Ithaca Excelsior! Brute

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

batch 2 bottle thanks to pwoods on tbs. murky gold color with a white head. nose is wood, brett, yeast and acidic. smooth on the palate with a flavor of wood, funk, yeast and a slightly acidic finish.

Thanks to mar for sharing this bottle. Pours a yellow straw color with a huge white head. The aroma is very tart with some citrus and oak character. Flavor is very citric and somewhat oaky. Lots of lemon and some tangerine. Some funk but more tart than funky. Highly carbonated and extremely drinkable.

Batch 010 from 2008. Pours beautiful gold with gigantic frothy white head that lingers. Champagne like effervescence lasts for many many mniutes. One of the most gorgeous beers I’ve ever seen. Lemon and grapefruit aroma. Barely some honey sweetness then an incredible tart lemon finish. Great carb but champagne bubbles make this one smooth sour. Definitely one of the best sours I’ve ever tried.

750ml shared with the Phoenix crew at the Black Friday tasting. Pours cloudy gold with a thin off-white head. The nose is sour lemons and cheesy funk. The taste is lemon peel, vinegar, malt and light funk. Medium mouthfeel. Very good, easy drinking sour.

another one from sparky27 shared with the crew on 11/27/2009. batch e!018. hazy, almost murky lemonade colored with just a white ring for a head. the carbonation was pretty aggressive and faded quickly. it smells intensely lemony.... along with a bunch of mineral-y brett, must, wet leather and some oaky wine characteristics. initially, the palate is so dry and tart it actually pulls in the cheeks. as i go on, i find a nice balance of sweetness which allows more funkiness to emerge. flavors of instant lemonade, mineral/brett, hay, yeast and wood are noted before a mildly pith-like bitterness. it feels light on the tongue which makes it all that much more drinkable... acidic, quenching and spritzy. it reminds me a lot of the ddg i just had... only sweeter and more balanced. 8/4/8/4/17/4.2

Saison style golden ale way into the sour side. Bottle pours a fluffy white head over a cloudy lemon yellow body. Aroma gets stronger as the glass warms: white wine barrel, horse sweat, wet wool, lemons, and wildflowers. Great mouth action from the melding natural carbinators. Flavors of honey, budding hops, citrus, grannysmith apples, chardonnay, and fresh baked bread. Yum!

Bottle cap and cork from Belmont Party. Poured a clear yellow color with a large frothy white head that mostly lasted with fair lacing. Moderate to heavy sour citrus and yeast aroma. Medium to full body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy sour flavor with a medium to heavy sour & sweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout beer for style.

Pours a very hazy dark golden yellow with a ruddy ripe banana hues and a one and a half frothy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind. Earthy bretty funk aroma with some barnyard horseblankety character. Dry brett and earthy oaky funk complimented by some crisp golden fruit notes, especially apple. Slightly dry with some nice earthy bretty funk which becomes mellowed out by a smooth lactic creaminess and subtle bready yeast character. Prominent light crisp fruit notes, especially apple and pear along with some banana. Nice dry champagne effervescence complimenting the tart dry funky wild yeast. Dry finish. This beer is sweeter and not as sour/tart as I expected. I was told that this was the most recent batch so maybe it needs a while for the brett to develop. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it and recommend it to both sour fans and those looking to delve into the style