Ithaca Excelsior! Ten

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

Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a lazing off-white head. The aroma has notes of sweet malt and hops as well as light notes of wood. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, and wood, as well as lighter notes of vanilla and over ripe fruits, leading to a dry woody finish.

Bottle 75 cl. Courtesy of Storm. Pours a hazy and opaque orangey brown with a dense, creamy beige head leaving laces. Fat aroma of hops and overripe fruit. Quite full-bodied, a little low in carbonation, lots of overripe fruit and a load of aroma hops. Fairly bitter finish. 290509

From bottle, blind #22. Pours cloudy dark orange with a slowly diminishing off-white head. Dense hoppy and light fruity aroma. Dense wooden and citrusy fruity flavoured. Distinct sweet caramel malt flavoured base. Lasting wooden and fruity flavoured into the finish.

Bottle #22 at Papsø’s blindtasting. Hazy orange red coloured with a medium sized off white head. Fruity aroma of caramel, berries, hops and pine needles. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel, berries, oak, hops and pine needles. Dry hoppy finish.

Date: 06/21/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: cloudy dark red, fine beige head,
Aroma: huge sweet crystal and dark caramel aroma with a fruity sweetness and lots of earthyness, touch of pine,
Flavor: sweet hot crystal malt flavor, tons of earthy and floral hops, long bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Hazy amber-red. Some tangerine/apricot hop aroma with chewy crystal malts and maybe a hint of chocolate. Kind of fizzy, though that helps with the body, which would otherwise be kind of sticky. Some fruitiness in the finish. It’s ok, but it certainly doesn’t distinguish itself in any way.

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Hazy amber color; medium creamy head. Nice American hop aroma, partially fruity and then resiny, a bit sweaty. Strong caramel flavor, a bit fruity and sweaty. The body is well structured, it has a very good caramel flavor, with good sweetness level, nice alcohol warmth, strong hopping, resiny and a bit fruity. Long and strong final. Excellent.

(750ml bottle, thanks wilkie) Large beige head atop murky red-brown body. Aroma is moderately sweet, pine, caramel, some raisin, melon. Taste is just like I expected based on the smell. Medium-full body, light acidity.