Ithaca Cascazilla

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Amber Ale
Ithaca, New York USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

12 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is roasted malty and slight breadish and grapefruity hops. Bitter and solid hoppy flavoured. Lingering grapefruity hoppy and dry finish.

Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of jleblanc. Pours a clear amber with a dense off-white head. Sweet caramel in the nose with some citrusy hops. Medium body, dry caramel notes and again citrusy hops. There’s a medicinal, herbal touch. Ends dry but not overly bitter. 150311

Bottle at Village Pourhouse. Pours a dark brown with thick frothy beige head. It just looks intimidating. Aromas are pure cascade hops, most citrus notes. As the beer warmed up a little the citrus turned to pine and resin aromas, as did the flavor. Bitter all the way through, like drinking wood, just the faintest amount of sweet malt underneath. The finish was powerful and long, mouthwateringly bitter, and complex. Flavors of lemon pith and cedar wood. Kind of silly, but I’d drink it again.

Cascazilla is a light to medium brown with a khaki head. There is a strong citrus aroma to this beer and bitterness of the hops has staying power that does not end abruptly There is a mild sweetness in the medium body beer.

Sampled at the SLC Holiday Tasting. Hazy red brown pour with a good head. Aroma of toasted malt, caramel and citrus hops. Flavor is a bit sweet with a nice balancing citrus hop bitterness on the finish. A pretty straightforward IPA.

Bottle @ Utah Holiday Tasting: Malty, lots of fresh citrus hops (dry I presume) and some deep caramel and light sherry notes in the flavor. Nice clean finish and a lingering hop presence.

Poured a 12oz bottle into a seidel mug.

A: Like muddy water - extremely hazy, virtually opaque brown. Decent head - tan, foamy, no lacing. Ok retention.

S: Brewed with cascade hops alright. It’s tropical fruit and citrus with a piney backbone.

T: I’ll bet this beer is dry hopped. From start to finish it’s a fairly intense hop bitterness and noticeably dry. Like liquid sand. I get a biscuity malt texture and taste, not unlike an Irish red. Citrus and tropical fruits are strong up front. As it warms it becomes more piney.

M: Intense dry bitterness. Fruit flavor doesn’t linger very long, but neither do the hops. Slighty crisp body, not syrupy.

D: Arrid taste and feeling can be annoying if you’re not a hophead (but I am, so I liked it). 7% ABV seems perfect here.

Overall a tasty, robust beer, but not very complex. Very enjoyable.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR3bjU-V4h8

On tap. Red brown with medium head. Aroma is malty with bread and a background of hops. Full bodied, alcohol not detectable. Flavors mainly dry but not overwhelming hops but also a lot of malt, some sweetness and toasty flavors. Nice balance. Doesn’t really seem like an IPA to me but nevertheless quite good.