Ithaca Excelsior! Old Habit

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Barley Wine
Ithaca, New York USA

Bouteille de 750 ml partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez Glouglouburp. Arôme: Odeur de caramel et de noix avec une pointe de whisky. Apparence: La couleur est brune opaque. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de caramel avec une pointe de chocolat aux cerises. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement huileuse. Faible effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de seigle en arrière goût. (Rating #1605)

My Bottom Line:
Chocolate-covered strawberries stream from the thick cereals until wooden, earthy hops seal this hot and heavy Barley Wine.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the cloudy auburn.
-Alcohol warms up the back end.
-Malt sweetness expands into caramel territory rather quickly.
-The whisky barrels are there and probably contribute to the greater alcohol presence in the flavor profile.

Bottle.

Bottle #1978, from 2007. Brown pour, opaque, no head. Aroma is sweet malt, a little bit of wood and peat, and a hint of vanilla. The malt is somewhat subdued in the flavor, it is a little biscuity, a little dark fruit came out, with wood and earthy spices / hops in the back and finish. The palate is pretty nice, and the flavors are mellow for the style.

Objectively speaking: Original barleywine that is perhaps not as interesting in the glass as it is on paper.
I like: Restrained barrel influence. Very pleasant toasty aspects. Strawberry notes to the aroma. Soft tobacco whispers, coffee even.
I dislike: Quickly fading head. Watery edges, especially towards the end. Many hesitating flavours. 4 different rye malts? That would beg for further cerealic/spicy depth, but I did not find it. Neither was the body so thick. I wonder what % of the total grist was rye? Short finish.

25.4 oz bottle. Murky sepia with a tan ring. Nose is toffee, chestnut and raisin with touches of wood and whiskey. Smooth and creamy with buzzy carb. Taste is raisin and whiskey up front. Brown sugar, mead and tea with lingering rye and oak. An excellent warming sipper.

Pours a bright, dark, golden-red with a beautiful, loose head. The aroma is gorgeous - deep dark fruitiness (cherries, plums), then getting into tobacco territory, with overtones of a herbal estate chocolate. Sweetish start moves to a moderately bitter chocolate middle, then takes on a slightly boozy accent later. The elements aren’t coming together on the tongue the way they did on the nose, which is too bad because there’s some killer stuff going on here...a little age might improve this a lot.

Bottle, courtesy of golubj; pours a bog water brown with only a thin layer of off-white head. Aroma definitely had a whiskey presence, but it was not overdone. Other hints of caramel, nuts, and dark fruit. Couldn’t pick up much vanilla. Initially found it rough around the edges. Most, but not all, worked themselves out with time. Would have liked more sweetness. Pretty hoppy for the style. Just ok for me.

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy dark amber-orange body with a small beige head. Aroma of caramel, plum, wood, and toffee. Flavor of artificial cherry, pine, dark caramel, rye, some chocolate, and brown sugar with a dry finish.