Brute
Ithaca Beer Company

BruteBrute
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From:
Ithaca Beer Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
98
Avg:
4.43 | pDev: 9.03%
Reviews:
392
Ratings:
846
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 25, 2022
Added:
Jun 22, 2008
Wants:
  1,055
Gots:
  134
Brewed with vintage (aged) local hops, barley, wheat, corn, aged in oak with Brett and finished with three types of champagne yeast.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Reino:
Photo of Reino
Reviewed by Reino from Oregon

4.6/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I owe Paul (Lum) a ZJ for hooking me up with this beer.
Batch# E!010 7%abv
Consumed on Oct. 1st 2008

Appearance- My initial cautious pour produces 2 fingers of effervescent head that I figured would fade quickly. Boy was I wrong. The head settles into a tight/dense and flat finger that would probably still be around two days later if I gave it the chance. The lacing is solid as the head crawls down.
The beer itself is an apricot gold (noticed my man Joe used apricot to describe this, too. Wasn't trying to steal your words, that's just how I had it in my notes big guy.) Looking through the bottom, there is about a quarter of an inch gradient from a hefe blond into the apricot gold. This is such a great looking beer. I poured the second half for my wife, and must have poured some yeast in hers as well because it was much more blond than mine. Still pretty, though. Wish I could give this a 4.75, but you know how it is.

Smell- My first thought was fruity B.O. which is not a diss at all. The cast of smells that probably caused me to think that were: tart cherries, faint barnyard, raspberry juice, apricots and just the slightest bit of spiciness. As I drink on, the nose develops a bit of medicinal funk accompanied by sweet lemon and a bit of an earthy/produce aroma. Knowing that corn was used in this beer is making me think that I get a bit of corn, but that could be bullshit. Once again, the wife's glass with the yeast differs from mine. The yeast makes hers much more funky and less sweet. Mine is a delicious sweet/funk explosion. Once again I'm on the fence with the score. Just more reason to get another bottle from Paul ;) and redo the scores later.

Taste- A very sour and tart front accompanied by delicious fruity flavors and mild funk middle to end. What makes this beer so delicious and effective is the transition of flavors. Yeah, it's sour upfront, but these great sweet flavors sweep in to balance it out along with the horse blanket, grassy funk. It's not so sour that the fruit gets lost and it's not so devoid of sourness that I'm disappointed. If I drank this at a blind tasting, I'd think I'm drinking a crazy kriek or framboise, not a golden sour. The sweet/tart combo reminds me distinctly of a strawberry and orange juice smoothie, but with tart cherries, and earthy funk thrown in the blender. Each sip provides a different combination of fruit flavors on my tongue, and each pairing is exquisite. This a complex and sour piece of heaven.

Mouthfeel- Nice and bubbly, but not to a champagne extent. The carbonation has the fruit flavors bouncing all over my tongue, and I love it. The edges of my tongue, as well as my cheeks, tingle from the tartness, but not so much that it hinders my ability to enjoy the other flavors going on.

Drinkability- It's dumb how drinkable this beer is. 7% tastes like 3%. If I wasn't a newly wed, I probably would have snagged the other glass out of my wife's hands. Actually, I regret not doing it. I'm not sure if "it's better to have loved and lost" applies to this beer. I'm extremely sad that I cannot have this beer in my weekly rotation. How will I go on?
Oct 03, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

Jan 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.39 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.78 by swanfungus from California

Jan 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.92 by vfgccp from New York

May 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.18 by cp45 from New Jersey

Jan 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.24 by logicalparadox from New York

Dec 06, 2016
Photo of PHBoiler
Reviewed by PHBoiler from Illinois

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is an incredibly complex beer. There's a big carbonic bite that adds to the dry finish. The Brett is so clean and restrained but flavorful. Lots of lemon/lime and hints of grapefruit. Right up there is the best lambic in terms of clean acidity and bright flavors.
Nov 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Aug 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by xtonytx from Connecticut

May 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.44 by AMCimpi from New York

May 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.21 by zekeman17 from Pennsylvania

Feb 14, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.37/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Awesome almost wine like champagne-ish appearance, dark gold, solid 1" white head on it. Aroma was a white wine lemon excursion, lots of oak, and since these are a few years old at this point, solid amount of brettiness to it. Not quite funky, but its musty.

Good clean sour impact, sour is right in the middle on that 1-10 scale, acidity not high, a little more lemon, green apple modestly existing in the mouthfeel, light almost virgin like oak. Wheat plenty noticeable in the mouthfeel too. Pretty cool, light bodied.
Feb 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Jan 19, 2016
Photo of dar482
Reviewed by dar482 from New York

4.56/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
The aroma offers apple vinegar, crab apple and lemon tart, funk, stone fruit.

The beer hits of tart apples, vinegar, some hay funk, a hint of apple cider vinegar, more tart qualities, but complimented by a dry and bubbly finish like champagne. A really well done sour by Ithaca.
Dec 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.43 by SocalKicks from California

Nov 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.39 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Sep 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.49 by yeaprolly from Washington

Sep 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by EB1 from California

Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.32 by tobelerone from New Jersey

Aug 11, 2015
Brute from Ithaca Beer Company
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 846 ratings