Ithaca Excelsior! Alphalpha

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Ithaca, New York USA

750 ml bottle courtesy of a trade with TheEpeeist. Thanks, Chris! Pours a dulled golden hue with some orange fire behind it, just a light haze, extremely well carbonated, with a towering beige head that stays pretty big, laces well. Aromas are a decent layer of sweet pale malts and a bouquet of citrusy and floral hops, honey sugar fermentables detected. Orange, lemon, and grapefruit all make an appearance with florals, grass, pale malts and a touch of caramel. Straightforward, , but nice. Initial is fairly bitter, florals and grass with citrus further behind, pale malts, a touch of honey sweetness. This is pretty bitter, but not a hop bomb, dry on the back of the palate, bitter, light sweetness, some cereals and a touch of caramel, soap, bit of booziness. Not bad at all. Fresh enough and tasty, just a bit forgettable in the world of DIPA styled beers.. Almost more of a DAPA I think, if such a thing exists. I really liked it, especially the malt profile, staying away from cloying caramel bombs!

750ml capped batch E!013 shared by riverside. Hazy honey golden with flabby dense soapy white head with pearl colored bubbles. The nose is also kind of dense with sweet soapy hoppiness with really floral-herbal honey. Get the sweet barley malt that has a creamy oat flavor to it up front, dry earthy grass hoppiness that has a lot of honey sweetness.

Hazy orange, long lasting white head, very good lacing. Aroma is incredably Hoppy, pine, citrus, floral, perfume. Flavour is again very Hoppy, might be a bit hot, very bitter, lots of perfume, soapy. Very bitter mouth, med body, mod carb. Finished highly bitter, warming.

One of the hoppiest beers I’ve had, warm but the hops dominate.

750ml bottle.
Opened March 2009.
Batch E!013.

Hazy golden orange pour with meringue head that climbs out of the glass and leaves clumps of lacing. Aroma is moderately hoppy with citrus pine and caramel sweetness. More honey baked biscuit/malty than one would expect but extremely well balanced that I would love to have readily available. Nice chewy texture that coats but not cloying. Solid beer.

Magnum shared with co-worker. Gentle pour yields a luxurious deep honey gold that is somewhat hazy. Lasting, rocky yellow head floats like an iceberg. Lacing forming fast and builds upon itself in low ridges on glas sides. Slightly yeasty medium sweet body. Batch E013.

Pours attractive golden orange head with a finger thick white head. Nose and flavor a bit funky and metallic. A bit of oxidation. Light citrus and caramel.

750mL Bottle, purchased at Wakefield Liquors - Wakefield, RI. Bubbly foaming pour with a cresting nose of C-hops, very clean, minty and crisp. Classic Cascades. Colored a murky golden, with a fine double tall white head. Flavor is rich and satisfying. Really smooth creamy body profiles first in the aroma. Nearly cask-like. The hops glow in the middle and the back, but their flavor is somewhat minimal upfront. As the beer warms on the palate though, a rich, detailed juicy Cascade flavor strengthens. The honey gives it some necessary clean dryness and softness. The hop bitterness is more noticeable after a few sips. The head is amazing and pillowy. This is a nice beer. I think I’d like a more dense hop flavor, but otherwise this is a solid double IPA.

Bottle. 25.4 oz. Pours clean honey orange with a thick, soft white head. Aroma of dry hops, sour grapefruit, grass, pine, and hints of lemon zest. Mouthfeel is bitter and a bit sticky; very interesting and nice. Finishes slow and with a slight bite. Excellent IPA.