Gamma Ray
Terrapin Beer Company

Gamma RayGamma Ray
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From:
Terrapin Beer Company
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Wheatwine
ABV:
10.8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 13.79%
Reviews:
367
Ratings:
504
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 13, 2021
Added:
Oct 09, 2008
Wants:
  47
Gots:
  49
Gamma Ray is a wheat beer brewed with a massive amount of honey from Savannah Bee Company. This super powered blast from the past will make you believe time travel is possible.

IBU: 40
OG: 22.6
HOPS: Pearle, Mt. Hood
MALTS: 2 Row Pale Malt, Munich Wheat, Carapils, Acidulated Malt.
AVAILABILITY: July / Side Project
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
16oz can into a goblet. Vintage 2018. A stray 4 pack found at Sabatinis in Exeter Pa.

Looks very nice indeed. A glowing honey/amber body. Small off white head shrinks to a ring, a few dots of lacing.

Sweet boiled candy aroma, significant honey presence. Very light spice and boozy notes.

On tasting, the honey pretty much dominates, but doesn't quite reach cloying. There is a spice bitterness to this one which balances out the sweet. The base wheatwine seems a bit lost. The overall effect is a bit much for this palate.

Mouth is medium, thinner than expected. Finish warm boozy sweetness with a bitter tail.

Overall, the can proclaims "massive amount of honey". This palate would have been happier if less were used.
Dec 13, 2021
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Having CANpleted CANother brewery horizontal, now it is on to the next victim, er, brewery. Terrapin may have been sold to a corporation, but they have always been rather good to me. For insCANce, I received an erroneous E-mail from them & when I received an apology, I requested an embroidered cloth patch to salve the wound. They sent it forthwith! Onward. At last, this one marks the last of the backlog!

From the CAN: "'cause Sometimes You Feel Like a Superhero."; "Gamma Ray WheatWine Ale Brewed with Honey"; "Gamma Ray is a wheat beer brewed with a massive amount of honey from Savannah Bee Company. This super powered blast from the past will make you believe time travel is possible."

A mention has recently been made as to updating this site's "Style Guide" section & Wheatwine needs some help. I initially toyed with treating it like any other wheat-driven beer with a hard, ungentle Glug, but that would have been a HUGE mistake. In this one, it is meant to attenuate beautifully & my CANgitation would have been ruinous!

I beCAN with a Crack! of the vent, followed by/with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug so as not to rouse any flocculate. This resulted in a finger of fizzy, foamy, rolling tawny head that quickly reverted to wisps. Color was a gorgeous Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was redolent with honey! 8=O Mouthfeel was medium, a tad light for the style. The taste was a bit odd to describe - CANied dried bananas baked into bread & drizzled with honey! 8=O I CAN actually envision doing this. I used to love organic, dried bananas as a kid & I CAN bake like a mutha. Some locally-sourced honey & I'm in like Flynn. This sounds gad-awful sweet though, right? Not at all! It was bone-dry! Fudge. I do not want a hangover like last week! This was leeching the water out of my body (& brain) as quickly as I drank it. As a younger man, I used to eschew water & power through, come what may. Now, I reach for H2O at the first sign of a potential hangover. This beer was giving off those vibrations. Finish was so dry as to allow me to hear the zephyr winds blowing across the Sahara Desert. 8=O There may be no CANming back from this one! YMMV.
Jun 17, 2020
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A big thanks to the founding father of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer, Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a pretty, dark amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is fruity, bananas stand out, some honey. Taste is alcohol first and foremost, spices, some banana and a bit of sweetness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.
Apr 25, 2020
Photo of dconnelly
Reviewed by dconnelly from New Jersey

3.04/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Strong aftertaste. Loved the color... strong hazy yellow. Not much foam. One and done... meaning one is a ok, but you will not want to drink several of these beers.
Apr 02, 2020
Photo of bushbeer75
Reviewed by bushbeer75 from Michigan

3.67/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
poured from a 16oz can

Terrapin Gamma Ray Wheat Wine filled my snifter with an amber colored body. Atop sat an off-white 1 1/2-finger head that dissipated very quickly with no lacing to speak of. The nose first picks up a light sweet aroma from the honey, followed by wheat. The taste of sweet honey seems to dominate with wheat and yeast in the background. The mouth feel is high-medium to full bodied and has a very light carbonation. There is some alcohol warming at the finish.

I enjoyed Gamma Ray, however, it is not my first choice if I am looking for an American Wheatwine Ale.
Jan 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.04 by Marklaker from Florida

Dec 24, 2019
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

3.87/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
16 oz can, date on bottom is smudged

Pours a clear dark copper color, white head. Smells a bit sweet, boozy, grainy wheat. Taste is similar, long finish of honey like sweetness. Medium bodied.
Oct 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.94 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Sep 28, 2019
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.06/5  rDev -45.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
CAN:

A cloying undrinkable boozy sticky honey malty mess. It'd be a chore to drink in 12 oz bottles - why condemn the consumer with 16 fl oz cans?

Scratch that - why brew this at all?

No thankyou, Terrapin.

D (2.06) / AVOID
Sep 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.35 by Zazzi82 from Tennessee

Jul 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.15 by Curt3 from Ohio

Apr 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.83 by markallmon from Tennessee

Mar 31, 2019
Photo of Guppy314
Reviewed by Guppy314 from District of Columbia

3.87/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
From a can, pours as a deep hazy gold with a one-finger off-white quickly dissipating head. Lots of carbonated bubbles. Aroma of over-ripe banana, honey, and plum. Taste is very malt forward; sweetness like caramel. on the back-end, there are hops, spices, and a yeasty breadiness. Overall, it's an uncommon and complex beer, but it's too sweet for my taste.
Feb 17, 2019
Photo of beersampler6
Reviewed by beersampler6 from Michigan

3.24/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Not really my style of beer but I can appreciate the complexity and depth. Pours a slightly hazy lighter amber color with some nice head and spotty lingering lacing. Smells of banana, spice and a little yeast with some very faint hops in the background. Taste follows the nose, but boy is that banana - along with clove, yeast and sweeter malt - in the forefront. Smooth thin mild mouthfeel, good carbonation. I wanted to try and enjoy this beer but the Belgian-style yeast just isn’t for me.
Jan 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by petewheeler from Maryland

Dec 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chasecrandell from New York

Dec 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by jmc65267 from Georgia

Dec 17, 2018
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
16 ounce can into snifter, 2018 vintage. Pours slightly hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, ripe banana, honey, wheat, and biscuit dough; with lighter notes of caramel, peppercorn, bubblegum, clove, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, honey, bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, ripe banana, honey, wheat, and biscuit dough; with lighter notes of caramel, peppercorn, bubblegum, clove, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal, floral, grassy bitterness; clove/peppery yeast spiciness; and slight wheat tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, ripe banana, honey, wheat, biscuit dough, caramel, peppercorn, bubblegum, clove, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, honey, bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and yeast spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.8%. Overall this is an awesome wheatwine! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, honey, bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on with the mellowly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Perfectly balanced fruity/spicy yeast, rich honey, and pale/wheat malts; with solid earthy hops against sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Have not had too many with actual weizen yeast, but this definitely has it. Big on banana.
Dec 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.54 by WickedBeer from Alabama

Dec 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.64 by richj1970 from Alabama

Dec 06, 2018
Gamma Ray from Terrapin Beer Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 504 ratings