I was surprised to see this at my local Stew Leonard’s Liquor store.  We’ve had the main line (6-packs) of Ithaca beers for awhile in NJ, but this is the first time I’m seeing the Excelsior series.  Ever since I had the Old Habit, I’ve been looking to try more from this series.  The Ithaca White Gold is a “Rustic” Pale Wheat ale that was additionally fermented with Brettanomyces, now this makes me happy!  I love the funk and tartness that comes with this strain of yeast, but lets hope I’m not putting unobtainable expectations on this beer.

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It’s not everyday when there is so little published about a Beer.  The Chatue Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale is just that.  Nothing on the Rogue website about the beer, a couple blog posting, and some reviews on Beer Advocate.  But who am I to listen to others anyway…

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My first taste of the Flying Dog Double Dog was in Beer Brawl 4.  Since then I’ve been looking for a reason to have it again.  Well, no reason is as good as any reason.

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Since I had the Wychwood Fiddler’s Elbow English Pale Ale, I thought it would be fitting to have the Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale right after to get a good appreciation for the two English pale ales.

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I’m not entirely sure how this Wychwood Fiddler’s Elbow English Pale Ale ended up in my Beer Cellar, but it has been there for a couple months and you don’t want to let Pale Ales sit to long, they don’t have a great shelf life.  At 5.2% abv, I thought it would bee a good session beer to have today.

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To celebrate American Craft Beer Week, I’m keeping it local, as local as I can.  Cricket Hill is the closest brewery to my house in New Jersey.  There are only 13 breweries in New Jersey (can you believe that!), I wish there was more choice since the breweries that are here have good beer; I like to have variety and choice.  Of Cricket Hill’s beers, the American Ale is one of the two more widely available in North Jersey both on tap and in bottles.

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