Ithaca Excelsior! Brute

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Sour Ale
Ithaca, New York USA

750 ml bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a moderate white head that lasted through three-quarters of the glass and left patchy lace. There are lots and lots of carbonation bubbles continuously rushing in streams to the surface. Pleasant aroma of lemon, mild oak, and yeast. The flavor is tart, but at the same time there is an underlying sugary sweetness that balances this beer quite nicely. Malt, lemon, oak, yeast, and sugar are all components in the flavor. I really did not find this all that dry at the finish, and actually found this beer quite refreshing. Well done!

#26 Bottle. [Papsoe grand American tasting] Large fin bubbled thick head that mostly lasted. Good display of lacework. Cloudy orange color. Aroma of a mix of milky sourness and light vanilla, overripe fruit, vinegar. Medium bodied with an average carbonation and light dry texture. Moderated acidic and sweet flavor. Lingering sour fruity finish. 7 / 3 / 7 / 3 / 15 = 3.5

From bottle, Papsoes blindtasting #26. Pours hazy yellow with a small white head. Vanilla and powdery aroma, light yeasty, citric and wheaty too. Citric and orange fruity flavoured. High carbonation mouthfeel. Light citric and dry finish. A bit too simplistic.

My second favorite sour of the day at DL!! Man this is good stuff. Hazy gold pour with a light head. Tart aroma with lemon zest, oak, wheat, tropical fruit, hay and earthy tones. Flavor is sour, but not enough to overshadow the fruitiness, yeast, and great funk. damn fine beer!

Thanks to whoever brought this to DLD! Poured pale milky golden with a fizzy cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up sour pineapple and oaky notes with a fine twinge on the back of the nose.. soft supporting maltage and great balance. The flavor was somehow better.. sour and engaging throughout with some light fruit (including pineapple and a touch of green apple skin).. warm drive through to the belly.. the malts played a silent supporting role that gave sufficient heft to the mouthfeel. Medium-bodied with just a little too much carbonation on the palate.. overall an excellent brew!

Date: April 25, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, DLD
Appearance: cloudy yellow, wispy white head
Aroma: tart lemony aroma
Flavor: big tart lemon flavor, nice spicyness, touch of oak, light balancing sweetness creates a candy character
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Bottle. Aroma of white grape, champagne yeast, bretty pineapple, lightly barnyardy, soured up oak. Flavor much more acidic, citric, than aroma indicated and has very tart, very young grapes along with some orange and lemon, again tart, as well as cherry and raspberry pie-like notes. Quite dry, and quite champagne like, except with a lot of bugs. Pretty interesting and complex beer, grew on me from a low-mid 3 into the 3.9 I currently give it.

Bottle, batch E!010. Pours a hazy light yellow with a thick, bubbly white head. Aroma of light tartness, wheat malt, sour grapes, grapefruit, bitter hops, and a hint of barnyard funk. Most reminiscent of JP Bam Biere to me. Flavor is initially quite tart and sweet with lots of sugar candy notes and wheaty malt. Not very acidic, but certainly sour and tart. Very champagne-like too. This one grew on me a bit--very nice. 8/4/8/4/15 (3.9/5)