smell a ton of sweet honey with a kinda boozy wheat after smell. Taste is hot with a bunch of sweet honey, very thick in the mouth. This beer is nice but has some heat on it. Still very enjoyable because the honey really balances it nicely.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 03:05:12 | More by bobbypaulson

cosmicevan

New York

3.23/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

picked this up the other day when in NJ.

a - opened and filed my cbs snifter. brew poured a pale yellow that settled more like an ipa. the head was gone in moments. lacing was slippery.

s - big citrus. big banana. big clove. some vanilla and wheat. some oak. lots of sweetness. super sweet.

t - wow. that's intense. banana in a word. boozy.

m - boozy. medium bodied.

o - should be called banana ray. kind of a novelty. glad I grabbed a single since a 4 pack might be too much and glad I tried this. unique for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 02:26:52 | More by cosmicevan

MasterSki

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to Chad for sharing the original Side Project version of Gamma Ray. This is just over three years old now. Served in a Struise cervoise.

A - A half-finger of white foam settles to a thick collar, some wisps, and negligible lace. Lightly hazed orange-yellow body.

S - Wheat, honey, some citrus notes, yeast. The alcohol that I remember from this beer seems to have disappeared and I think it's an improvement, however a lot of the spicy yeast character has also faded away.

T - Taste is again quite mellow, although a touch of alcohol shows up in the finish. Otherwise it's similar to the aroma, with cereal grains, oranges, pale malts, and a touch of honey.

M - Lower carbonation, medium-full body, slightly grainy texture. Not much alcohol heat present.

D - Well - three years certainly blunted much of the alcohol. However a lot of the complexities of the fresh beer have also been smoothed over. I still haven't a wheatwine that I've really enjoyed (unless it's been obliterated by adjuncts or bourbon barrels), so I'm guessing this style just isn't for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 19:15:45 | More by MasterSki

Immortale25

Florida

3.94/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Says it's best enjoyed by the first week of November. Whaddya know? It just so happens to be.

A- From a strong pour, I only get an 1/8 inch of white head which quickly dissipates to just a small splotch of bubbles surronding not even half the circumference of the glass. A bit of lacing is a surprise. After a few minutes there are no bubbles besides the tiny ones rising from the bottom. Dark gold color.

S- Smells sweet which is to be expected since it's brewed with honey. Has a stiff nose with notes of plum, fermented white grape juice (hence the wine part of the style), apple, a slight bit of hard caramel and, in the tail end of the aroma, wheat.

T- Tastes pretty much like it smells. Alcohol is there but not too heavy. Sweetness also there, but not cloying. The wheat comes in next with the bit of malt character crossing the finish line last. Tastes kinda like one of the Dogfish honey beers (i.e. Midas Touch, Theobroma, Chateau Jiahu) only I could actually drink multiple of these without getting fed up with the taste.

M- Low carbonation with a slick mouthfeel makes this taste sort of like a mead. The alcohol burn only really comes through when I swish which is definitely a plus.

O- Wheatwine is a relatively new style that's had mixed results. So far, the best ones I've had have been Smuttynose's and Brooklyn's but this one's not bad either. It's quite easy to drink considering how high of an ABV it has which makes this beer somewhat dangerous. It also makes it favorable to have 2 or 3 if you get a sugar craving like I occasionally do.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 02:20:07 | More by Immortale25

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured into snifter.

Appearance: a glowing orange bodied beer that is transparent. This beer has practally head after an aggressive pour. A small white ring that goes around the outside of the glass is the only resemblance of head.

Smell: Strong banana notes that are complimented by a sweet smell of honey. Cloves are noted in the back of the massively sweet smell of the banana and honey. Its really smells like a Hefewiezen with honey added to it. Little bit of a hay smell to the beer as well probably from the wheat.

Taste: Bananas and clove upfront. The honey is not far behind. An overall moderate sweetness from this beer, but it is walking a fine line of almost being to sweet for my liking due to the strong banana notes. The honey and cloves do help to break up the banana notes and I enjoy the brewers use of honey in this beer. You get a bit of the wheat notes at the end, but its definately an after thought of this brew.

Mouthfeel: full bodied beer with low carbonation. Ultra smooth for such a huge beer. No booze noted at all; had to double check this beer is really 11%.

Overall: Solid beer by Terrapin. I am still learning the wheatwine style I think I have tried 3 wheatwines now and the Founders 2009 Nemesis is definately the front runner by miles. This beer was enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 03:24:35 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT