Ithaca Excelsior! Ten

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

Bottle - Thanks jake65! - Pours dk clear amber, slightly thick, with a medium beige head...aroma is sweet malt and floral hops, grapefruit and citrus zest...flavour is similar, brown sugar and molassas, pinetar, burnt hop bitterness, toasty grain...I thought I smelled a slight bit of newspaper at first, but it went away...tasty stuff!

Pours a darkish maroon, with a small off white head. Smells partyl sweet, big dark fruit presence right away, roast, and sugars also are in the mix here. The flavor was also a bit on the sweet side, however much more balanced than the nose. Lots of syrupy malts, and a much more noticeable hop presence that balances out some of that sweetnesswith a little bitterness. I thought this was pretty well done brew. Nothing overly complex about it, just tasty.

Botle - thanks oteyj. Beautiful deep auburn pour with a modest beige head. Sweet aroma is citrus, florals, and caramel. Tastes rich in maltiness with some citrus. The caramel is more noticeable and retains a dark, sweet presence. Some vinous notes and faded hops. Reminds me of Double Bastard, but mellower. Nice.

750 ml bottle courtesy of LilBeerDoctor. Thanks, Margaret! Pours a ruby murky rusty hue, glowing, highly hazed, a small offwhite beige like head that settles to a reliable size, not really dying at all, laces well. Aromas are a heavy dose of caramel and toffee malts, toasty, toffee, a bit of bread, moving to citrusy and floral hops, pretty toasty overall. Initial is pretty malty, caramel, toffee, and toasty malts, with a nice bread and bit of spice. The toastiness of these malts is quite striking, moving over to floral and delicate hops, bitter with some raisin like qualities. A pretty full mouthfeel, pretty good thickness. Not overly complex, but pretty tasty.

( 750ml bottle Batch E!014) Pours very cloudy dark orange with nice head and lacing. Nose of caramel, honey, bread and yeast. Taste is quite malty, caramel, yeast. Finishes smooth, biscuity and creamy.

This starts out with a blast of piny hops, that fades into an aroma of chocolate and biscuits. Pours a dark ruby red, with a huge fluffy light tan head. Flavor is a bit of sweet dark fruits, a touch of alcohol heat, and just a bit of bitterness in the finish. I wish I had a chance to try this one fresh... I don’t think the year was kind to it.

Batch E!014. From a 750ml into a snifter. Pours with three fingers of head and lots of carbonation, but little to no lacing. Mild aroma of malt and a little yeast, some plum too. Taste is dominated by the hops but there’s a lot of malt, this being a strong ale. Cherries, plums and yeast also round out the flavor. Unfortunately, the hops are too bitter and dominate the flavor for the worse. A little more floral hops, rather than the biting and bitter hops would make this an excellent beer. However, it’s very good, allbeit expensive.

Pours a dark amber color with a nice off white head. Has a amazing smell of wood, molasses, vanilla and little bit of hops. Taste is more of the same as the smell.