Ithaca Le Bleu

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

Pouring at the Night of the Funk event in Boston. Pours a great purple color with a big pink magenta hued head. Really pretty. Soft blueberries and vanilla. A little bit thin, but nice crisp light fruit and a touch of sweetness. Possibly a bit too sweet, but light and delicious.

Tap at Night of the Funk. First beer of the night. Lovely blueberry aroma, sweetish with light grain character. Good bretty sourness, quite dry, very citric and balanced. A touch grainy. An excellent beer but there was still something missing here for me. However, it’s good to see more brewers jumping on blueberry sours as Cantillon and Upland have made it obvious just how fantastic the style can be.

Sampled at Night of the Funk 2009: Hazy ruby with a pinkish head. Nice lactic aroma with a leather funky presence as well. Some white oak is there- mainly dry but with just a hint of vanilla barrel character. Crisp body with a fruity tartness. The fruit presence is nice and dry with a tannic fruit skin sharpness and some lactic sourness. There’s some dry white oak also. It’s fruity and rich yet dry and funky. A very well done sour blueberry.

Sample @ BBF Night of the Funk. Pours a deep reddish-amber with a small head. Aroma is largely brett with a bit of blueberry and light fruit coming through. Taste is a heavy dose of brett and citrus up front, ending with a wonderful blueberry tartness at the end. The guy from Ithaca told me they were bottling this in the winter, and I can’t wait.