Ithaca Excelsior! Eleven

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Stout
Ithaca, New York USA

Nose is great, woody, very full roasted and toasted grain, chocolate. Don’t get any coffee. Pour didn’t have much head, very dark, mostly black with an off color of brown/cola. Rich palate, thick and chewy, tiny bubbles, coffee beans, some dark fruit, the coffee adds a dry and acidic profile and is interesting. Complex, nice stuff.

Great beer! Aroma was nice. Strong coffee aroma. Smells like an actual cup of coffee. Pour was perfect. Deep dark black with a pillowy, big bubbled thick tan head. Taste was also spectacular. Strong coffee with hints of chocolate with a bitter mouth drying aftertaste. One of the best stouts I’ve had this year. Nice strong carbonation. Very nice.

Bottle. Pours near black with a beige head. Smells like coffee, with a light sweetness. The flavor has a ton of coffee, roasted malt, and a light sweetness. Pretty good, but rather one dimensional.

Poured from 750ml bottle / This might be what I would call "A tale of two stouts." One side is burnt, ashtray, garbage coffee; and the other side is a rich, smooth, creamy flavor. It’s the Waffle House coffee with cream stout! But damn’ed if I don’t like it. Rater "Notalush" (see below) is right on with his comment: "they must have used some seriously crappy coffee in this..." The label claims using "locally roasted Sumatra Coffee," but this is a highly dubious statement. The creamy finish--with the burnt coffee still there--is what redeems this stout for me.

Near black in color. Large, beige head that leaves ample lace on the glass. No light shines through the glass, even on the edge. Deep dark chocolate and earthy nose. No coffee smell at all. The flavor continues the aroma profile except drier but with an essence of dried fruit, like raspberries and sour cherries. Lots of burnt toast! On the tongue, there’s a strong bitterness that is similar to coffee grounds--very surprising. Not at all creamy or sweet. Long lasting, black patent malt aftertaste. Overall, a very different stout with extraordinary burnt malt flavors.

750ml Bottle (Batch E!016): Aroma of coffee, wood, chocolate, oak, roasting, ash, Oreo cookie crumbles, coffee grinds, and cream or milk. Poured dark brown in color with a medium-sized, loose, rocky, brown head that diminished but lasted throughout. Cloudy and opaque. Lightly sparkling. Full of medium-sized particles throughout. Flavor is light to medium bitter and slightly sweet. Tastes of coffee, roasting, chocolate, wood, ash, Oreo cookie crumbles, coffee grinds, light lactose, and a hint of cream. Medium body. SLightly dry, slightly chalky texture. Average carbonation. Coffee, ash, light chocolate, Oreo cookie finish is slightly dry and slightly chalky. AVB, whatever it is, is not noticeable.

(Draught) Pours a black body with a medium beige head. Aroma of smoke, coffee, subtle roasted hatch peppers, and some chocolate. Flavor of smoke, roasted malt, ash, coffee, caramel, and chocolate with a dry finish.

(bottle - 750 ml) Dark black with a thin brown head. Aroma is lots of coffee with some very mild chocolate flavor. Smells like a cup of coffee. Flavor is a lot of roasted malts and coffee grounds with a light chocolate and caramel undertone. Some slightly nutty notes as well. Lingering bitter aftertaste. A bit thin, but I liked it.