#286: Ithaca Beer Co. » Ahtanamus, Rustic Harvest, Java Power, Lucifer Falls, Embrrr, Dark Vine

(left to right!)

After sipping on Ithaca's most astringent brew yet, Sour Pi, it was time to dive into what else I'd been missing.

Ahtanumus (Single-Hop Pale Ale) | ABV: 6.8% 
Named for the hop itself, Ahtanumus opens the flight with a soft, highly floral nose - perfume-like with delicate grapefruit and subtle herbal notes. There's a bit more bite on the palate, with orange rind & zest in the finish. A versatile, easy drinking, and elegant, single-hop showcase.

Rustic Harvest (Red IPA) | ABV: 7.2%
I'm already familiar with Rustic before this extended flight as the newcomer in the 2014 edition of Box of Hops. Kicking off with an assertive nose of earth and spice, citrus and rye dance on the tongue with some light, boozy esters sprinkled in. There's the mildest hint of wild strawberry in there too.

Java Power (Coffee IPA) | ABV: 7.2% 
Coffee and hops? What is this world coming to? Beer bliss, actually. Java's light & roasted nose is well coupled with citrus hop notes. Smooth coffee bitterness elevates the malts & uniquely suqares the soft grapefruit hops flavors. Espresso notes are revealed further through. An innovative brew worth noting.

Seventeen (see full review)

Lucifer Falls (Belgian-style) | ABV: 8.9%
Big candi sugar nose reals me into this one. It's sweet, with a pale complexion. Interesting! Intriguing! Vanilla and faint medicinal aromas are followed by bold flavors & mouthfeel. Herbal mint, stern alcohol presence, honey, and bourbon flavors are out front, supported by a bit of heat on the way down. Banana & clove shine even further in. A new 5-barrel favorite for sure.

Embrrr (Rye Porter) | ABV: 6.6
I've been digging this one for most of this season, plus it was my go-to beer during Big Day In. It's huge coffee nose is threaded with a touch of rye spice. Mild star anise aromas are present as well. A great northeast fall/winter brew. This one kicks it on draft for sure. The bottles are great, but get it on draft where you can.

Dark Vine (Imperial Black IPA) | ABV: 9.5%
My definitive favorite from this year's Box of Hops as it's as big and malty as it is big and hoppy. Dark Vine is deep dark-brown gold in a glass. An alluring ester alcohol nose, backed by smooth citrus hops, swirling with dark malts and sweet candy aromas. Onto the palate, it's juicy, but dark, akin to a chocolate covered orange. A mild dryness finishes out the brew and brings a touch of spice. This one I definitely like better bottled, where it's a touch sweeter and malt forward, like a hoppy, sweet barleywine, though it is nice & lively on tap.

#209: Owl House » 3 Heads Amalgamation, Spoetzl Shiner FM 966, Ace Perry Cider, B. Nektar Black Fang, Scaldis Peche Mel

Before meeting up with family for my Father's birthday, I got to sneak in bunch and drinks with one of my best friends up in Rochester at one of my favorite restaurants and beer spots - Owl House. Amazing food and drinks for those who haven't been.

Three Heads Bewing » Amalgamation (Brown Ale) ABV: 6.5% | 9/10
It takes a lot for me to get excited about a brown, as previously stated. Double browns will usually do it, but those are relatively rare. Make it a Brown from Rochester's 3HB, and I'm listening. They've been concocting tasty brews for several years now, and Amalgamation is no exception.

It's a roasted, full-bodied, BIG brown ale that can hang with any other modern style. Mild hop notes merge with a huge, complex malt palate. Nutty, with notes of caramel, toffee, and overall residing on the bitter side. Surprisingly tasty.

Ace Perry (Cider) ABV: 4% | 9.4/10
To be honest, I grabbed this because my other choice had just kicked and it was the only thing on the beer menu I hadn't already had (besides those listed here). Total fluke choice.

The result? Amazing. No seriously. A pear cider that I absolutely love. Smooth and sweet, but not at all sugary. Silky tropical notes with sweet pear. I have to find this. It won't be for everyone, but to me it's fucking amazing.

B. Nektar Meadery » Black Fang (Mead) ABV: 6% | 9.1/10
Crafted with honey, blackberry, clove and orange zest; B. Nektar delivers again with a sweet, mild, velvety, and tart mead that is simply delicious.

Scaldis Peche Mel (Fruit Beer) ABV: 8.5% | 8.7/10
Sweet and delicate with juicy peach notes backed by subtle, smooth Belgian beer that offers just the slightest dryness on the finish.

Spoetzl Brewery » Shiner FM 966 (Farmhouse Ale) ABV: 5.7% | 8.5/10
A highly citrus farmhouse. With a light mouthfeel and highly delicate flavor spectrum, this one is a bit too subtle for my palate. Good, but a bit underwhelming.

#008: Hopshire Farms and Brewery (Flight & Visit)

1771 Dryden Rd, Freeville, NY - 13068

The Story? Here in Central NY, we're lucky to be graced with a plethora of quality craft breweries - Ithaca Beer, Empire Brewing, Bacchus Brewing, Horseheads Brewery, and dozens of others.

As of Friday, May 10th, you can add one more to that list - Hopshire Farm & Brewery. Excellent visuals and associations come to mind from that great name. Last week, my partner and I lined up for their opening night tasting.

Hopshire's claim to fame, in addition to quality beer, will be their eco/sustainability-friendly farm, brewery, and overall processes and ethos. The beer is brewed with as many local ingredients as possible (presuming many of which will eventually be grown on site), a sand bed under the tasting room stores waste heat from the brewing process to heat the main building. Tubing buried in a spring behind the building circulates water for cooling their fermentors and aging room.  Plans are in the works for a biomass boiler, solar water heating, and other energy generation to become climate neutral. Great to have such 21st century minds involved with one of the world's most ancient of traditions.

The Beer? "What does all this mean for the beer they brew?", you ask. Well, the first few words and phrases I read are - "Honey", "Cherry", "Ginger", "Fuggle hops", "6 different barley malts", and "laced with hops". My dear readers, we are in for an excellent ride.

Beehave: Honey Blond Ale | 4.2% ABV | 10 IBUs
VERY light. A great start for a flight. The honey in this brew quickly brings out mead-like qualities a few sips in. Clean, dry, with a very quick finish. Solid summer beer or a gateway for dry wine or mead fans. Not sweet as you may expect from anything including honey in its ingredients.

Bloosom: Cherry Wheat | 4.5% ABV | 20 IBUs
We've got another light, dry one here!  Not too wheaty, which is great for me. Puckered hints of cherry with prickly carbonation. Quite a nice, fresh taste and not minerally at all. A subtle, different ale.

Zingabeer: Belgian Pale with Ginger | 5.5% ABV | 18 IBUs
Two ginger brews in one week! This one presents itself with a much spicier nose than Left Hand's Juju (#007 review). Nice spice up front on the taste as well. The Belgian style really lends itself to this concept. As with the Beehave, there's a quick finish, so the ginger doesn't linger far on your tongue, though it is still noticeable on the noise-breath out. Rooty brew for any ginger lover.

Daddy-O: English Pale Ale | 6.2% ABV | 41 IBUs
Mmmm... a pleasant change of pace here. Malty, like an English ale should be. Bitter, but not hoppy. Lots of roasted flavor and deep character without trying to reinvent anything. Easy drinking... but not too easy. This is a real beer, boy, take it slow!  Solid.

Shire Ale: Scottish Ale | 6.3 ABV | 30 IBUs
Whoa, now they're switching it up.... there's a lot going on in this one. Malty, malt, malts - there are hops in there, but I'm far too distracted by all the lovely, sweet, oaty goodness going on in this one. I'm going to need a few more tastes to pull everything out of this one (oh woe). Overall a rich, complex take on a brown ale - a sentence which doesn't spring from these lips much. Recommended.

Near Varna: India Pale Ale | 7.5% ABV | 74 IBUs
Laced with hops indeed!  Bitter citrus with a wet finish (which is great considering the IBU's on this one). Longest finish of the batch for sure - adding hops five times during the boil and in the serving tank will do it. If you're looking for a big, bold American IPA that you can still put back several pints and not fret about your tongue turning to sandpaper - rock this one.

Overall, a solid first batch of brews with a little something for everyone - sessions, hop and malt-centric, and a few unique variations. All Hopshire beer at the brewery is tasting or growlers only at the moment - no pints - but they will fill half growlers in addition to your traditional American 1/2 gallon or your German 2 liter. Very much looking forward to how this new brewery progresses, especially considering their next three in the line up are called Sneaky Weasel, Shenanigans, and Dragon's Milk - with those names and their record so far, I'm sure more good, creative things are on the way.