Alpine Beer Company Ichabod Ale (2008)

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Dunkelweizen
Alpine, California USA

Name: Ichabod
Date: June 12, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: South Bay Drugs, San Diego
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: opaque dark brown, fine beige head, bits of lace
Aroma: dark chocolate and roasted aroma with light fruity winey character and a slight tartness
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, sweet wine brings out the rich chocolate before leaving a light balancing tartness, light oak comes in with a bit of bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Bottle shared at Noogfest High 5. Poured a black color with an average light brown head that was mostly lasting and produced good lacing. Good toasted malt, chocolate and coffee aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Good dunkel bittersweet flavor with an average bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Good drinkable brew.

Noogfest High 5. Sample from a bottle thanks to someone. Dark dark brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is ashy, chocolate. Taste is watery, ash, chocolate, coffee. Just watery overall.

Noogfest High 5. The body was black with a khaki head. The aroma was sweet musty leather with some pear. The taste was largely roasted coffee with some peaches. A little tart in the finish. I was not impressed.

Bottle. Aroma wheaty and fruity (ranging from orange to dark) with nutmeg first in the spice brigade followed by cinnamon, and the pumpkin does show its face as well, some sour fruits as well. Flavor continues to be a nice blend of dunkelweizen and additions with acidic notes and lots of tart fruit abound, transforming back into a cinnamon-nutmeg finish again. A bit wearing with the spices and acidity as the glass goes down, but otherwise nicely integrated elements and quite interesting and tasty for me.

25 oz bottle. Pours a dark cola brown body with a small fizzy off-white head that completely vanished. The nose is very roasty with a nice earthy wheat base, coffee, light molassas, lighter accents of pumpkin, cinnamon, and maybe a little nutmeg. The flavor has lots of coffee and roast with less Dunkelweizen character. More cinnamon and nutmeg with pumpkin meat than yeast character. Quite an unusual beast. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with an almost soft creamy texture up front, a little sticky on the finish. Soft fizzy carbonation. Pretty neat beer, not as good as the 2007, but interesting for sure.

Dark brown medium head. Smooth with lots of vanilla, light cloves, and some chocolate cola taste. Smooth texture and more cola carbonation in the finish. Weird, but still not a bad sipping holidy ale.

22 oz bottle. Dark brown with a minimal tannish head. Surprising smoky nose with brown sugar, plum, nutmeg and cinnamon. Medium light with sharp carb, finishing kind of flat. Taste is cola, toasted caramel, brown bread and faded sour spices. I was hoping for more pumpkin.