Ithaca Excelsior! Ten

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

Bottle. Poured clear amber brown with a small creamy head. Aroma of dark fruit, sweet malt, spice, faint musty hops, an some light spice. Taste is similarly sweet, with some spiced notes, and more of the hoppy finish. Surprisingly delicious for a hopped up brew with about a year on it. The malt backbone on this is excellent. Body is really nice, just the right amount of carbonation. Overall, an enjoyable brew - my first from Ithaca.

Deep dark amber coloured body with a dense, thick tan head. Aroma of pit fruits, alcohol, malt, yeast and a heavy dose of spices. Full-bodied; Very vibrant malty tastes coming through with alcohol, apricots, pit fruits and caramel. Aftertaste shows a lot of alcohol and yeast, but the sweetness comes out more than anything else. Overall, a very strong and full-bodied beer - perfect for sharing after a hockey game! I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased from HalfTime in Poughkeepsie, New York in early August 2009.

Dark opaque brown pour with a very small and bubbly cream colored head. Aroma has lots of dark fruit, with plum and raisin, and there’s also a good amount of caramel malt. Hints of apple and pear come through as secondary flavors to the darker aspects of the smell. Flavor is mostly extremely sweet, with big caramel and molasses. There is a slight hop kick, but not “aggressively hoppy” as the bottle says. The finish has some burnt sugar and a solid amount of booziness, a characteristic that I always like in a good beer. Palate isn’t extremely thick, but is full and rich, and the sweetness and alcohol lingers nicely. A really nice brew.

750 ml shared with craftycarl21. Dark brown pour with very minimal tan head. Aroma is dark fruit, gobs of caramel, raisin, plum, apple and some burnt sugars. Flavor is quite sweet- caramel burnt sugar, a touch of boozyness, and a decent hop kick characterize the flavor profile. Palate is medium to full with a sugary dry coating finish. Definitely a kicker of a beer.

From Cletus via trade. Poured a hazy reddish brown color with a creamy tan head and lots of lacing. The aroma was juicy, citrusy hops, earth and pine along with plenty of sweet malts. The flavor was a nice blend of citrus and pine hops against sticky sweet malts and light spices. Relatively thin body and a delight to drink. A nice example of the style. Clearly not an IPA and clearly not a barleywine. Good stuff.

Incredibly dark red color, completely opaque. Nice head retention. Beautiful lace. The smell is equal parts dark, gritty malt, and woody, resiny hop. Lots of dark cherry/raisin malt and pine sap. The taste is severe, woody, grassy hops, with a sting of citrus at the end. Well-balanced by roasted -- almost burnt -- malt. The malt is really dark and a needed balance. The feel is thick and britty like a barleywine. It’s heavy, thick and bursting with tons of flavor. It’s just maybe too dark for too many in a row.

Cherry Orange off white bubbly head, disapates quickly. Smell is very hoppy, lots of yummy orange peel, cider notes that just add to the booziness in a great complex way! The taste is a lot smoother then expected. Bit bubbly upfront but not overpowering. Nice clean yummy wood flavors, creamy mouthful with an fantastic tartiness finish. I’m not much for the American strong ales but this was fantastic.

cloudy brown pour with a resilient offwhite head. piney, fruity hops dominate the aroma with some caramel malt and a cherry tartness, brown sugar, and a bit of booze. Smooth mouthfeel is creamy and robust. Fruity, woody, caramel malt tones, pretty complex. A decent bitterness throughout makes for a nice balance. The alcohol is well meshed with the flavor, and warms as it goes down. Great subtle wood going on here as well. Also an element of tartness in the center, wonderfully complex. Fanastic. If you see this, buy two