Ithaca Excelsior! Kaffinator Double Espresso Bock

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

Pours very dark mahogany with a light tan head that rises and fades quickly. Aroma of lots of coffee, along with some light plum/raisin and chocolate notes. As expected, a big coffee flavor, with just enough of a sweet cocoa background to support the bitter espresso. Creamy, medium-full body. Decent, but this is for coffee lovers only.

Jimmack Invitational 2007. Dark brown in color, almost looks like cola. small to medium sized head. Aroma is alot of coffee, some chocolate in the background. Taste was skewed to the coffee side, with some chocolate and toasty malts in the background. A bit astringent from the coffee, finishes moderately bitter. Light to medium body, thought it could use more of a malt backbone to back up the espresso. Coffee lovers will like this for sure.

Jimmack ’07. Poured a dark brown. Initial coffee right up front. Taste was coffee , coffee, and a touch of peper. Nice brew here. Thanks.

Poured a clear golden brown color with a beige head. The aroma has smooth coffee and nice milk chocolate notes. Light ashey notes. The flavor is milk chocolately and semi-dry. Light-medium body.

Pours with a very dark brown body, not black, and a tiny head that quickly fades. Lighter hues on the surface of the glass but no visibilty inside. Aroma is dry roasty espresso with nothing behind that. Makes me think like the base beer is nothing special and they added espresso. Taste is also espresso but not as roasty as the aroma suggests and then there is this lagered-mineral flavor and a lagered-fruitiness, which I dont like. A thin, watery, light bodied beer. Overall not much substance behind the espresso, but the espresso is nice. The yeastie part of beer is the best. 750ml bottle, bottle #121 (out of a billion!), Maredsous taller thinner goblet glass.

Another winner from jah noth, botle 750. The pour is deep brown with 1-finger khaki head. Aroma is scotch/dark malty, with figs, brown sugar, and chocoff notes. The taste is scotch malty, with slight rauch hints, and mid-palate figgy fruit, chocoff, and brown sugar. Medium in palate heft and with a uniqueness that I’ve come to expect from Ithaca, this one is very nice.

750 ml bottle #662. Big thanks to beastiefan2k and Ms. beastiefan2k for scoring this one for me. Dark brown, ruby highlights and a thick tan head. Perfectly translucent and very inviting. Aroma is lovely, milk chocolate, cold coffee and a deep rich maltiness. Soft clean caramelly malts. As it warms, it starts to get a bit of vegetal character. Lots of coffee and light toasted malts. Light astringency on the back. Too much coffee for my tastes, but what is there is decent.

750ml bottle picked up from Ithaca; shared with Axilla. They were hand labeling the bottles while I was there. Gotta love it. Obviously aroma of coffee. Color of black coffee with a bit of creamer. Medium carbination. Not bad at all. The standard Ithaca Hop taste which coupled well with this beer. I bet Ithaca would make a killer Imperial Coffee Stout.