Friday Beer O'clock Selections

 

Ithica Excelsior! White Gold - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 2-11-2011

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This week's Friday Beer O'Clock Selection hits us from Ithica Brewing Co. Ithica NY. Excelsior! Series White Gold.

From the Bottle:

The Excelsior! Series is our premium lineup of hand-crafted specialty beers, issued in extremely limited runs. They meld complimentary flavors while defying existing style guidelines. We search the world for the finest ingredients, and lovingly use them with both ancient and cutting-edge techniques in the most artistic and exacting way. These beers are unfiltered, hand-packaged and bottle-conditioned. Each one is alive, has a unique personality and may be cellared indefinitely. Cheers!

Rustic Pale Wheat Ale - A Belgo-American ale brewed with domestic barley and French wheat malts, the finest continental and US grown hops, and fermented with Belgian, English and Wild yeasts.  Enjoy the glowing opaque appearance, fruity and herbal aromas, zesty mouthfeel and bone-dry finish.

Batch# E!025

ABV: 8%

Appearance: Poured with a light golden stream forming 1-2 finger head that was short lived, but left an nice thin froth layer with thick collar with heavy thick lacing that coated the sides of the glass. Turbidity is high, with an opaque cloudiness. Held up to a light reveals a good amount of bubbling.

Aroma: Immediately hit with strong wheat and white grapes on top with a grassy vanilla and citrus hops undertone. Overall, a sweeter aroma.

Taste: Sour apples/grapes up front but with some sweetness, Malty lemon zest and wheat in the middle and Tart on the back. Finishes with a slight sweet/sour bitterness on the roof. Very different from what I expected. Alcohol presents itself here a tiny bit.

Feel: Crisp and clean mouth. A medium body with a bit of chewiness, good carbonation and dry finish.

Drinkability: I'd say this has good drinkability. The crisp clean feel gives it a refreshing character, but some might be turned off by the tartness.

Overall, this is a unique brew with lots to explore. Characters open up as the brew warms and presents more of a spicy hop flavor. To be honest, I'm a bit thrown off by teh tartness and I'm not sure how to describe this one accurately. In the end, I guess it almost reminds me of a tart tripel. 

If you've tried this one, what do you think?

Filed under  //   Ithica brewing co   english pale ale   wheat ale  
Posted February 11, 2011 by Ed Stafford