IPAbbey (Excelsior! Series)
Ithaca Beer Company

IPAbbey (Excelsior! Series)IPAbbey (Excelsior! Series)
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From:
Ithaca Beer Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
Belgian IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 11.84%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
40
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 21, 2014
Added:
Apr 22, 2007
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by rab53:
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Rated by rab53 from Washington

5/5  rDev +25.9%

Dec 01, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by my_knew_craft from Massachusetts

Jul 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Roze from New York

Jun 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by petermethot from New Jersey

Jul 06, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jun 23, 2013
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
sampling a cellar temp bottle aged from the 2007 release. Bottle number 1092.

Poured into a snifter, I am careful not to get any sediment on this first pour. Beer is a beautiful bright clear copper with heavy ruby highlights. Very minimal eggshell white head leaves only wispy islands almost immediately after sitting the bottle down on my desk.

The aroma is very mild at this tasting and is basically some mild grainy malt and a bit of caramel sweetness mixed with some earthy hops and a bit of grass. I bet the hops were bigger when this was first bottled.

First sip reveals an average bodied beer with very mild and spacious carbonation. The flavor is a bit of sweet malt with caramel dominant and followed by some astringent herbal, tea leaf hops. Sits a little bitter on the palate after each swallow.

No real hints of the ABV and the beer is very drinkable.

wonder if they will ever do this again?
Jun 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ahbaggins from New Jersey

Feb 08, 2012
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Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beer review from BA Mag Aug 2007.

Part of Ithaca's new Excelsior! series of bold, hand-bottled, bottle-conditioned beers. A "Hoppy Tripel Ale" brewed with Canadian honey malt; Saaz, Simcoe and Amarillo hops; and a Trappist yeast strain. Ours is bottle #50 from the April 2007 release.

Chill-hazed (though it clears up as it warms), this beer pours a dark amber color with copper hues and a nice creamy white lacing and stick. Complex aroma of breads, herbal characters, resin, citrus flowers and light caramel, as well as a hint of ripe fruits and soap-like notes. Super-smooth and creamy on the palate. Body is firm and round, with a slight chewiness to it. Prickly bitterness strikes the palate first, then herbal and woody notes; a backhanded citric smack lingers throughout. Touch of aspirin and dry leafiness. Hop oils coat the palate with a dense resiny presence. Gets quite bready at times, with sugary notes, ripe stone fruits, blood oranges, mild toffee, dark bread crusts, a slight buttery note and burnt, earthy characters around the edges. Wood/bark notes emerge in the dry finish, with a lingering herbal flavor in the oils. The alcohol is hidden well in this one, but its warmth will indeed sneak up on you.

We love this emerging enthusiasm for hoppy and strong Belgian ale that beers like De Ranke XX and Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel have helped to put on the map. IPAbbey offers the same enjoyment and flexes qualities that Tripel and Dubbel IPA fans should no doubt enjoy. We dig it a lot.
Jul 06, 2010
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Reviewed by Minotaur from Pennsylvania

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
An ale combining elements of the Belgian Triple and IPA hop quantities. This is from a 2007 bottle. Poured into a Chimay goblet.

The appearance is definitely "rustic". It is speckled with black flecks which cause a haze in the amber-brown body of the beer. There is almost no head to speak of and no real lacing. Just a tiny skim of white here and there atop the swampy water looking murk. Little to no carbonation.

Things begin to get better with the aroma: the nutty, bready sweetness of the belgian ale with an overlay of Simcoe hops: floral, citrus, sweet fruits, berries.

The taste is wholly unique. Upfront it can be intensely grapefruit bitter but there is a massive honey, caramel-malt sweetness beneath that sharp attack. There is a strange melody being played beneath the very light and not particularly deep sweetness - and the very sharp hops. Initially it almost seems disconnected, but when had with food - especially spicy food (I had this with a curry) - it begins to harmonize entirely.
Other flavors: plumb, holiday spices such as coriander and ginger, the distinctive sweetness of the honey becomes highly pronounced. There is also the characteristic Belgian flavors of yeast and sourdough bread that poke through, and seem to characterize the blend.

Post food and through out the glass the bitterness returns, nearly overtaking the sweetness. I almost feel like there are too few "mid-range" flavors The alcohol presence is now making itself known.

I am fairly well amazed at how intensely the bitterness and floral quality of the hops has been maintained through out the nearly three years of aging.

The mouthfeel on this beer is very good: smooth, liquor-like, soft despite the intense palate.

It is a very drinkable, if not bitter hop-heavy, beer.
Jan 16, 2010
Photo of drseamus
Reviewed by drseamus from New York

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
April 2007 Bottle 056; provided by aerozeppl

A: Amber body with plenty of floaties. Great lacing.

S: Honey malt and the smell of bitterness. Some tropical fruits float around in there also.

T: Still good hoppy bitterness despite the age. Pretty amazing how well it held up.

M: Medium bodied and smooth as silk.

D: Pretty drinkability. Very smooth despite the bitterness.
Dec 27, 2009
Photo of aerozeppl
Reviewed by aerozeppl from New York

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
April 2007 Bottle 056

A:Hazy golden color with minimal white head. Spotty lacing. Bottom of the bottle yielded a ton of yeast sediment into my glass.

S: Honey then faded hops. Little bit of citrus as well. A touch of da funk.

T: Honey starts you off nicely. The hops are vibrant considering the age on the bottle but faded a little bit. Bitter in the finish. A touch of the belgian yeast comes across in the middle.

M: Medium bodied. The carbonation is nice and subtle.

D: Super drinkable. Held up really well for the two years on it.
Oct 23, 2009
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Reviewed by ClockworkOrange from Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 750ml bottle into my standard tulip glass. The ale appears a hazed rich apricot color with about two fingers of dense light tan foam. The head leaves a decent lace behind on the inside of my glass. Nose and flavor are of caramel, toasted cereal grain, orange, lemon peel, yeast. A notch or two better than medium bodied with ample carbonation. Worth a try.
Sep 23, 2009
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Reviewed by yesyouam from New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle #742. IPAbbey is a slightly hazy solid sienna with a quickly disappearing oil-slick head. The aroma is very fresh and of bright, fruity hops. It is medium bodied and smooth. It's mostly just hops in the flavor. It's quite bitter (think citrus peel) but not over the top. It is balanced with a mild sweetness. This doesn't really seem like a Tripel to me-- I never identified any esters that I would look for in a Tripel. This just seems like a really good IPA.
(rated Jun 12, 2007)
Dec 14, 2008
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Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I got this bottle in a trade with Nutbrown. Thanks Alan!

Apr 07 release, bottle #1359

It pours a hazy honey gold with about an inch of foam. Lots of nice sticky lacing.

The smell is very nice with notes of caramel malt, candy sugar, and a strong hop nose of citrus and some other fruits.

The taste starts with a nice burst of citrus hop bitterness that's quickly tempered by caramel malt sweetness and honey malt that is just plain yummy. Further sips and I see that not all of the sweetness comes from the caramel and honey as I get lots of candy sugar. There's some fruit thrown in there, not literally mind you, I sense some light banana and apricots. A little spice here as well as I can just taste a touch of cloves.

The mouthfeel is medium, the carbonation is very light(the lightest of hisses when I opened the bottle), and it finishes with a perfect balance of sweet and bitter.

Drinkability? Man this goes down easy for a 9%abv brew.

Bottom line: MMmmmm. Delicious.
Dec 07, 2008
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Honey yeasted Belgian IPA. A good example of this new style. Though the honey yeast contributes to mouth texture, is it necessay? It moderates the IPA bitterness and overall a good balnce, integration of ideas. Worth seeking out, and a game changer for this brewery.Simcoe, Amarillo, and Saaz, and Trappist Ale Yeast. Good drinkability.
Sep 28, 2008
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Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Been sitting on this bottle for probably far too long but it held up well.

Poured into the goblet a nice copper color. Fairly translucent but just enough color to make it difficult to see through. White head that dissolved to a thin veneer around the edges of the glass. Nose is candied sugars, some sweet cherries, and plenty of malt.

Flavor is spot on for a tripel. Nice alcohol burn makes this a perfect after dinner sipping drink. Very sweet with a strong woody flavor that balances it off. Some sprucey hops that give just enough tang. Sweet beginning with a nice bittery finish. Light mouthfeel with some pleasant heat from the alcohol.
Sep 19, 2008
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Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Received this along with the rest of the 07 Excelsior series in a trade last month and have decided to start working my way through them to see how they stack up. I was most excited to try this as I am a big fan of the IPA and wanted to see how an American brewer would do at a Belgian IPA. Served this 750 ML wrapped and capped bottle into an over sized wine glass.

Appearance - The pour was very nice, with a very cloudy and hazy bright amber colored liquid coming out right away to splash into the bottom of the glass. A very nice three inch high layer of foam then came over the top and gradually settled down into a thin layer, but still hung on around a half an inch throughout the remainder of the session. Some nice cratering and rocky looking appearance to the head was evident. Lots of carbonation streaking up toward the surface throughout and a good bit of side glass left in its place. Overall a very nice and very solid look from this one.

Smell - The aroma was an interesting blend of classic IPA bitterness and a yeast filled Belgian single. Very light in both regards with hints of orange, lemon grass, banana and light apricot all easily picked up. It seemed that the warmed it got the more it leaned toward the IPA side, with a more pronounced citrus smell coming forward and the grapefruit really starting to dominate the overall aroma, Still very nicely down in both regards with lots of cereal malts and bread like aromas making up the back end and the base on this one.

Taste - The flavor followed the taste almost perfectly. It had a nice initial bite of citrus, grapefruit like hops, but this was blended out quickly by the flavor a apricot, and cereal grains. Nice mixture here, as most Belgian IPA's are. I was surprised to see how well this followed along with the Belgian side of things as opposed to really turning over into an American IPA. Nice strong finish with a good bit of drying and a nice touch of bitter to cap it off.

Mouthfeel - An excellent Mouthfeel on this one overall. Rich and creamy and smooth with almost perfect carbonation, I really thought this came off excellent. A nice light refreshing follow through really capped it off perfectly.

Drinkability - For a 9% beer, you could not really taste anything of it at all. Smooth as silk going down, I was easily able to sip on this one with no issues, occasional coming in and scooping up a bigger sip.

Overall an excellent Belgian inspired beer, I was very impressed with this one overall. I thought they did an excellent job at staying true to the style and to keep the overall hop character intact. If you can find this one I would definitely go out and get it.
May 14, 2008
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Reviewed by riversider76 from New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a amber gold,with some orange hues. Looks thick,with a thin white head,and nice lacing. Aroma is of sweet fruits,with a bit of pine,and grapefruit. Body is thick,and silky. Taste is an almost perfect balance of malts,and hops. Sweet dark fruits,with a rum like flavor,and a hoppy finish. Excellent!
Apr 12, 2008
Photo of GFSchwab
Reviewed by GFSchwab from New York

4.55/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
This beer was such dooozey.

It was poured out of its glass bottle with refermentation all over the place. There was even spent yeast around the mouth of ther bottle.

It poured a translucent dark amber color with very minimal head and solid lacing around the miniscus of the beer glass I was drinking it from.

The smell was quite hoppy, however greatly accented with generouis ammounts of belgian malts.

The taste was outstanding, with an enormous malt profilwe to accompany the rich citrusy hop flavor, with a blanced malty/bitter cloying on the aftertaste. The full compliment of the beer lingers long after swallowing it.

Although it was quite high in alcohol, and very hoppy, it went down quite easy and was medium in overall body.

I have to say for my first "Belgian IPA" it was quite nice.
Such a great, great beer.
Feb 27, 2008
IPAbbey (Excelsior! Series) from Ithaca Beer Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 40 ratings