Bottle from Capone’s. Pours turbid burnt umbery with some ruby and dark brown highlights and a huge, fluffy 3-finger khaki head. The aroma is a beautiful behemoth medley of piney hops, pineapple, mango, black pepper, vinous fruit, and caramel malt...very Dreadnaughty aroma. The taste is heavy caramel malt matched by a huge hop bill, giving an array of the aforementioned citrus and tropical fruits. As it warms, the fruit emerges even more and I even noted a late cognacy spirit flavor. The palate is rich, with more than enough malt to expertly balance the hops. My only beef is that it gets a tiny bit hot late, but that heat just adds to the allure here, taking nothing away from the drinkability of this gem, one of the finer IPAs I’ve ever quaffed. Ithaca continues to blow me away with their aggressive beers, made with a technical expertise that others may misinterpret as a thumb in the eye to traditional styles. Beers this awesome don’t come from a Cracker Jack box, fellas.

Batch E!006. Pours a lightly hazy deep ruby red/amber/golden with a large foamy/creamy off white lacing head. Aroma of orange peel, tropical fruits, pine, toffee, caramel, toasted malt, very floral, I love the mix of sweet malts and fruits that come across in this aroma. Flavor of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, some nuts, pine, grapefruit, orange peel, floral notes, other various fruits, earthy. Very nice balance of sweetness along with a nice dose of hop bitterness and flavor. Well done beer, I like the move towards more of an Imperial Amber as opposed to your standard Double IPA. Between this and Old Habit Ithaca needs to keep this big beer series going strong. Right up my alley.

Bottle, Batch E!006, first bottle purchased from Finger Lakes Beverage Center, Ithaca, NY. Pours a ruddy brown, ruby red in direct light. Off-white to tan head, 2-finger, big bubbles, lasts considerably and laces beautifully. Nose is a cascade bomb: grapefruit, pine resin, sweet candied fruits and raisins - very assertive hop aroma. Taste is more balanced but still strongly hoppy: citrus in tangerine and grapefruit, slight fruity sweetness, very nice caramel malt backbone mellows everything out. Slight peppery spiciness, perhaps from the tinge of alcohol in the finish. Lasting, strongly bitter aftertaste. Rasping on the palate, creamy with very fine and strong carbonation. Excellent. Right there with Old Habit at the top of Ithaca’s stable. Rerate: Had this on tap last night. Even better than when I first tried it, with a subtle but perceptible smoked malt note in the taste and a wonderful, sublime aroma.

Slightly cloudy dark copper color wiyh a thick, creamy beige head. A really pretty beer. Aroma of pungent hops - lots of pine and grapefruit - along with a honey-like sweetness. As nice as it is, the aroma is outdone by the flavor. Sweet, earthy, and fruity is balanced perfectly with aggressive hops. Balanced may even be the wrong word - this is like a slugfest between the sweet malt and pungent hops - as soon as you think one is going to overpower, the other makes a comeback. Thick, sticky body makes for a long finish. Outstanding beer, Ithaca seems to be constantly outdoing themselves lately.

thanks nhorweeen (never rated this the first time). says 9.9% on the bottle, batch E!009. wow, i haven’t had a beer like this in a long time. pours a thick murky cherry wood brown with a quarter inch of dirty mustard brown foam. can smell the soapy hops from a mile away. super soapy, but a decent bit of malts, making it a bit like bigfoot. the slightly flat mouthfeel is perfect for this beer, as is the fridge temperature. very very sweet, raisins, vanilla, lots of underlying fruit. the white sox are so bad, my god.