Ithaca Excelsior! Le Bleu

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Ithaca, New York USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Okay. Super over-carbonated. This kind of reminded me of a soda that is almsot all carbonated water, and no syrup. The funk was lost somewhere along the way it seems. Maybe we got a bad bottle, but this was pretty weak.

Thanks to Exiled for sharing this great American sour. The beer pours an orange-pink color with a huge white head. Not sure why, but I was expecting the beer to be blue colored so it was a little disappointing to have it be the color it was. It is very strange but the beer is popping like Rice Krispies after it pours. The aroma is pretty strong blueberries once the beer settles down, but at first the aroma is a strong funk. The flavor is tart blueberries with some light funk, oak and medium tartness. Very high carbonation and medium mouthfeel. The beer is very good, but the carbonation could be toned down a little bit. With this much carbonation, I can see why people have had bottles explode on them.

Pours amber/bluish with stark white head, fizzy. Aroma is big earth, musty funk with some vinegar and blueberries. Taste up front is very subtle subdued blueberries leading into a nice sour with tons of funk, and a dry finish. Wish there was more blueberry character, but a nice funky sour.

I think this one was also ucusty at Carolina Goes Sour. Thanks man! Was excited for this one since I hadn’t tried a blueberry sour/lambic yet. This brew was very sweet, slightly tart, and sadly not as much blueberry as i was expecting. Could barely pick out the blueberry. It was still a great beer, but would have liked more blueberry. Would like to try another bottle to see if there’s a difference.

bottle batch e!021. Under the plastic wrapper was leaked dried beer and as the cap was removed there was actually rust forming around the edges of the cap from the beer forced out. the cork popped without any foaming but this was chilled real cold before opening. color is a pink orange with crackling carbonation and a foamy pink head. aroma has hefty acidic tartness, damp yeast, faint blueberry, and a hit of sour cherry. nice crisp mouth feel with you guessed it lots of champagne like carbonation. the flavor is actually quite tart with a nice lactic acid snap. I did not think this would be so sour. there is some blueberry but it takes a backseat to the sourness and has a nice refreshing real berry taste. my only complaint about this is an odd damp soap thing in the finish that throws it off a bit for me. the big carbonation works for me in the beer but it clearly is so much it pushed the liquid right out of the bottle. I drank this because I went to move this in my fridge and the bottle was stuck to the glass shelf from the leaking beer.

750ml bottle poured into flute glass. Interesting pour, light rosiness in color with a purplish hue to the head, very bubbly pour. Tart berries, barnyard funk on the nose. High carbonation with crisp mouthfeel. Taste of blueberries and bret on the pallet, great beer.

Year 1 bottling. Purpley copper body, fine champagne head w. maybe a hint of purple. Nose is fruity tartness up front, horsey & lemon brett, wood, acidity, white grapes. Flavor is very tart berries, maybe a little mousey & horsey, wood. Fruit opens up a bit in the middle - unripe strawberry, pinapple. More wood & brett in the finish.

750 ml bottle; thanks Frank!! Pours bright, purple orange with fizzy purple head; like drinking a light blueberry fizzy soda; slight tartness with blueberries and sweet mouthfeel; fruit seems raw and kind of cheap; so fizzy and over carbonated though with the champagne yeast; either way too young or not really my kind of thing

Le bleu (750ml bottle from a recent trade)... Pours a deeper shade of fruit punch koolaid wirhxaxthin soapy white head... Aroma of funky barnyard alongside with some lighter fruit but nothing discernably blueberry but nice regardless... Flavorwise are quite similar with sour/tart essence but not so acidic and vinegary. Effervescent personality meshes well with it’s former qualities. Highly quaffable with medium to high carbonation. 8/4/7/4/16

POurs a weird reddish color. Blueberry? Massive, off-white head. Mostly sharp in the nose. Very sharp in the mouth. POW! Crisp finish. Mostly sharp and crisp. Pretty good.