Ithaca Winterizer

Formerly brewed at Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ithaca, New York USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

Caramel aroma with a slight amount of fruit and chocolate. Dark amber color with a small white head. Dark and lightly sweet malt taste to start with getting more bitter in the finish. A little bit of roasted flavor in the ending. Mildly creamy.

Bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a clear deep ruby-brown with a spare diminishing tan head. Aroma of toasty caramel malt, coffee, spices, nuts and alcohol -- surpisingly nice. Flavour: Wow, I was not expecting to like this very much but it’s quite interesting and tasty: Roasted malt, spices, coffee, dark fruit and hops -- lots going on here. Alcohol reasonably well hidden. Medium bodied, low carbonation (but it suits it). What a pleasant surprise this was, I really liked it.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry and Blankboy, Harry’s bottle. Aroma of alcohol, malt, some spice. Brown, small white head. Really nice taste - spicy, nutty, some hops and alcohol. A really nice take on the spicy winter ale.

Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy. Bright, deep burnt brass, smallish frothy beige head. Odd aroma - vaguely reminiscent of latex paint - alcohol, roast acidic nuttiness, slight pine resin; spicy. Mild roast in the taste, but lurking pungent hop and burnt fruit, cold coffee, cinnamon husks, nut oil - kind of estery, oddly reminds me of a fruity altbier. Light, slick body, quite acidic in a subtle way, oily malt up front, but carbonized and bitter in the fairly long finish. Would probably mellow down to something even more interesting with a year in the cellar. Someone more alcohol at this point than I would prefer.

Brown, off-white small tan head that fades. instantly. Nose is caramel malts and a touch of roast. Spice is predominant: pumpkin pie spices, pumpkin fruit in general, cinnamon and clove. Slight dark fruit presence. Taste is extremely spicy, with a slight toffee and chocolate character near the finish. Very spice-forward, never had anything like it. Nutmeg and cinnamon, nutty and only slightly sweet. Aftertaste slightly bitter. High carbonation, slight mouthfeel.

This is one spicy brew! Very well balanced for a seasonal beer. Nice malty, fruity and spice flavor. Pours a dark amber, almost black, with thin white head. Has a strong banana flavor with hints of nutmeg. Very good for a seasonal beer.

UPDATED: SEP 5, 2008 chocolate, coffee, alcohol, brown- black in color, heavy cloying sweetness, medium bitterness, full body, thick feel, average carbonation, long finish. GREAT BEER!

Draught at Hop Devil, NYC. Dark amber, offwhite head. Malty aroma, vinous notes, some cinnamon, fruity and with banana notes. Fruity flavor, roasted, candy, some banana, some chocolate.