Ithaca Excelsior! White Gold

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

Hazy pale yellow-orange. Orange and aroma and flavor. A little malt and some hops also there.

750 ml bottle dated April 2007, #045. Pours a hazy dull gold with a long-lasting white head that left no lacing. Pleasant aroma of wheat and yeast. The flavor is again wheat and a bit of yeast. Dry at the finish. An ok beer, but given the special bottling, I was expecting more.

Date: 10/10/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Logan Pre-GABF

hazy pale yellow, light sweet spicy aroma, rich malt flavor, nice fruityness, well balanced with a yeasty bitterness (yeast shot?),
-------- /> Date: 10/19/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting

lighter bitterness than the prior sample but still a prevalent and building character, finally after warming a sweetness emerges and the bitterness receeds, a light tartness shows as well,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

(Bottle #1626 - Apr 07) Appearance: Pours a hazy yellow body with a thin, white head. Smell: Aroma of toasted wheat crackers, sour lemons, and spicy hops. Taste: Pale wheat flavor with a light sweetness. Hint of lemon zest. The taste of the Saaz really shines out, though there’s only a mild bitterness throughout. Noticeable Belgian yeastiness. Finishes bready and dry. The alcohol really begins to creep in as it warms. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: It’s fine for a beer of intertwined styles.

Pours a hazy golden bronze with a thin ring of wispy white head. Aroma of pale biscuity Belgian malt and some earthy coriander and yeastiness. Starts with decent viscosity and nice sweet biscuity malt with some citrusy balance and earthy bitterness toward a fairly full bready finish. A pretty interesting double witbier.

Pours a hazy peach color wit ha white head. Aroma is sweet honey, orange, and some hops. Flavor is malty sweet, honey, bitter orange peel, and a bitter hop finish.

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, mds and tupalev - my bottle. Cloudy gold with a solid frothy white head, lots of sediment. Initially funky aroma - light bret, unless I’m losing my mind - dry yeast, citrus zest - eventually it settles to slightly sour, mildly fruity malt. Wheat beer taste, weak yeast, mild lemon, just a hint of spice/bret, the finish is increasingly tart fruit malt. Light and boozy on the palate, mild acidity, and little more than vague tartness and alcohol in the linger. While a tad boozy and lacking in any defining characteristics, I enjoyed it. My tasting note says "Jeff is wrong!!!"

Bottle (750ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev & mds -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Bottle 932. Pours a hazy yellow with an average size lasting white head. Yeasty aroma with spices, some sugar, citrus and hops. Flavour of yeast, wheat, citrus, light spices and a lightly bitter alcoholic finish. Average to medium bodied. A bit of a mess style-wise but I still found it pretty good.