Ithaca Pils
Ithaca Beer Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was given a bottle of this by Hartnett as an extra in a trade a week or two ago (Cheers, brother).

Poured into a stange-like glass.

A: Pours hazy light golden, 2 finger fluffy white head that leaves amazing lacing

S: Grassy, bready, light hops, sweetness, pretty typical pilsener smell except a lot sweeter than I would normally expect

T: Crisp, grassy, citrus, lingering bitterness, sweetness like caramel at the back. The more it warms, more sweetness comes in and less bitterness stays.

M: Pretty thick for a pilsener, I would think. Strong carbonation. Somewhat creamy.

D: Refreshing and crisp. Very easy going on the palate. On a hot day on the deck (or god forbid a beach) I would love to have a case of this to myself to cool off and relax.

Too bad it's retired.

Beer review from BA Mag Aug 2007.

A new release from Ithaca, this pils is brewed with a traditional German yeast strain and five classic German hop varieties.

Pours pale golden, with a touch of chill haze and a creamy foam head that sticks as it recedes to a nice lace. Great complex herbal hop character in the nose, with soft bready malts beneath. Smooth, rounded malty body--not as crisp as expected. Sweetness is quite low, with notes of bread and fresh grains. Gives off a hint of honey as it warms, and maybe a thin butteriness. Bitterness isn't overbearing, either, but there's plenty of hop character--slightly citric, denser herbal notes, pith and orange blossom in the finish.

As traditional German Pilsner fans, we would have preferred a crisper carbonation to liven things up a bit and lend a cleaner profile. It's also not as delicate as traditional examples. Regardless, overall, this is a good pick and an enjoyable brew. It's also nice to see another lager on the market, if only for the summer.

Hmm. Somebody said retired. I wish I were. This beer isn't. I guess I'm glad, though I won't try too hard to seek it out again. I would never refuse it.

It's fairly authentic. Not too much added, but a little bit additional throughout the brew. A little maltier than it should be. A little hoppier. The finishing hops could be stronger.

The after taste has a fruity bite. This is an admirable brew, and yet another good one from Ithaca.

Bottle poured into a pilsner glass on 2/28/10.

Golden in color, hazy with a solid white head a solid stream of bubbles rising to the surface. The glass is a 16 oz and the head overflowed it. Might be that it sat on the store shelf for a little too long since I see now it is a retired beer.

Has a good nose for a pils. Not a huge fan of the style so the fact that it is not a strong smell works well for me.

Crisp and clean leaving a bitter finish. Has that aftertaste one expects from a lager.

I think for the style its a solid representation of average.

I picked this up at Brass Rail Delicatessin - poured chilled from the 12oz into a tumbler
tasted alongside a couple other pilsners at the same time
A - A murkey hazy golden w/ thick sudsy white cream. The look is translucent w/ tiny bead and moderate lace sticking

S - A slightly grassy mild musty and chalky cardboard scent. The beer has a dry malt undertone

M- A nutty, dry and spiced mild bitter texture w/ moderate carbonation and gentle sweetness w/ a bitter grassy astingent finish

T - A taste that is both dull and bitter with a chalky grassy and dry flavor which leads to a sharp bitter end

D - The drinkability is not the best, in fact I probably won't try this again unless something changes -it gets distasteful 1/2way through

Ithaca Pils....

Appearance-pale golden color with a thick lace, ok carbonation. Heavy bubbles, looks ok.

Smell-grain, light grapefruit and grass, some alcohol.

Taste/Mouthfeel-watery, grainy taste, grass/grapefruit pulls through, smooth heavy carbonation. Ok taste, but nothing stands out.

Drinkability-decent smoothness, nothing too bad, not that notable.

Overall-not that notable, pretty average and doesn't stand up to other craft pils. Not recommended, needs a lift.

Pours hazed golden with a thin head that becomes wispy. Bits of lacing stick.

The smell is fruity, in an odd-ish way, with herbal/grassy notes and a touch of dough. Like the appearance, not quite as "clean" as would like, but a nice enough aroma.

The taste is bready, slightly musty, with a touch of sour leading to a grassy/herbal finish. Aftertaste better than taste.

The feel is light-bodied with a lingering dryness.

It does have a nice bitter, drying finish, but while drinking it is a bit too bready/doughy and the slight sour touch mixed in doesn't really help. Could be cleaner all around, though it finishes nicely.

Pours a hazy light golden color with 2 1/2 fingers of foamy, fluffy white head that retains very well. Lots of lively carbonation.

The scent is of citrus and light grain.

The taste is dominant of grapefruit, light hoppiness and some grain.

Light bodied, very crisp and refreshing, highly carbonated.

Very easy drinker, this is a good refreshing pilsener with lots of flavor.

Appearance is a very light golden straw. Very little had and a tiny bit of lacing lasts throughout.

Aroma - Slight aromas of malt and citrus (grapefruit). Hops present...

Taste - Hoppy grassy bitterness up front - Citrusy bite towards the end....

Mouthfeel - Very smooth, alcohol is hidden well considering this is a relatively high ABV pilsner..

Drinkability - Excellent Pils - Not watery like many popular brands and not over bearing like a few crafts I've tasted. Definitely do this one again....

A: Slightly cloudy straw color. A finger of white head with really nice lacing. Fairly nice clarity as well.

S: Nice big continental hop nose right up front. Some hints of citrus. The malt is really vibrant. Not much else you could want.

T: Just a really nice balance between the hop bitterness and the malt. Really a well balanced pilsner. This was a super fresh bottle and that makes all the difference in the world.

M: Light body but a little bit heavier than other pilsners. Still refreshing.

D: A really nice easy drinking example of the style. I think the reviews are so long due to now resolved distribution issues. Many an Ithaca beer on the shelves around here was over 2 years old.

Damn now this one shocked me.

Poured into a pilsner glass. Pours a hazy yellow color with a foamy white top. Little lacing globbage throughout.

Smellis very hoppy. Tettnanger if I am not mistaken. A yeasty whiff was more present on the backend.

Taste was very hoppy that spicey grapefruit taste I am pretty sure that is Tettnanger hops. Subtle pale maltiness,again kind of yeasty.

Mouth is medium bodied ver good carbonation. A spicey tingle on the tongue that sticks around for the ending.

Drinkability is excellent if you ask me. I can't think of a reason people would not like this. Easy to swig and keep in the belly.

An awesome German Pilsner if you ask me.

Poured into Schells Pilsner Glass

Pours almost 2 fingers of pretty straight forward white head. Clear light straw yellow in color. Decent amount of carbonation bubbles in the beer. Pretty good head retention leaving some good lace. Typical looking pils.

Aroma: A fairly decent hop profile, but there is a balance with the malts. Reminds me a litte of a saison. Has the black pepper spice and some of the similar yeast. Kind of interesting for a pils.

Taste: The saison spices are the first that hit. The black pepper and the funk are very present. This beer really reminds me of a farmhouse ale. Then comes the floral hops and bready malts. Are very balanced beer. One of the better pils I have had.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and a little bitter. Fairly light bodied. Good amount of carbonation. Leaves a terribly dry peppery aftertaste. Too dry for me.

Overall, I was very impressed with this beer. I enjoy pils, but this one really grabbed my attention. Very drinkable, but I think I would stick to just this one for the night.