#306: Ithaca Beer Co. » Nut Brown on Ash & Golden Secret (Golden Strong Ale)

Saturday was eventful, starting off with Trevor Pinch's lecture on his book "In The Moog", running errands, with the prospect of Whiskey Tango Sideshow in the evening. I had a short phone interview to give regarding an upcoming event and figured why not have some refreshments along the way.

Ithaca Beer Co. » Nut Brown on Ash (Cask) | ABV: 5.4%
A pleasant variation on one of Ithaca's year-round staples. The cask & ash bring out the deep roasted notes and mild earthiness of Nut Brown, with just a touch of sweetness. A more full-bodied reminder of my time in England seeking out every "real ale" along our travels.

Ithaca Beer Co. » Golden Secret (Golden Strong Ale) | ABV: 9.2%
Good conversation can be a distraction when reading information, thus I absolutely missed the weighty 9.2% on this Golden Strong Ale and wouldn't have even notice it I hadn't caught it halfway through out of the corner of my eye.

Fruity & dynamic, Golden Secret is brewed with a brand new German hop - Mandarina Bavaria. Brewed Belgian-style, there's a tasteful savory spice to it, satisfying sweetness, with a flip of dry heat in the finish and velvety mouthcoat. If this one is Belgian-style enough to be considered for their Box of Belgians, it would get my vote.

#303: Hopshire Farm & Brewery » Figgy Puddin' (Cask Brown Ale)

Figgy Puddin' (Cask Brown Ale) | ABV: 6.2%
Between the day-job and a Friday evening meeting, I scampered over Hopshire Brewing for a taste of their limited cask offering, Figgy Pudding. This brew is a variation of Round Yon Virgil (an enjoyable spiced brown ale in it's own right), cask conditioned with dates, figs and vanilla beans, which all sounded like a warming pause to a blustery and busy evening.

Figgy Puddin' introduces itself with a deep nose of red fruits with notes of sticky figs, plum, and mild red table wine peak through as well. The aromas are bright and juicy with a dab of sour cherry.

It's smooth, with a low level of carbonation. Layering notes of clove are well received against flavors of overripe red fruits and a touch of bourbon. Firm flavors of fig, cassis dance alongside smooth vanilla and punctuating vanilla extract notes rise quickly after the first few sips.

As for mouthfeel,it's not too sticky for a sweeter beer. It's wet, with a subtle spice mouthcoat that ends with a relatively clean finish for a fruit & spice brew.

Further through, a touch of sour cherry peaks through, which is a pleasant complexity balanced against the sweet fruits. All-in-all, a solid, warming brew.

#302: Ithaca Beer Co. » Daydreamer, Milkstache, Red Hot Rosie, Za Vas!, Cascazilla on Cherrywood

After a couple weeks of a nasty cold, my senses were back and it was time for beer tasting. Ithaca Beer were on a release rampage in 2014, racking in notable new releases, some hotly limited and others expanding their seasonal line. 2015 looks to be no different with the advent of Daydreamer, I-Beer's latest seasonal offering.

Daydreamer (Kölsch) | ABV: 7.0% 
Weighing in at a hefty 7%, this kölsch serves up with a bright, mineral nose, with aroma of firm, bitter euro-style hops, all threaded with sweet pineapple. The palate is washed in soft carbonation and full body, punctuated with smooth, mellow tropical fruit flavors. A zesty, drying finish caps it all off with a touch of spruce.

Milkstache (Nitro Milk Stout) | ABV: 5.2%
One of Ithaca Beer's few nitro offerings, this stout is brewed with lactose and serves up jet black with thick, creamy, off-white head. Sheer aromas of chocolate and vanilla ice cream rise up from darkness. It's especially creamy, but light on the mouthfeel, never getting too weighty or coating. A silky-soft, subtle stout with firm earthy, roasted, and cocoa powder flavors.

Red Hot Rosie (Chili Porter) | ABV: 5.8%
Now for something not-so-subtle. Brewed in honor of a departing employee, Red Hot Rosie is a porter packed with Morita Chile chipotle peppers. Unabashedly starting out with sharp chili aromas, Rosie keeps the balance with plenty of smoke and a touch of vegetable pepper notes. Onto the palate, this beer is HOT, stacked with sinus clearing action. It's full bodied porter base keeps in from spinning out of control, providing an earthy, smoky base with a touch of chocolate. The heat on this one though, definitely makes it a sipper, pairing well with the carrot/ginger soup I was savoring.

Za Vas! (Russian Imperial Stout) | ABV: 8.8%
I've run across some fairly massive Russian Imperials of late. Ithaca Beer's spin reels in the soaring ABV of recent takes on the style. Literally meaning, "To You!" is a cheers to the senses with an inviting nose of rich chocolaty aromas, backed by faint milk and earthy notes with a touch of bourbon. It's brighter than expected and lively carbonated. Flavors of chocolate, ripe plum, apple skin all swirl across the palate. A solid stout, hiding it's 8.8% well, with a perceived girth just over session.

Cascazilla aged on Cherrywood (Cask Red Ale) | ABV: 7.0%
I am skeptical and very picky when it comes to hoppy cask beers. For my palate, I've often found softening hop-forward styles on cask or nitro can loose some of the best aspects of the style.

That said, casking and aging one of Ithaca's flagship beers, Cascazilla on cherrywood was an excellent choice, it's silky, grassy nose easing my apprehension at first whiff, seemingly stacked with notably fresh hops. It's unexpectedly bright for a cask ale, but still deftly smooth with soft notes of pine, white pepper, and subtle red wine character, complimenting the dry, velvety mouthfeel and finish. I have to say, this is my favorite Cascazilla cask variation thus far.

#251: Ithaca Beer Co. » Cascazilla (Cask on Cherries & Wood) & New Scout (Barrel-aged Dark Beer)

Our Albany/Schenectady pals Grady Stiles were on their last tour this past week; Ithaca being the final stop. When their Thursday night Rochester gig fell through, we figured we'd make the most of it with gorges & beer.

The tapline was full of seasonals, 5-Barrels, and old favorites were on tap, including White Gold, Old Scout, Intensify Forward Firepower, Country Pumpkin & others above, plus their latest cask offering, their mighty Cascazilla on oak & cherries.

This Cascazilla variation works well on cask - cloud-like soft carbonation floating dark cherry notes which peak through, dry, hoppy goodness. English-style malt/hop balance with a growing dryness and dark fruit wisps of sweet, tart, and earth.

Sipping through samples of their latest 5-Barrel offerings, it was a tough call between their Intensify Forward Firepower (packed with hops, rye, and booze - very tasty) and their barrel-aged New Scout. In the end.. barrels win.

New Scout is fine, dark brew goodness with plenty of deep, roasted malt flavor and distinct oak notes. A drinkable, no-nonsense summer dark beer that's plenty roasted with a touch of smoke.

#234: Dogfish Head: Analog-A-GoGo 2014

My partner and I decided on a few days notice that we should finally hop down to Delaware and visit the Dogfish Head Brewery and Restaurant. Low and behold, we arrive and it's their annual Analogue-A-GoGo event with craft cask brew and vinyl; commemorated with a swank, 7" beer checklist. 

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Under the tent, we sipped on 7 event-only cask brews and while perusing records (I happily picked up Om's 'God Is Good' and Swans lauded 'The Seer' 3xLP).

Namastina ABV: 4.7%
As the name implies, this is a blend of their Belgian-style Witbier Namaste and their Festina Peche neo-Berliner-Weisse. Notes of fresh citrus, mild tartness, and low carbonation makes for a nice summer cask. Soft Belgian spice notes smooth out the sour pucker.

Sophia ABV: 4.8%
This Witbier is brewed with tellychery, Long Indian, pink peppercorns and coriander and kicks off with a light, earthy nose with faint hints of citrus and spice. The flavor is smooth, mildly dry, with a chalky mouthfeel. Pleasant, smooth light pepper and citrus notes work well for cask, though not as stand-out as anticipated.

Loren ABV: 4.8%
Now we're talking. Loren is Sophia, dry-hopped with Zythos and conditioned with fresh organic strawberries. Awesome, sharp hop citrus notes (though not overly bitter) leap out, backed by refreshing semi-sweet strawberry notes and thin thread of pepper spice. Refreshing and delicious.

Premavera ABV: 5.0%
Topping even the tasty Loren, Premavera is another Wit, this time with blood orange, lavender, and NY-grown buckwheat. Fantastic, savory, soft, citrus wheat flavors dance across the palate. Great choice for cask and damn good.

Wild Sage Bravo ABV: 5.0%
As one of the more intriguing concoctions, this American Wheat Beer is brewed with all Bravo hops and White Sage and Wild Mint Tea from Juniper Ridge - which is around the corner from DFH HQ. It's a wonderful beer-tea hybrid that's mild, sweet, and suprisingly not dry for all the tea influence. Delicate juniper notes throughout with a soft, cool mint finish.

Pennsylvania Tuxedo ABV: 4.7%
"I like this the best - not wait this one!" In collaboration with the iconic Woolrich clothing company, this oddly yet appropriately monikered beer is a rye pale ale brewed with fresh spruce tips. It's malty and spicy with a slight herbal characteristics. Beautiful hop presence and balance supported by rustic, spice rye and just the right amount of spruce. Solid.

Coo-Coo for Cocoa Shells ABV: 12%
DFH's Palo Santo Marron with cocoa and coffee? Sign me up. Burnt, dry coffee nose followed by amazingly smooth dark chocolate flavors that finishes up semisweet with nice booze heat. Great way to finish off the cask-only brews under the tent.

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We missed the cut for the 1PM tour (and our last chance to do it and stay on time), but there was plenty more to do. After a short walk, on what turned out to be an incredibly pleasant, sunny day; we take a quick tour of DFH's new expansion center and bottle line and two more cask brews.

75 Minute IPA ABV: 7.5%
It's been a minute since I've had the 75 - a blend of DFH 60 Minute and 90 Minute, dry-hopped with whole-leaf Cascades and cask-conditioned with maple syrup. On cask it's sweeter than the 60/90 + dry-hop may imply with a wonderful hop bouquet on the nose and tongue that dries up nicely in the finish.

Super-Fly ABV: 5.0%
Another easy winner of the day, Super-Fly is DFH's English-style pale Firefly, souped-up with whole-leaf Citra hops making for an incredibly fragrant nose of grassy, herbal, and cintrus hops. A flavor packed brew, touting pungent ripe pineapple and mango with a perfect, silky-smooth cask mouthfeel. Superb American/English pale hybrid and one of the best cask-fit brews of the day.

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Back inside the brewery proper, it was time for some high-gravity goodness.

Positive Contact ABV: 9.0%
Into the brewery itself, we're on to the final three of the day. PC is Fuji cider, slow-roasted farro, with cayenne and fresh cilantro. I swear I've had this before, but have never been this struck by it - a mildly funky ripe-apple nose lures you in followed by a refreshing, soft apple tartness and a mild but notable spice heat. Great change of pace.

Bitches Brew ABV: 9.0%
It's been a long time since I've had this hefty imperial stout / honey beer hybrid with gesho root. As expected it kicks off with a big chocolate nose and gigantic chocolate flavors and wraps up super dry. Pungent coffee and sharp spice and spicy booze notes are present throughout. I have to remember to grab this one more often.

Hellhound ABV: 10.0%
As previously blogged, this is a damn good beer. Wonderful hop nose followed up by the perfect dance of pungent hop and dense sweet malt balance. Like blending your favorite DIPA and Old Ales with a touch of lemon. Perfect.

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After about an hour's drive to Rohoboth Beech, we took in some waves and sun. Hoofing it back, I could not be more excited to finally have some of my favorite DFH brews on draft and continue to soak in more draft-only creations until suddenly...

Sadness. We had to leave town in 2-3 hours and after speaking to one of the chefs (and getting a solid consolation brewpub recommendation), there was no way we were getting in. Another time.

Overall, the trip was a success, full of new, unexpected brews. Pennsylvania Tux and Premavera were my top favorites of the session-strength brews and all those over 9.0% were just great. See you again soon, Delaware.

#132: Ithaca Beer Co. » Pale Ale (dry-hopped with Apollo)

Back down at Tap Night...

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew:  Pale Ale (dry-hopped with Apollo)
Availability: Cask Only (limited)
ABV: 5.7%
Rating: 8.8/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Story? Since the epic water incident, it's been pretty hectic around here. But, Wednesday came around with no band practice and a night off with my partner, so we decided while our new shower was being put together, we'd enjoy a night out.

Wednesday night = cask night down at Ithaca Beer Taproom, so it was a pretty easy decision. Especially with the rabbit special they were offering. Yum.

This week was their year-round Pale Ale on cask, dry hopped with Apollo hops. Nice to see an big American hop that's not one of the easy staples being used.

The Beer? Two half-pints of Pale Apollo arrive, topped with fluffy white head and sporting a mostly opaque, unfiltered, golden-orange body. The nose is perky with bright notes of citrus and lemon that's a touch on the sweet side.

Into my mouth, this beer is super smooth. Enough so, to warrant extra u's in that "super". The taste is quite bright with obvious citrus punch, mid-level acidity, and high carbonation. There's a few hints of mango right up at the front of the sip to top off with a touch of the tropics. All that wrapped up with a slowly drying finish.

Overall, this one works very well. Higher carbonation than most cask ales, with bright, American stylings that are never muted. Keep it up.

#061: Middle Ages Brewing » Mayan Apocalypse (American Strong Ale)

For the end of days...

The Brewery: Middle Ages Brewing (Syracuse, NY)
The Brew: Mayan Apocalypse (American Strong Ale)
Availability: Draft & cask only (very limited)
ABV: 8.9%
Rating: 9.3/10
Location: J. Ryan's Pub (Syracuse)

The Story? After the palate wrecking hops of Evil Twin's Molotov Cocktail, I was in the mood to hop to the other side of the spectrum. I've always been pleased with Middle Ages' cask offerings at J. Ryan's so I figured for $4 I really couldn't go wrong...

The Beer? A fine, smooth pour of perfectly low-carbonated hazy goodness topped with a creamy crown of head. Even as the glass heads to my mouth I catch a whiff of sweet alcohol.

A plethora of sweet malty goodness, heavy creamy mouthfeel, bold raisin and booze blooms across my palate. A real hop-killer right here and great follow up. Overall, it's quite potent and in a blind test I'd put this in the same barrel as some of my go-to, quality old ales. This works exceptionally well on cask too. Perfectly old, strong, and modern all at the same time. Probably the best deal I've had on a pint in months.

There's very little information on this one, so feel free to comment if you have more details on malts, hops, and process.

I'm glad luck was in the wind, so I could participate in this final cask of Mayan Apocalypse,  which was originally released on December 21st, 2012. Relatively pleases we're all still here too (well... most of us, haha).  Cheers!

#052: Ithaca Beer Co. Multihead (Wild Hop Pale Ale) and Hoodoo Voodoo (Imperial Stout - cask & draft)

More unique creations from Ithaca Beer's 5-Barrel and Cask series...

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...

#039: Ithaca Beer Co. - Cascazilla (Red Ale aged on bourbon soaked oak)

Cask night at Ithaca Beer Taproom!

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Cascazilla (Red Ale aged on bourbon soaked oak)
Availability: Cask only (limited)
ABV: 7.3%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Story? On Monday, I received a note that a friend I hadn't seen in two years was going to be celebrating her birthday with a small crew at Ithaca Beer Taproom on Wednesday. Short notice... but, to hit IB on cask night? Twist my arm.

As with any short-run series and experimentation, Ithaca Beer's cask & 5-barrel series have had some real winners (see Black Mamba) and some less-memorable attempts, but they're always worth keeping up on. This weeks' phrase "Cascazilla aged on bourbon soaked oak" immediately caught my attention.

The Beer? For starters, we've got a fresh hop nose. It's dialed back from Cascazilla's usual ferocity, but as is to be expected from the cask and the oak. Now for the taste - nice smooth hops and very drinkable. Bourbon and oak we're an excellent experiment for one of my staple Ithaca brews.

A bit sweet at first, but then Cascazilla's dryness kicks in with noticeably (in perspective) more carbonation than in some of the other cask offerings, though nowhere near usual draft levels. The bourbon is mellow and eludes to vanilla extract, dancing around in the background.

This one really retains the hop beauty of Cascazilla in a subtler frame with mellowing of oak and semi-sweetening effects of the bourbon complexity.

#032: Ithaca Beer Co. - Wild Mamba (Belgian Black Ale) & Dark Mild (English Dark Mild)

Quick stop in for a gift turns into a couple quick tastings of draft-only ales...

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Wild Mamba (Belgian Black Ale)
Availability: Draft Only (5-Barrel Series)
ABV: 7.3%
Rating: 9/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Beer? Excellent. Juicy, dark Belgian glory right here. Brewed with honey and dark wheat. Definitely some wild stuff going on in here. Spices dancing with mild, dark sour notes. A dry finish with a bit of lemon - lemon grass, maybe? Subtle, sour dark fruits in the background - cherry for sure - along with nods to black tea and a Chai bitterness.

Very unique and one of the better Ithaca experiments in the new facility. Two thumbs up to put this in rotation!

The Brew: Dark Mild (English Dark Mild)
Availability: Draft Only (Cask Series)
ABV: 3.8%
Rating: 6.5/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Beer? Interesting session cask. As the name depicts, it's quite mild and with only 3.8%, we're really sticking to the English "Real Ale" tradition. Mild roasted flavor, mild hops, mild mouthfeel... hits the nail on the head on par with most of the real ales I put back in the UK last summer, but that's about it. Great after work, pre-dinner beer.

#013: Heavy Seas Alehouse (Visit & Tasting)

While in Baltimore for Maryland Deathfest, stopping in to Heavy Seas was a must...

Heavy Seas is generally available up here in Central, NY and plenty of six-packs, half-cases, and bombers have graced our refrigerators, but there's nothing quite like getting it from the source - especially when cask options and barrel aged brews are available.

We stopped in for lunch before our first day at Deathfest looking for a good meal and good ales before a weekend of festival food and drink and HS delivered. We drink 'em down right to left.

Powder Monkey: Pale Ale | 4.75% ABV
Very different on cask. Mild, roasted flavor. Bitter and a bit nutty, with a dry finish. Excellent with salty food like their house made chips.

Loose Cannon: American IPA | 7.25% ABV
Also on cask. Hoppy and smooth, while still being piney and bitter. One of the hoppier IPAs I've had on cask. Much of the hop characteristics are usually muted with the warm, almost uncarbonated style, but this still punches through. The finish is much earthier than in bottles. Great variation.

Riptide: White IPA | 7.25% ABV
Excellent. Bright and citrusy with a wonderful, prickly mouthfeel. A bit tart and tangy. Looking forward to picking this one up in bottles. No cask option on this one this time around.

Holy Sheet: Abbey Ale | 9% ABV
Brandy barrel aged "Uber Abbey Ale" from the Uncharted Waters series. Mmm... taste the barrels. Mildly boozy and nice oak notes. Sweet, but not too sweet - caramelly with hints of tropical fruit. Wonderful mouthfeel. Not heavy or sticky. Hints of vanilla extract in the finish.

Overall a wonderful ale house. I would have liked to see a few more local-only brew options on draft (or more tap options in general), but the food was great and the service was ultra friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. We were even graced with a "Apple Jack Sparrow" - a beer cocktail of their Imperial Stout with Fireball liquor and Green Apple Pucker, which was marvelous.

#009: Victory Brewing Company (Flights & Visit)

Last weekend my partner and I finally crossed one of our long-time favorite breweries off out "must visit" list - Victory Brewing Co. in Downington, PA. 

Strong, hoppy beer was the first thing that pulled me into a beer lover and I've consumed far more of Victory's Hop Devil than I could really keep track of. Storm King was my gateway into stouts. I'm missing time from several gatherings thanks to one too many delicious Golden Monkeys. While I've worked through just about every beer which they bottle, the only non-bottle brew I've tried is their wonderful Ranch Double IPA. 

All that changed as Victory had well over a dozen draft-only selections, including several one-offs for the recent Craft Brewers Conference. Lets jump in...