#198: Ithaca Beer Co. » The Keymaster, The Sesh, & Golden Road (5-Barrel Series)

After a game-filled day at the Enchanted Badger, it was time for good food and more new releases from Ithaca Beer's 5-Barrel Series.

The Keymaster (Saison) 5.9% ABV | Rating: 9/10
An inviting, fruity Belgian nose starts things off - banana, yeast, citrus, and an inference of coriander. The flavor is malty, but relatively crisp and refreshing with a smooth spice and earthiness throughout. There's a slight wild tart and funk tucked in the back as well. Wonderfully complex with a subtle touch of fresh berries dancing around the other more prominent flavors.

The Sesh (IPA) 3.5% ABV | Rating: 9.2/10
Instant hit. High recommendation for limited or seasonal bottling here. Sesh starts off with a pungent nose of bright hops, but goes down nice and easy while being beautifully packed with hops. A whirlwind of tropical and citrus flavors and mild mineral notes, balanced and backed by crisp malts and fleeting notes of honey. I'd put this up against any of the day-IPAs trending at the moment.

Golden Road (Amber) 7.5% ABV | Rating: 8.5
Roasted and dry, with a light body. Full flavored with well-balanced toasty winter spices. Drinkable, warming, and refreshing, and that 7.5% is utterly well-hidden. A solid winter warmer and a nice addition to the limited series.

#160: Surly Brewing Company » Furious (American IPA)

Hops & malts get Furious...

The Brewery: Surly Brewing (Brooklyn Center, MN)
The Brew:  Furious (American IPA)
Availability: Cans & draft (Year-Round)
ABV: 6.2% | IBUs: 66
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home

The Story? Twas the night before Big Day In and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. But seriously, this is by far the earliest the evening before that I've had everything together for Ithaca Underground's pending festival. Time to sit back with a meal and a brew.

Furious is the last of the batch of Surly's that made it my way earlier in the fall and is packed with American hops and Scottish malt.

The Beer? Furious kicks off with voluminous off-white head atop dark, amber-red bubble body. The nose is full of fresh hops, tangerine, and a hint of green apple. Down the hatch it's bittersweet hop bliss. Lots of citrus, balanced by sweet toffee and caramel flavors.

Deft balance is what I find I enjoy most about all of Surly's beers. Complex, robust, but throw-back easy drinking thanks in part to Furious' soft carbonation. Further through, roasted notes build with mild hints of tea and herb.

Overall, another slammin' hoppy ale from Surly. Cheers!

#115: Bacchus Brewing » IPA

A big, local IPA to cap off a great night...

The Brewery: Bacchus (Dryden, NY)

The Brew: IPA

Availability: draft only

ABV: 6.5% // IBUs: 65

Rating: 8.5/10

Location: Felicia's Atomic Lounge

The Story? After taking two carloads of friends through Inuat Hauntings production, I met up with my partner and her sister at Felicia's for a couple rounds to close out the enjoyably cooling evening.

#1 on the list for the night was Bell's Two-Hearted on tap, however I was pleasantly pleased to see they'd just tapped a keg of Bacchus' IPA. I shared my thoughts on Bacchus' new Flora's Fate Pale, but hadn't had a chance to do so with their IPA. Additionally, this brewery is only 20 mins from where I work, so a stop in will be warranted in the near future.

The Beer? This one is dank, bitter, and prominently floral right out of the gate. There's a touch of grapefruit and other citrus notes threaded through this IPA, but floral flavors and dark bitterness is the star of this show.

The firm bitterness retains throughout, but smooths a bit to let some malt characteristics and allows you to take note of the admirably full mouthfeel supported by mid-level carbonation. A solid suggestion to any IPA fan in the region.

#112: Bell's Brewing » Two Hearted Ale, Porter, and Kalamazoo Stout

Bell's is now available in New York State...

The Brewery: Bell's Brewing (Kalamazoo, MI)
Availability: Bottles/Draft (Year-Round)
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? My cousin introduced me to Bell's luscious nectars via their Expedition Stout, one of the earliest examples of a Russian Imperial Stout brewed in the U.S., and I was instantly smitten. On the road, I've been able to sneak a peak at their Two Hearted and Golden Rye Ale as well, but that barely scratches the surface of their illustrious offerings.

Until this year, Bell's has never distributed through NYS. I never really thought it would either, so it was with great excite I reveled in the news with my fellow Bell's lovers here in upstate NY, that we would be the first to receive these great beers. I picked up three staples of their year-round line (two I haven't enjoyed prior) as an introduction. Look for a post on Expedition Stout (2012) coming soon.

Two Hearted Ale (IPA) | ABV: 7% | Rating: 9/10
This American IPA starts off with a wonderful, orange-filled citrus nose. The taste follows suit, with a smooth mouthful of fruity orange flavor and floral hop notes. Brewed exclusively with Centennial hops yields an aromatic, but clean brew with significant room for the malt body to shine through. There are even hints of apple and esters. An intricate, year-round IPA offering that is about more than just hops.

Porter | ABV: 5.6% | Rating: 8.8/10
A rich, full nose with heaps of roasted malt aromas and a dash of chocolate are revealed on this simply monikered brew. The taste counters with dry, roasted flavors and an almost champagne mouthfeel, carbonation, and dryness . Very intriguing and drinkable.

The chocolate notes begin more in the spectrum of coco powder, but blossom in richness when pared with food. Fresh, roasted, semi-sweet, and dry - this one is a treat for any year-round porter lover.

Kalamazoo Stout | ABV: 6.0% | Rating: 9/10
This one kicks off sweet and chocolaty in the nose easily transitioning into a rich, silky mouthfeel that is a touch on the side of creamy. Well carbonated for a stout with a unique, sharp bitterness in the finish attributed to the anise aspects of the licorice it's brewed with.

Smooth, full-bodied, and artfully complex. There's plenty of subtlety in this big brew to stroke your beard (or lack of beard) to here - hints of smoke, toffee, chocolate, coffee bean...  it's choose your own adventure, really.


Well, there you have it. Three must-try brews that are readily available year round in NYS now. Crack one open and let me know what you think!

#089: New England Brewing » Sea Hag (IPA)

More brews roll in from New England...

The Brewery: New England Brewing (Woodbridge, CT)
The Brew:  Sea Hag (IPA)
Availability: Cans, bottles, draft, cask
ABV: 6.2% // IBUs: 65
Rating: 8.4/10
Location: The Westy

The Story? I hadn't even been back from NOLA (tons of posts coming) for 24 hours, when I saw our friends at The Westy post that they'd tapped  New England's Sea Hag and it was ready for consumption. I'd told myself I'd stay in and be productive, but after a four-day conference, a flight, and a long day back... why not?

The Beer? Very much the little brother of Gandhi-Bot. Semi-translucent gold with a blip of fluffy head and a nice sweet citrus hop & floral nose.

Down the hatch, this IPA has a very smooth mouthfeel, followed by a hop bitterness that cuts sharp, but fades before the finish. Sea Hag is quite clean for the IBU level.

Plentiful, deliciously strong pine notes are ever present with some woody & botanical elements to the flavor. A dryness builds in the finish, but never overpowers the flavors while the head laces down the sides of the glass. A solid IPA worth going back for!

#045: Ballast Point Brewing Co. - Sculpin IPA

An IPA of hop legend...

The Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
The Brew: Sculpin IPA
Availability: 6-packs, 22 oz. & draft
ABV: 7% // IBUs: 70
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story? My first introduction to Ballast Point was through my friend Maciej - a real hop head who, at the time, was working his way through the best American IPAs before heading back to Poland. The order of operations is a bit fuzzy, but I was obliged to assist in his search, offering to trade a can of The Alchemist's Heady Topper for some of his delicious, hoppy session homebrews.

As most beer exchanges go, he invited me in and offered to split a few bottles he'd been lining up to try out. At the time I had my head buried, focusing on the wild/sour/farmhouse side of things and had backburnered my love of IPAs. As soon as he popped open his bottle of Sculpin, fresh, aromatic hops filled the air as we sat sipping, gazing off the hill-top apartment across the fastness that surrounds Ithaca. With my friend back in Poland and my love of IPA back in full swing, would it be the same fantastic experience as that hot, early summer day?

The Beer? A very fragrant pour with blooming, lacy head. Minerally nose with lots of fresh hops and notes of citrus and apple. Color is on the verge or opaque.

Majestic seems to be a good word to first describe the pure IPA bliss that hits your tongue. Uncontrolled statements like "Oh, my god..." and shivers may also be involved as deep, rich hops fill the palate, swirling with flavors of pine, grass, rock, and a variety of citrus and tropical fruits. The moutfeel is superb - slippery and refreshing with a staying dry, tart/bitter hop finish. Despite the massive gathering of hops, Ballast Point are wise to keep this one down to 70 IBUs, issuing a full bouquet of hops which never becomes overbearing or numbing.

Unique, dynamic, pale, fresh, and tart. Amazing and pretty much perfect.

#022: Green Flash - Le Freak (Belgian IPA)

"Belgian IPA" is likely the most understated description possible for this Freak...

The Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
The Brew: Le Freak (Belgian Trippel / American Imperial IPA)
Availability: Bottles
ABV:  9.2% | IBUs:
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story? The beers from Green Flash are those kind which I should just keep in at all times. Anything really. As long as something of theirs is in the house, we'll be good to go.  I had a couple close calls finding this on draft, and for that reason put off diving into it until then.

The official description from Green Flash is "An ‘out of the box’ modern ale crafted by converging two beer styles, Belgian Trippel and American Imperial IPA. Dry-Hopped and Bottle-Conditioned – it’s a zesty brew with enticing American hop and fruity Belgian yeast aromatics." - which is really dead-on compared to some overzealous (or underzealous) from the brewery descriptions. Get ready..

The Beer? Crazy, complex nose - big booze, lots of hops, and Belgian spice all vie for my olfactory attention. Nice lacy head too. The taste - zesty indeed!! Those hops and Belgian spices build wonderfully on each other. It's like a feedback loop of brew-tasticness wonderment in my mouth. You almost have to exclaim something after drinking it. Vibrant and bold.

There really is a lot going on here. Very west-coast on the hops in the best of ways, a bit tart, with the slightest hint of must. A very refreshing, complex beer. I want more now...