From their new, Berliner-Weisse summer sixer, robust 5-Barrel brews, cask & aged versions of year-round hits, and even a couple ultra-limited special releases.
Cayuga Cruiser (Berliner Weisse-style) ABV: 4.3% | Rating: 8.5/10 Bottle (8.7/10 Draft)
After last summer's 5-Barrel Berliner Weisse, I've been very intrigued if Ithaca Beer would ever include the classic German style in a more general release. Wish granted.
As their new summer seasonal, Cayuga Cruiser is a very light brew. It's far less astringent than their 5-Barrel BW, but still quite tasty. Out of the bottle, it presents a light body, mildly quenching finish, with faint notes of lemon and just a touch of pucker.
On draft, it's a bit more up my alley, with a greater nod to tradition through higher sour, acidic notes and prominent lemon. Either way, an excellent recommendation for a low-gravity, refreshing, warm-weather brew.
Poster Child ABV: 5.8% | Rating: 8.6/10
Transparent, crystal-clear straw body, topped with lacy, soapy white head kicks of this 5-Barrel brew. A beautifully strong and sharp hoppy nose follows with crisp grapefruit aromas and a hint of lime & lemon.
The taste? Smooth hop love in a glass. Strong, but soft, rolled-over flavors of pine, yellow grapefruit and a touch of tropical fruit in the bone-dry finish. An enjoyable, light-bodied, fully-flavored beer. It also pairs well with Flower Power to create 'Flower Child'.
Galileo Gambit (Porter) ABV: 5.8% | Rating: 8.7/10
Fluffy, lacy ivory head crowns an opaque, but not hazy, dark brown body with a glimmer of ruby. Aromas of dark, roasted malts invite the nose with a pinch of spice.
The flavor is a fully-bodied porter witha touch of spice heat. Wet up front with a pleasant, dry finish. The addition orange and cardamon are subtle, but exquisit, meandering their way through the traditional dark malt flavors. A uniquely drinkable porter, without the milky, earthy notes of many in the style.
High Roller (Wheat Saison) 5.3% | Rating: 8.5/10
This 5-Barrel starts with an unabashed yeasty nose with a touch of citrus. A rustic brew, with big wheat flavors, and a touch of earthiness, and mildly dry finish. (Left-most pic)
Honey Love (Barrel-Fermented Saison w/ Oats, Honey) ABV: 6.0% | Rating: 8.9/10
A beautiful, orange citrus nose blooms into a wonderful flavor bouquet of wine-like complexity having been fermented in Chardonnay Barrels, all backed by prickly carbonation. Soft, semi-sweet and breathy earth flavors of local wildflower honey peak through, firmly supported by the addition of oats. (Third-in pic)
Green Trail Cask (Session IPA dry-hopped with Bravo) ABV: 6.0% | Rating 8.8/10
Smooth, hoppy goodness in a glass. Where many cask IPAs can loose their hop-forward nature, IB has packed this one with Bravo hops for a breath of additional acidity and distinct orange and tropical fruit flavors. It's core Columbus and Cascade hop bitterness take a momentary back seat to allow it's soft malt backbone to shine through, sitting well with the aforementioned Bravo cones.
Ozzy (Belgian-style) ABV: 4.7% Rating
A highly tasty, heavily aromatic, Belgian-hybrid brew. Belgian yeasts, dance will Ella hops - an excellent choice to calm the heavy yeast flavors with mild floral and spice alongside distinct tropical and grapefruit flavors. (No pic)
Chardonnay-Aged White Gold (Oak-Barrel Belgian Wheat) ABV: Rating: 9.5/10
In special release for their Luminous Wild Ale, Ithaca Beer concocted a handful of what I would argue as some of their finest releases to date.
This aged edition of one of my Ithaca favorites, presents a cloudy, pale straw-yellow body topped with pure white head. A beautifully fruity brew that is light on it's feet, threaded with pleasant Chardonnay notes. It's rounded off, elegant, and a touch less rustic than the original White Gold, wonderfully smoother and buttery.
The dance of white stone fruit, soft hops and white wine flavors vied to top of my already top Ithaca brews. Kudos.
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16! Lambic (Lambic) 9.4/10
Last but not least. After a worthwhile half-hour wait for my two bottles of Luminous, I parked my seat at the Taproom bar for a look over their special, release-day brews. Most would only be there for the day and after a quick look, I knew there was no way I could pass on a local limited lambic.
16! Lambic bursts out with a pungently tart and funky nose. Fluffy ivory and auburn-flecked head crowns the murky, opaque, dark-caramel body.
In a word? Intense. Funky barnyard and wet hay notes meet sharp, fermented berries with spicy esters. By far the most intense Ithaca Beer I've enjoyed yet - a completely unhinged experimental success. Further in, sweet dark fruits, like past-ripe cherries, peak through the wild funk, but just barely. It's all wrapped up in a dry funk finish, that wets with each new sip. On the final sips, fine, raw Brettanomyces notes shine through. Superb.
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