This is how Ithaca describes this beer:

A Belgo-American ale brewed with domestic barley and French wheat malts, the finest continental and US grown hops, and fermented with Belgian, English and Wild yeasts.  Enjoy the glowing opaque appearance, fruity and herbal aromas, zesty mouthfeel and bone-dry finish

Style: Pale Wheat

ABV: 8%

Bottle: 750ml Capped

Price: $8.99

Appearance:

The first glass poured a fairly clear straw orange color, but there is a fair amount of yeast at the bottom of the bottle indicating bottle conditioning.  As you pour this beer, the yeast will get stirred up and the beer will become cloudier.  The little white head didn’t stick around very long before be swallowed back up by the beer.

Aroma:

Now this is what I was expecting from this beer.  The aroma is very acrid, verging on vinegary, but that actually disappeared as your nose acclimated to the aroma; revealing an old leather earthy old orange aroma. I like that this aroma is continues to change as I smelt it over a couple of minutes.  I also picked up subtle hints of candi sugar and then a big wallop that barnyard with lemon.

Taste:

A Very, very interesting beer.  Super dry but has a fairly creamy feel to it.  While the Brett funk plays a huge role in this beer with a bite of tartness and sour orange, the wheat and pale ale aspects of the beer are not totally consumed by the wild yeast addition.  AS the label describes it is a very “zesty” beer, which is a great adjective to described this wonderfully tasty beer.  I also enjoyed the bitterness from the hops at the end as well as their spicy flavor profile married up nicely with the overall zing of the beer.  As I poured my second glass I got a nice tart tropical fruit salad flavor…  what a delicious complex beer.

Glassware: Ithaca’s website says Tulip.

Calories: 8% bone dry beer would have about 200-245 per 12/ oz according to the Calorie Chart

Overall Impression:

This is a deliciously complex beer.  I find when Brettanomyces is used to its potential, it can create such a wonderfully complex and evolving beer.  If you haven’t had this go and try it.  Well worth the $9 price point!

Ithaca Excelsior White Gold is a post from: Simply Beer

Ithica Beer Company describes this beer

Excelsior Old Habit is our hefty Rye Ale brewed with four different Rye Malts (American, British, British Crystal Rye, and German Chocolate Rye) comprising 40% of the Grist….it takes two mashes to avoid disaster (yes, we learned this the hard way). We age it for no fewer than eight months in Rye Whiskey barrels from the Heaven Hill Distillery (used to make their Rittenhouse Rye, a Pennsylvania style Whiskey). It also gets a healthy dose of American C-hops and is 100% bottle-conditioned.

We’re really proud of this beer, and I think it’s a departure from a lot of the other barrel-aged beers out there, as it’s not very dark and carries a spicy whiskey note that bourbon barrels just don’t have. Add in the viscosity of the rye and the mouthfeel fools you into expecting a sweet finish….nope. Very well-attenuated.

Appearance:

This beer is a deep chestnut color with a big thick amber head.  When I opened the beer, it foamed out all over the place, sign of a well bottle fermented beer.  Check out the video.  Luckily i din’t loose to much of the beer.  The head held up very well, clinging to the side of the glass creating some great lacing.

Aroma:

Right out of the bottle you can smell the oak and whiskey, past that there is a earthy spiced maltiness.  The rye in this beer really worked in harmony with the whiskey giving a real Rye Whiskey aroma.  This beer had an amazing aroma that warms you.

Taste:

Ithaca Beer Co Old Habit

A very tasty beer, the whiskey is a compliment to the flavor of the beer; not the dominant flavor as I’ve experienced in many other beers.  This beer almost borders on a stout with it’s flavors, but is a bit lighter in color. The whiskey, rye, oak, and maltiness all come together very cohesively.

Glassware: Goblet

Calories: at 9% abv this would have about 275-300 calories per 12oz serving (Calorie Chart)

Overall Impression:

A very heady beer, the 9% abv on this beer went straight to my head.  But it is also a very delicious beer, great balance of strong, rich flavors makes this a very enjoyable beer and one I wish I had another to keep around for another year.

Ithaca Beer Company Excelsior Old Habit is a post from: Simply Beer