Ithaca Excelsior! Ten

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

750ml. Nose was just great: red candy, cherry, strawberry, nice clean aromatic hops. Color was also very nice: a dirty ruby with a light brown head. Flavor made me think it was either hastily made or a bit too old: very grassy, sharp, and dead hops. Everpresent alcohol. One of the double reds that is not excellent.

750 ml bottle. Pours a cloudy reddish brown color with a small beige head. The aroma is rich malty caramel, vanilla with a hoppiness that has mellowed I’m sure. I do get some resiny, citrusy and earthy notes but they are not strong. The flavor shows a bit more hoppiness than the nose. Again, this has become more malt dominant with caramel and vanilla leading the charge. The alcohol is present, but not pushy. Medium bodied, dry earthy bitterness in finish.

2008 bottle from sammy, thanks! Brown color. Peach, plums and mango in the very fruity aroma. Medium to full bodied. Malty sweet, almost sugary flavor with caramel, oily hops, pear, grapefruit and dried plums. Red berries. Sweet, alcoholic but characterful strong ale.

Out of the bottle at my sister’s place in Farmington. Deep murky copper color with a foamy head. Nose of alcohol, dark fruit, melted caramel and raisen bread. Really big taste. Lots of alcohol, caramel, toffee, dried fruit and spice. Almost dusty cinnamon in the finish. Raw hop burn with lots of grass and resin. Pretty hot beer.

Bottle. Poured dark brown color with a large frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted malt, alcohol and dark fruit aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture with soft carbonation. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish and small alcohol burn of moderate to long duration. This is a solid complex brew.

Bottle. Exceptionally beautiful pour of deep, dark red with a big pile of foam on top. Big hoppy and caramel-malt aroma. Robust drinker here, too, with a fully rounded, almost syrupy caramel malt core and a tangy, acidic bitterness that caps it off quite nicely. (#3790, 1/10/2010)

Just what is a red ale? One of the broader beer styles, it is widely accepted as a beer that is clean, relatively bitter and sweet, with a slightly dry palate. That being said, there is much a brewer, professional and home, can do to give this beer style their own personal stamp of love. The fine folks at Ithaca know this very well, and so they have offered upon us their Excelsior Ten, Batch #E!OII, Imperial American Extra Special Double Red Ale. A bit of an extravagant name, I shall have to taste and see for myself if it is as deserving of the pomp and circumstance they have bestowed upon it.

Dirty reds and dirty browns settle in my glass while a bubbly ring clings in shallow desperation. Not much head or lace to speak of, but as I tease the murky burnt contents below, a huge bellow of brandy and rummy aromas slap me upside the head. It all makes sense now; a voluminous head would have just gotten in the way of a massively aggressive nose which demands no less than 100% of my attention. Brandy, rum, brown spices, wood, chili peppers, chocolate, and licorice are married in rich boozy perfection. Oh yes, did I forget to mention this is a high-octane beer? My bad. His alcohol presence is heavy and sweet and pleasantly balanced. I don’t think we’re in red ale country anymore, but I’m not complaining. Our first kiss is equally sweet, boozy, and wonderfully sloppy. Rum, brandy, and wood predominate, their warm fingers working their way through my heart and deep into my soul where they linger long through our intimate tryst. His sweet booze is everywhere, complimenting burnt maple crunchies, smoky spicy tobacco leaves, candied red apples, and cinnamon sticks sprinkled atop slightly charred toast. Deliciously thirst-quenching, he also inspires a deep, unquenchable thirst for more, making his palate dangerously quaffable. Every aspect works together harmoniously to successfully seduce my initially critical palate. As I ravage the last rummy spiced candied apple drop, my breath exudes tobacco and wood.

Red ale? Maybe, but at this point I really don’t care, a fine tribute to just how tasty the Excelsior Ten Batch #E!OII Imperial American Extra Special Double Red Ale was and is. Amazingly balanced for his boozy palate, never at any given moment were his merits as a Red Ale overrun and underscored.

Bottle:   Dirty caramel, dark, slight reddish hue, moderate foamy sand colored head, spotty lacing.   A little bit of sediment is going around.   Pine, citrus peel, caramel, and hops on the nose.   I detect a bit of an alcohol fume too.   Citrus peel, wood, caramel, and the aformentioned hops on the tongue.   Certainly comes across as a meaty Amber/Red type beer.   Somewhat sweet, good malt base, caramel like, with a soft backround of hops and citrus peel.   Although I could detect alcohol on the nose, it is not all that apparent on the tongue.   Fairly smooth, clean on the exit.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.   Nothing really fancy, but for a big Amber/Red I think they did a fairly good job.   Just about finished the bottle and WOW am I feeling it now.   Thanks to the Nothman for sending a few this way for Hard Liver!