The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Multihead (Wild Hop Pale Ale)
Availability: Draft Only (5-Barrel Series)
ABV: 5.9%
Rating: 8/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom
The Story? Humulus Lupulus Neomexicanus is a newly discovered, wild hop from New Mexico, which is the star of Ithaca Beer's Multihead - one of their latest in their on-going 5-barrel series. The beer gets its name from this hop's unusual tendency to develop two hop cones per varietal, unlike the usual one-per for all other varieties. I'm impressed by Ithaca Beer's level of adventure on this one as the hop is still so new it isn't yet widely available through usual mass distribution channels. The brewers had to keep ordering until they had enough to brew and experiment with. That's dedication!
The Beer? Light in color and mouthfeel as you'd expect from a primarily single-hopped pale ale. Right off the bat I can tell this isn't going to be your typical pale. Most notably, it's sweet. Mild fruits immediately come to mind like white peach and white nectarine. There's a touch of Magnum hops up front to provide some bitter counterpoint to the sweetness, but otherwise this new dual-hop is front and center.
The sweetness isn't sugary or thick, in fact it's quite refreshing, but on the dryer side. It's subtlety sweet with fresh and noteworthy hop spice and pine flavors from the use of whole cones, plus a filtered wheat presence. A very unique beer that I wouldn't have pegged it as a pale ale at first. Recommended for those with a broad pallet looking for a fresh flavor in the session realm. I have high hopes that Ithaca Beer will use this as a drawing board for future releases with this uniquely wild hop.
The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Hoodoo Voodoo Cask (Imperial Stout, Aged on Oak)
Availability: Cask Only (very limited)
ABV: 11%
Rating: 9.1/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom
The Story? Wednesday is Cask Night and this beer is the reason I pushed to finish up rehearsal and bombed down to the taproom. Sometimes the casks kick before 8PM, but to my elation, there was still plenty of this go around.
Hoodoo Voodoo is Ithaca Beer's new Imperial Stout, another recent addition to their limited 5-Barrel series. Ithaca Beer doesn't have any dark beers in their year-round offerings and only a few seasonally, so I always jump at the chance to taste one - their 14th Anniversary Dark Ale and Gorges Smoked Porter are world-class. This cask version has been aged on oak and wields a higher ABV.
The Beer? It starts off with a strong, dark, woody nose that is quite earthy. Going into my mouth, I already agree cask is the perfect delivery for this brew. A bit boozy up front, notable roasted marshmallow flavors, with a mildly dry finish. A distinct roasted coffee flavor hangs out even after the initial finish dies out. The cask temperature and carbonation mellows the bite of the ABV, instead allowing it to be the support for the rest of the dark, roasted, warming flavors. This would be absolutely superb on a winters day. Woody, earthy, dry, booze, roasted goodness.
I decided to aerate this one in my mouth like you would a wine, which immediately pulled the booze and some dark red fruits to the forefront giving it subtle Cab Sauv-esq notes. Very tasty and another hit for IB's limited series.
The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Hoodoo Voodoo (Imperial Stout)
Availability: Draft Only (5-Barrel Series)
ABV: 9.8%
Rating: 9.0/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom
The Story? It took me three questions to indeed verify that I wasn't crazy and that they had on not only a cask version of Hoodoo Voodoo, but a regular draft version as well. No oak age on this one and a slightly lower ABV, bust still no joke at 9.8%. Three ultra limited beers in one night... I'm in heaven.
The Beer? Cappuccino colored head a top deep, dark brown brew. Medium body.
The taste is much different than the cask version. A prominent nuttiness dominates the flavor with a semi-sweet, English-style feel. Pleasant mouthfeel, reminiscent of a Guiness (in that way only though). Not as earthy and lacking the marshmallow aspects of the cask version, but instead has more malt & chocolate characteristics. Still has some wine-esq qualities on the finish as they booze builds further through the glass.
A great example on how a beer differs based on finish and delivery. An easy choice to try again.
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Overall a great night of beer. Ithaca Beer Co. has really caught their stride with these one-offs and experiments. I'm eagerly await the next batch...
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