Ichabod Ale 2007
Alpine Beer Company

Ichabod Ale 2007Ichabod Ale 2007
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From:
Alpine Beer Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
6.6%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.19 | pDev: 10.02%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
36
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 02, 2014
Added:
Oct 31, 2004
Wants:
  59
Gots:
  0
Belgian Brown Ale aged 3 months in Calloway Vineyard's red wine oak barrels with cinnamon, nutmeg (fresh, hand-ground) and Pumpkin + wild yeast.

Every time this beer is made, a different base beer is used but the main ingredients remain - Pumpkin, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. 6-7%ABV
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Gusler:
Photo of Gusler
Reviewed by Gusler from Arizona

4.17/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
The beer after its pour from the 22-ounce brown bottle sets in the glass a limpid burnished copper color with a behemothic creamy light tan head that after ever so slowly dematerializing leads to a full coating of lace around the glass. Nose is spicy with pumpkin and nutmeg with hints of clove and the sweet grain, start is lightly sweet with a pleasing grain profile, the top is fair to middling in its feel. Finish is hardy in its acidity, the hops delectably spicy and the pumpkin lingers on in the very dry aftertaste, a real “Hoot” of a beer, my thanks to my favorite bartender “Magnificent Melanie and my old friend Sean” for this bottle.
Apr 12, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by nmann08 from Virginia

May 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Photekut from Tennessee

May 19, 2013
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Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Looks like I forgot to put my review of this one up. Thanks for sharing it, Henry!

A: The pour is a slightly hazed red amber color with a small off-white head.

S: Still a fair amount of spice notes for a beer that's 3 years old. Nutmeg and allspice really come through with some lactic tartness but it's not really all that powerful. Some notes of dark fruit (mainly cherries) are present as well.

T: A more pronounced sourness to the flavor and this beer is plenty dry. Again, lots of nutmeg, allspice, and perhaps even some cinnamon. A mild sweetness, but mostly dry, tart cherries.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation and a nice dry finish.

D: I'm glad to have finally tried this beer. Definitely an interesting one, but I really liked it. Not something you see everyday, if nothing else.
Nov 19, 2010
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Reviewed by hophead247 from California

3.16/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Not a big fan of pumpkin beers, and this one just added to my dislike of the style. Pours a golden orange color with a nice head. I all can smell was malt...no hop or pumpkin presence at all. Wasn't a bad malt smell, just expecting more. A faint pumpkin flavor was in the taste, followed by roasted malts, bread, and minimal hop flavor. Very sessionable, but not to my liking.
Feb 15, 2010
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

4.29/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2007 sour vintage. Bottle purchased and consumed at Downtown Johnny Brown's 22nd Anniversary party on 10/2/2009, split with Phischy (RIP) and Riko and poured into a pint glass. The beer is reddish amber with a small off white head.

The nose is immediately tart with dark cherry and lactic notes. Spices are evident in the form of nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Pumpkin is detectable at a low level and the bready malt provides a solid foundation for the interesting combination of holiday spices and tartness. Oak is present, as well as a touch of vanilla.

The flavor opens up with pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and all spice. The malt is bready, and a low moderate level of tartness quickly steps in to add a unique complexity to the beer. Dark cherries are evident, as well as oak, and tannins. The beer is full medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel.

The combination of lactic notes, tart cherries, and traditional pumpkin beer is unique and very enjoyable.
Oct 05, 2009
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Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

3.53/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle thanks to Naven. Pours a murky brown/amber with a thick light tan head. Aroma of allspice, pumpkin pie, pumpkin crust, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet molasses, and sour wood. Flavor is sweet initially, sort of oaky/woodsy and sour spices. This was pretty interesting with the sour ale/ pumpkin spices. A little wearing/sweet by the end but decent.
Jul 14, 2009
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Reviewed by sweetbrew82 from California

3.62/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bomber

Picked this one up at the store after eyeing it for months, all the while thinking this was the 5.00% dunkelweizen. Why would I think that? Because that's what the damn label says! So, the fact that it was already after Thanksgiving (and pumpkin dunkelweizen just kind of loses it's ring to it in mid-February) made it hard for me to pull the trigger on the purchase. But low and behold, I crack it open and it's brimming with Brett! That's right, the 6.6% wild ale is, somehow, in the 5.00% dunkelweizen-labeled bottle. What a weird, and fuckin' unexpected treat!!! On to the task at hand...

P: It's a very dark, leathery brown beer with garnet highlights shining in through the edges. The light brown, two inch head is soapy and loosely packed with small bubbles. Showed okay retention, barely managing to form a thin halo on top.

A: First whiff reminds me a little of sweet pumpkin rolls. Obviously, the nutmeg and cinnamon are there with Brett's funky ass hanging out in the back. Wish it had more power to it, though.

T: This is interesting, that's for sure. The pumpkin is obvious, but I thought the nutmeg and cinnamon were much more pronounced, trying to hog all the attention. The pale malts are lightly toasted and very thin. They struggle to hold up under the weight of the flavors. The red wine stays behind the scenes, and I get some earthy hops underneath as well. Unlike in the nose, the Brett is in the foreground delivering some nice flavor that stays mellow and restrained. The downfall of this beer, at least for me, was the weird puckering astringency near the finish. It wasn't as bad when it was cold, but the warmer it gets, the tougher it is to drink. I know this is probably a tad past its prime, but has it gone bad in 5 friggin' months?

M: The mouthfeel weighs in just somewhere between light and medium, with a thin & watery taste that feels like it's overloaded by the flavors.

Notes: Some of the flavors that are here are nice. The pumpkin and Brett make for an oddball couple, but I like it. Just that damn astringency on the end just kind of killed it for me. Drinkability definitely suffers for this. As is, I'm a bit disappointed.
Apr 11, 2009
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Reviewed by ncvbc from North Carolina

4.44/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep, dark, with brownish hues. Very nice color with medium frothy tan head and decent retention. Smell is awesome. Chocolate sweetness that is delicately spiced. Pumpkin and nutmeg, some cinnamon. The kicker is the sour undertones from Brett and red wine. that compliment this beer wonderfully. Taste is about as great but with a bit more of a pumpkin and spice flavor coming through. If this were perhaps more subtle it would be perfect. A light toasted bread again with chocolate and some caramel. Mouthfeel is nice and smooth, pretty full feeling for the alcohol content. A very light dryness in the finish, but a thirst quenching one that is soon followed by another sip. Very drinkable beer. Could easily knock down a couple bombers if more were on hand. The only complaint in my book is a little much in the spice department when it comes to flavor. It's on a more toned down level than a true Pumpkin beer or something of that nature but still too apparent here. I like what they've done with this beer. I only wish I had more for later.

A big thanks goes to mikesgroove for the chance to try this through one of his many LIF's. I'm surely not the only one who thinks Mike is as stand up as it gets and this is proof of his extreme generosity and passion for beer.
Nov 24, 2008
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Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22oz bottle acquired in trade with odeed (thanks!). 2007 Vintage.

Poured a medium brownish color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of wood, light pumpkin, very light spices, vanilla, and lightly vinous. Tastes of the same with some more vanilla. The spices and pumpkins were not overpowering.

Notes from 2/8/08
Nov 11, 2008
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Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.32/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Wow, a barrel aged, bretted, pumpkin beer....this is a first, here we go.

A-Hazy, reddish hued dark brown with a medium fluffy, white head that left behind decent lace.

S-Mmmmm...interesting. Notes of pumpkin spice, oaken red wine casks, apple and the unmistakable overlying sting of sour, musty Brett.

T-It all works out in the end. Really interesting and highly complex. All of the parts come together to be great than the sum. Red wine dryness, pumpkin spices, brown ale maltiness and the Brett swirl, dodge and mingle into a funky dance on my palate!

M-Medium bodied with a fair amount of creaminess at the start finishing tart and rather dry.

D-A fine and very complex brew. A bit to busy to drink pint after pint but to sit and enjoy a snifter or two....certainly. Without question one of the best "all of those things together in one glass?" beers I have had. It works quite well!
Sep 13, 2008
Photo of kirok1999
Reviewed by kirok1999 from Ohio

3.37/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured a dark copper with a thin, lasting off white head.
Smells very spicy, lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe corriander.
Tastes much the same as the smell. Some funky notes blend well with the pumpkin and spices. Pretty high carbonation level, very bubbly with a fizzy mouthfeel.
Overall, not a bad effort at a pumpkin ale, the bottle lists it as a Belgian Brown ale aged in red oak barrels. The wood does come through just a bit.
There's a lot going on here but it's not something I'd want to drink regularly.
Aug 18, 2008
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Reviewed by badbeer from Iowa

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark amber color with a white head that retains pretty well. The nose is pretty nice with some oak notes and perhaps a bit of pepper. Definitely some pumpkin spice and maybe a touch of dark fruit. Sourness also plays a role in the aroma, but is almost a secondary thought with some of the other aromas present. Taste is nice and sour, some cherry and there is still some pumpkin presence as well. It seems as though I get a bit of oak as well, but I don't know that I get any red wine notes. Higher carbonation with a lighter body to it. Nice beer here, I could handle drinking a fair amount of this.
Jul 18, 2008
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Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

4.67/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to srandycarter for the chance to try this. Very unusual and very good pumpkin beer. I really like the pumpkin combo with sour elements. Quite a surprise and quite unique. Pours a hazy dark orange with some floaties and a thin head that sticks around. The smell is very tart and acetic up front followed by creamy pumpkin and some pie spice. The taste us utterly different than other pumpkin beers and, and utterly delicious. Wow! Somehow the delicious sourness and the creamy pumpkin work. The spices at the end tie things together. Tart and refreshing mouthfeel, this was an absolute pleasure to drink. I think the fact that this was 6 months old or so really help bring the flavors along.
Jun 19, 2008
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Reviewed by sloejams from Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
FINALLY some Alpine is available in Los Angeles. At least one variety. At least once. That was back in November. And it seemed that was it, so far.

Alpine with a Pumpkin beer is a glorious combination. I've searched long and hard for a quality pumpkin offering all Autemn. I was lucky to score a few of these and quite glad I did.

It's by no means a traditional pumpkin ale. This is more Belgian Dark / Oud Bruin with pumpkin spices added. It is dark crimson color with a slight trickly head. Sour nose - not quite puckery, but green apple is there. But it's masked a bit with spices such as the obvious pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices.

Altogether told - it's not very pumpkin-y - if thinking that way you will be disappointed. If you'd like to toss back a barrel aged wild ale - you're in for a treat!
May 14, 2008
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Reviewed by wheelinshirt from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Got to try this one courtesy of rallison as part of a trade. It sounded interesting (a belgian style pumpkin beer) but turned out to be much more than i was expecting.

Poured a very nice pumpkin color with quite a bit of whitish head that faded fairly quickly and left only some lacing. Ill give this one a pass on the head retention, though, seeing as how acidic it turned out to be.

Smell was pretty sour, and quite a surprise for me. I couldn't smell any pumpkin, but i think i got some of the cinnamon and nutmeg, though not much. Not really sure what the couple of months that this one has been around has done to it.

Taste is mostly sour, a little spicy. It is more acidic than funky, not tasting a lot of brett but the oak aging is noticeable. It tastes good, but i wish the pumpkin played a bigger role.

Mouthfeel was medium light with significant carbonation. Very good, almost refreshing, but a little to sour to really be called as such.

Drinkability is good. I wouldn't have had another right after, but i would gladly go back to this beer at some point and try it again. Very unique and good even out of season, though i would like to try it fresh.
Mar 15, 2008
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Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.42/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Perfectly pristine pumpkin with a brick red and bronze-like glow when backlit with sunlight. What a beautiful color. The head was crackly initially, but has settled down with time and now resembles a semi-creamy slice of vanilla-brown sugar mousse. More persistence (the beer is almost headless at this point) and more lace would have been nice.

Ichabod Ale for 2007 (and presumably beyond) is much more than a mere pumpkin ale. It's a Flanders oud bruin (or a San Diego old bruin) that has been aged in red wine barrels and to which cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin have been added. Sounds interesting. And tasty.

The nose is out of this world! Its most amazing feature is that it smells exactly like it should smell given the above ingredients. In addition, those ingredients are balanced on a razor's edge, allowing each one to contribute equally. The sour, oaky, brown maltiness of the base beer is easily appreciated, as is the warm spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Anyone who enjoys a well-crafted Flanders oud bruin and can't wait for the good pumpkin ales to be released every autumn will find something to like in Ichabod Ale. Let's make that *love*. I don't know who or what inspired Alpine to brew such a unique ale, but it works on any number of levels.

The flavor profile is as balanced as the aroma. There are now several bushel basketfuls of sweet and sour cherries to go along with the dizzying number of other flavors. That brings Flanders red ale into the discussion, along with Flanders oud bruin.

In no particular order, we have toasted brown bread, tangy-tart cherries, oak barrels, little green apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin. The complementary nature of sour, bitter and sweet (in descending order) is almost as interesting as the flavors themselves.

At the risk of nitpicking, the body/mouthfeel isn't as full as it could be. It's more than fine for the style, but this would be even more of a gobsmacker with a more lush creaminess.

Even without points for originality, which I'll gladly grant, Alpine Ichabod Ale is fantastic beer. While it won't appeal to everyone, I can't get enough of its off-beat deliciousness. This one is worth seeking out.
Mar 12, 2008
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Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.13/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of Bu11zeye: Poured a reddish color ale with a medium foamy head with average retention but no lacing. Aroma of oak with some sour notes and some very light cinnamon notes. Taste is dominated by some sour oak notes with some traces of cinnamon. I hardly could trace pumpkin or cloves in here and this beer was dominated by the red wine barrel. Full body with average carbonation. Not really a pumpkin beer but not a great sour either.
Feb 22, 2008
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Reviewed by WeisGuy from New York

4.47/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Big thanks to mikesgroove for this bottle.

a - pours a deep brown color with orange highlights, two-finger cream colored head with decent retention a good lacing, plenty of yeast sediment

s - funky Brett aroma is strong on the nose, sour cherries, definite pumpkin notes along with the cinnamon and nutmeg, but much more subtle than any other pumpkin ale I've had, some nuttiness as well, very complex

t - somewhat intense funky, sour Brett taste up front, hints of sour cherry that evolve quickly into more "traditional" pumpkin ale flavors of pumpkin, nutmeg and a little cinnamon, these flavors linger while the funkiness creeps back in with a distinct nuttiness

m - good amount of carbonation, medium-bodied, dry on the finish

d - fairly drinkable, but much more so than the overwhelming nature of many pumpkin ales, so complex that you keep on drinking trying to decipher the flavors

Not being a big fan of pumpkin ales, I sought out a bottle of this primarily because of its uniqueness - being aged in red wine barrels and with some funk. This turned out to be an absolutely amazing beer...so complex and interesting. Alpine has a winner here. I just wish I had a few more bottles.
Jan 30, 2008
Ichabod Ale 2007 from Alpine Beer Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 36 ratings