Early in the week I stopped into the Ithaca Beer taproom to drop off posters for an upcoming show and got delightfully delayed in my errands by two tasty new brews. Oh, and they have a taco truck out back now. Tacos & beer and wide open spaces. This place keeps getting better. No taco pic, sry.
Hopfenstopfen (Dry-hopped, German-style) ABV: 4.8% | Rating: 8.9
I think some of my favorite Ithaca Beer brews are their hybrid-styles. This deep, transparent golden straw-colored beer (tasting glass) is brewed only with German hops - and I believe abiding by German purity 4-ingredient law, but then bastardized by dry-hopping with an extensive amount of American hops.
The result is that crisp, bitter, deeply refreshing that is remarkably German, amped with an aroma and boldness that is deeply American-style - but also not overly hopped. A good use of Euro hop character and exactly the beer to finish off a long day and start an enjoyable, but productive evening.
Intensify Forward Firepower (Rye IPA) | ABV: 7.9% | Rating: 8.6
Running counterpoint to Hopfenstopfen, Intensify Forward Firepower (yay! more Star Wars references) is a big, bold, booze of a beer. Dry, scorched rye flavors kick things off with a coarse and chalky mouthfeel that hangs around. Thick and mildy hazy, this Rye packs a punch with distinct earthy, herbal notes and firey booze heat. Another solid, strong 5-Barrel from IBeer.
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