Alpine Beer Company Ichabod Ale (2007)

Formerly brewed at Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Sour Ale
Alpine, California USA

Courtesy of Styles

Bottle: The aroma consists of cinnamon, ginger, and some light brett sourness. It pours a transparent reddish-orange with a small off-white head that fades to a small ring along the outer edges of the glass. The flavor has mild brett sourness with some faint ginger and cinnamon. The spice struggles to get past the sourness. The finish is lightly vinous along with some faint pumpkin. Medium bodied with light carbonation.

Objectively speaking: Extremely original (to the point that you end up wondering what for?... but as long as they’re having fun...) ale with one of the most complicated recipes I’ve encountered.
I like: Most of the steps mentioned on the label can be perceived at some point in the final product’s tasting. Vinous indeed, well-extracted with regards to that. Fairly dry.
I dislike: The feeling that they did invent the recipe on the way as if they were not satisfied with intermediary steps. Short finish accentuated by the biting bubbles. The feeling that I’d have prefered a straight-up gluhkriek. Not very refreshing despite the fair acidity. I could never handle a full pint and it does not have the captivating charm of a sipper - wandering in troubled waters.

My Bottom Line:
Cinnamon and brettanoymces strangely coexist in this fruity, moderately tart and dry libation. A surprising equilibrium exists within all ingredients, as they morph into this quite drinkable, spicy number.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the hazy coppered amber.
-The flavor profile is quite polite for such an eclectic offering.
-Carbonation is fierce and makes you noticed that the body is on the thin side of lean.
-I would not have guessed there was pumpkin in here.
-The tartness is mostly upfront; I would have liked it to linger more.
-The fruitiness is not only vinous; it could recall cranberries or cherries.

Bottle; thx Jason!

22oz bottle from iowaherkeye. Thanks Joey. Poured a clear dark orange-brown color. The head was tall, fizzy, and dissipated quickly to a thin tattered film. Very attractive sour ale aroma that really got the saliva flowing. If there had been a dog in the room, I imagine he would have been drooling too. At first I smelled lots of red wine, cherry, oak, and vinegar. As time passed, however, the initially subdued brown sugar, pumpkin, and spices asserted themselves more. Wow. There was moderate to assertive acidity on the tongue up front accompanied by sour cherry and apple flavors. The acidity tapered off slowly toward the end but never fully abated. Some light malty sweetness mitigated the mouth puckering tartness somewhat toward the end and was accompanied by a cinnamon dashed apple pie flavor. I wasn’t sure how the whole pumpkin beer-sour ale marriage would work, but it turns out that they make a good couple.

Sampled from a bottle thanks to drewbeerme. What an interesting beer to stick brett with. Pours a hazy brown-red with a small beige head. The aroma has a slight funk sour to it with the caramel malts and pumpkin spices. The tart fruits are the first notable flaovrs. Then that clearly pumpkin flavor, cinamon, and chocolate malts come with a little spice and tartness. Interesting for sure, and surprisingly its pretty good.

Bottle. Pours a hazy brown color with a medium sized beige colored head. Aroma is caramel, barnyard, oak, pumpkin spices. Flavor is clove, ginger, oak, vineous, caramel. Palate is medium bodied, medium carbonation finished, tart and refreshing. A very unique brew that was pulled of exceptionally well.

Thank you Drewbeerme for this sample. Reddish brown color with medium beige head and some lacing. Aroma is sweet pumpkin and spice, sourness, caramel, very nice. Flavor is nice and sour with a surprisinly nice balance of pumpkin and spice, there is some heavy malt sweetness as well, very nice. Full body and creamy. This is an excelent brew, I could go for another bottle of this.

Been waiting to try this one. Sounded interesting. Thanks to Naven for sending this along. Smells sour, with strong hints of cinnamon coming through. Taste is a very nice and balanced funky sour, with nice backing malt sweetness and lots of spice. I think this was a fun idea, but I found that the cinnamon clashed with the funky notes. Would have liked this a lot without the spice.