Ithaca Excelsior! IPAbbey

Formerly brewed at Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Ithaca, New York USA

(750ml bottle, Apr 07 vintage, # 630) Pours a cloudy golden brown body with a small off-white head. Aroma of apple, caramel, orange, bread, pineapple, passion fruit, and banana. Flavor of hops (floral, pine, herbal), clove, toasted bread/biscuit, and honey with a bitter finish.

750ml thanks to maxxdaddy.....pours a hazy amber brown with a very noticeable off-white head...i’m getting mostly caramel malt in the nose with a very slight tropical fruitiness with emphasis on the maltiness.....flavors of sweet caramel malt and some bitterness thrown into the ring from the hops. finish has a little bitternes to it as well. flavorwise this one has more of a pale ale bent with an equal focus on the a sweetness coming from the malt.... interesting enough.

Lots of residue at the bottle opening upon uncapping this. Hazy cider-colored stuff lacking much of a head at all. Very malty aroma, along with grapefruit and honey. Palate is a bit thin at 1st, then becomes gritty, oily and hoppy. Seems more of an American Strong Ale? Don’t detect alcohol.

The pour reveals a cloudy amber color with a thin white head. Good aroma of resinous hops and yeast. Good flavor of resinous hops, yeast, sweetness and citrus, there’s strong bitterness in the finish. The body is medium with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation.

Poured a hazy orange color with a minimal head. The aroma was yeasty with earthy and spicy hops that covers the malt. Malty flavor with light fruit. Spicy middle and a floral hop finish. Bitter and moderately dry at the end.

Bottle: Dark caramel, thick, sediment abound, moderate frothy off-white head, nice lacing.   Hoppy nose, fairly floral, but has an odd aged cheese tinge.   Fairly hop centered on flavor, there exists a light Belgian espect.   Fairly floral on the tongue, semi-sweet, lingering hop bitterness.   Has quite a bit of hop flavor but this one is more like a Pale Ale in its bitterness.   Moderate to full bodied, average mouthfeel.   Semi-sweet finish, perhaps the only area that seems somewhat Belgian.   Not much of a Tripel, but more like a decent heavy Pale Ale with a Belgian tinge.   Thanks Dan for the bottle!

[725-20071001] 750mL (w/ jerc, Radek Kliber). Grassy orange citrus peel hops aroma. Cloudy, brown red body with a quick bubbly light tan head. Bittersweet citrus hops. Medium body has bitter finish. Alcohol seems well-blended.

Cloudy amber orange, moderate head with good lacing and retention. Aroma is limited, notes of spicy hops, yeast, caramel, not much else. Medium bodied, lightly sweet, but mostly dry finish. Lacked character.