Ithaca Excelsior! Brute

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

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)

750 ml- carbonation beyond lively- it was a full tornedo of bubbles in my duvel glass- and this beer was sour all right- really tart- and a wonderfully dry finish- the only thing I found lacking here was (and I hate to say this, due to the recent bud light commercials)- drinkability- in sours I have tried in the past, they have a balancing sweetness that keeps you coming back for more- see rodenbach gc- with the cherry flavors that demand a second sip- the balance with brute was lacking, with sourness dominating, and not much else- it was tasty, but not as complex as I would like. Still very good.

Pours a beautiful slighly hazy golden color with a huge pillowy white head. Bubbles swirl around the glass randomly. I’ve never seen carbonation in a finished beer act like this, but maybe I’m just easily amused. Aroma is intensely sour - I can smell this beer as the glass sits on my desk a couple of feet away. Aroma of lemon, oak, dusty yeast, mild funk, a bit of vanilla. There is a mild floral element to the aroma as well. Lots of lemon in the flavor, some pineapple, sour grapes, and a musty yeastiness. Complex, yet mild-mannered. Subdued oakiness comes through in the dry finish. Pretty smooth body, considering the amount of carbonation visible. Awesome. IBC has been just kicking ass lately.

Bouteille de 750ml, avec bouchon de liège, partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez Rastacouere. Arôme: Odeur de pommes vertes et de foin. Apparence: La couleur est blonde voilée. Présence d’un moyen col mousseux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’agrumes et de pomme sûrette. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût légèrement sûrette. (Rating #2312)

750ml botle in Duvel glass. Hazy golden with lastng flat white head and a little lace. Sweet candy sugar marshmallow with clean horse blanket funk aroma. Mildly sweet lemon meringue and melon with strong funky sweaty horseballs flavor. Everythign is very clean for such an unclean beer. Very excellent and refreshing and drinkable yet assertively funky. Effervescent carbonation blends everything beautifully.

Pours gold into a snifter. Bright white micro head with excellent retention leaves spotted sheets as it recedes to coat surface. Sour apricot aromas. Dry with upfront puckering aspirin and a lasting, oak finish.

First of all, great presentation, right down to the black newcork in the bottle (although it was damn hard to get out!) - effervescent, cloudy golden pour - soapy, lasting lace - a lot of tart apple, funky earthiness and a hint of horseblanket in the nose, giving an impression similar to some of the better dry ciders I’ve had - a bit of lacto, light phenols, tangy wheat, and hints of tropical fruit sweetness in the nose as well - light, tart and wheaty up front, reminding me a bit of a berliner weisse with a bit more body - lemon and tropical fruits through the middle, and the wild character comes to the fore, as well as moderate oaky tannins - gets quite dry, and even a bit salty in the finish - lingering sour apple and champagne grape character - I didn’t think Ithaca had a beer like this in them - sure there are better and more complex sours out there, but there have been lots of mediocre and crappy ones in the recent glut of sour ales, and this ain’t one of those.

My Bottom Line:
Lactobacillus, green apple skins and citrus fruit surf this Sour Ale’s expansive effervescence, creating a very refreshing and tart quencher.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the cloudy, Witbier-like beige.
-I don’t get that many of the advertised brett notes in here, although there is plenty of lacto.
-The tartness welcomes dryness in the end.
-The fruitiness is prevalent and delves into tropical territories at times.

Bottle.