#003: Ithaca Beer "Groundzilla" & "Flowercot Power" (Beer Blend!)

I like to keep things interesting when it comes to drinking beer. Like many of my beer enthusiasts comrades, such as yourself, I'm always searching for new style variations, fresh hop & yeast ideas, herbal experiments, aged versions of old favorites, and over the last six months, beer blends have been on my mind.

When my partner Mel & I just missed Ithaca Beer's latest cask creation, we decided to get creative. We were already there. What were we to do, go home?

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer, Co. (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Apricot Wheat Ale blended with Flower Power IPA
Availability: Mix it yourself! (draft & bottles respectively)
ABV: ~6.0
Rating: 6/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom, Ithaca, NY

The Story? Admittedly, fruit wheat ales have never been high on my favorite list. Ithaca's Apricot Wheat is one of the better ones, but usually only finds it's way to my pallet towards the end of a session.  However, I am a big fan of Ithaca's Flower Power and a proponent of citrusy IPA's.  This blend seemed like a logical choice at the time.

The Beer? On first drag, the wheat cuts right through, which was a bit of a surprise considering Flower Powers robust nature. The apricot appears in a far more natural setting, which I always hope for when faced with a fruit wheat, but seldom get. The wonderful Simcoe, Chinook, Citra, Ahtanum, and Centennial hops from Flower Power are still determinable, but in a more balanced, lazy way than FP's usual full-frontal approach.

Overall, smooth down with plenty of fruit on the nose. Bring citrus with a mellow bite on the tongue. Fans of Founder's All Day IPA should take note. A solid experiment, though the beauty of Flower Power is masked a bit. Next time around I'll likely aim for 2/3 FP and 1/3 Apricot Wheat.

Nickname: "Flowercot Power" Summer Session IPA

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer, Co. (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Cascazilla (Red IPA) & Ground Break (American Saison)
Availability: Mix it yourself! (draft & bottles respectively)
ABV: ~6.5
Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom, Ithaca, NY

The Story? This one was Mel's idea and a great one at that. Ithaca's Cascazilla with it's monster amount of Cascade hops is an old favorite and Ground Break hoppy, american take is nice variation on the saison - one of my favorite styles.

The Beer? Very dry with a wonderful, lingering hop finish and beautiful amber color. Root & pepper on the nose. This idea is a true blend. Both beers get lost within each other and turn into something refreshingly new, yet very accessible. I could put back a growler of this easily.

Overall an excellent, easy beer. Nothing barrier breaking, but a recommended and very drinkable experiment.

Nickname: "Groundzilla" Ameri-Belgian IPA