Ithaca Excelsior! Kaffinator Double Espresso Bock

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Doppelbock
Ithaca, New York USA

Bottle 903 received via trade with jah noth. Pours dark brown with a large, frothy, light brown head, somewhat lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, coffee, nutty), light hops (herbs, grass), average yeast (leather, broth) with notes of wood. Full bodied, gritty texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

Never really heard of a doppelbock with coffee, but got to give Ithaca credit for putting out something unusual. Aroma is in fact dominated by coffee, the usual dark fruit aroma of a doppelbock is there, but in the background. Color is dark brown with reddish highlights and a thin tan head. Palate is bubbly with cola taste, espresso, chocolate and a dry finish.

Bottle: Cola colored, thin to moderate light beige head, dies quickly, sparce lacing.   Whoa, that is a rather strong nose of Coffee.   Underlying Bock is not very noticeable.   Some hints of Vanilla.   Wow, rather Coffee oriented on the tongue.   Not as bitter as expected, but does have that Coffee bean bite.   Really good malt base.   Those who like Coffee should really enjoy this one.   A bit more dominant that I would care for.   While the beer itself has a good malt base, the Bock is quite secondary to the Coffee onslaught.   Moderate to full body and mouthfeel.   Lingering Coffee well after the finish.   I almost felt as if I was drinking Coffee with some heavy cream in it, but without much sugar.   There should be a new category because I think it is difficult to even put this in a Bock category.   Thanks Dan for this interesting brew!

[746-20071008] 750mL (w/ jerc, tuqueboy). Roasted malt alcohol aroma with notes of coffee. Dark brown black body with a medium-lasting foamy light tan head. Initially sour flavour, bitter dry roast finish, and coffee throughout. Full body. Interesting dessert beer, nice if in the mood.

This beer was dumped into a stem glass with a dark brown and a thick head which faded and left some thin laceing along the sides of the glass. the aroma is nice and strong with a nice rich coffee and roasted malt. There was also some yeast residue left in the bottom of the glass. As it warms and you take your first sip it has a initial bitter sweet earthness which is very pleasing. The more you drink it it starts to taste more coffee like almost like a coffee soda because it is very black and full bodied.

Pours an oaque black with a short-lived tan head. Authentic coffee aromas that genuinely smell like froathy lattes, with deep roasted coffee beans and some lactic notes. This tastes very similar to an espresso cola I had in NYC, but I forget the name. The booze is hidden so well, you wouldn’t know it was there. The bitterness in the finish really rounds the beer out. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth with gentle carbonation that works well with the flavour profile. Overall, this is a very drinkable, sessionable brew that I would love with breakfast.

Courtesy of Drink4satan! Pours a rich murky dark brown color with a small tan head. Nose of pungent lactid acid, cream, heavily deep roasted malts, of coffee / expresso richness. Initial taste of black coffee or expresso comparability. Moving into a creamy mid palate. FInishing with a heavily roasted malts and dark chocolate bitterness. Medium body. Great palate duration. Dry finish. Sticky lips and mouthfeel. Absolutely delicous and very drinkable.

Bottle courtesy of littlebreeze on BA. Thanks! Light black pour with very little head. Smell is burnt coffee grounds. Taste is nicely flavored of coffee, with a thinnish body. Biting, bubbly carbonation which really grew on me although I normally dislike thin bubbly bodies on richer flavored beers. Almost refreshing, and very nice and drinkable. Would definitely have again.