Ground Break Saison
Ithaca Beer Co. in Ithaca, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Farmhouse - Saison Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.00
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It’s an Americanized (hoppy) Saison. It’s brewed with generous amounts of Amarillo, Crystal and Glacier hops (none added during the boil by the way- only first wort, whirlpool and dry-hop additions) and flaked rye. It’s fermented with a blend of Dupont and Chico yeasts. Very dry, ample yeast character, and hoppy.
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8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best by April(yeast was heavily caked on the bottom, this could be a year or more old). Pours hazy golden orange color with a very nice 2 finger dense and fluffy white head with incredible retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some nice soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big lemon, apricot, pear, herbal, floral, coriander, pepper, bread, earth, light funkiness, and yeast spiciness. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good strength and complexity. Taste of big orange, lemon, pepper, pear, lime, coriander, bread, earth, herbal, floral, grass, clove, light funk, and yeast spiciness. Very slight tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of light fruit, citrus, pepper, clove, earth, herbal, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic balance of sweetness and spiciness; with great flavor complexity. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly syrupy and extremely crisp mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small amount of warming noticed after the finish. Extremely smooth and easy to drink. Overall this is an outstanding saison. Great balance and flavor complexity. Nice touch of funk rounds it out as well.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jun 2012
at 19:40
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle sample from a friend. Pours a very hazy orange-gold with a big fluffy tan head. Aroma hop-forward, mix of flowery notes and fruity orange zest (from Amarillo?) combined with fairly strong yeast notes of banana esters and a tick of funk. Flavour again mixed between big grassy hop bitterness and yeasty banana, bubblegum and a bit of bready funk. Fairly full of body with high but soft carbonation, some malt sweetness but mostly dried out by hops. A lot going on here, an interesting American-style take on a saison.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 May 2012
at 12:57
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap @ brewery. Hazy, golden appearance with a white head. Fairly grapefruity, citrus hoppy, spicy yeasty aroma. Sweet, light malty, slightly bitter, grapefruit, orange citrus hoppy, a bit spicy flavor. A little too hoppy for my taste in saison but it’s still quite clean.
Tried
from Draft
on 06 Mar 2012
at 12:41
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle 355ml @ Craft Bar, New York, NY
Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma has notes of malt, yeast, wheat and spices. Taste is medium sweet, light bitter and light spicy. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma has notes of malt, yeast, wheat and spices. Taste is medium sweet, light bitter and light spicy. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Jul 2011
at 12:31
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Deep golden body. Frothy, white head, mostly diminishing. Mild aroma of clove, toasted grain and citrus. The flavor is lightly to moderatley sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly sweet and moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture and lively carbonation. Taste of clove, pepper and spice. Dry. I thought the American hop bill would be overwhelming, but it’s not. A bit citrusy with notes of lemon, but balanced well enough. A little soapy in the taste, but otherwise a nice rendition.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jun 2011
at 18:53
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Sample at Brew Kettle in Strongsville. The beer is a clear golden color with a thin eggshell white head that dissipates quickly to an outer ring. Spotty lace on the glass. Aroma of grassy hops and fruit. Light body with flavors of mild hops, fruit, malt and yeast. The finish is fruity with a sweet aftertaste. Above average Saison overall.
Tried
on 27 May 2011
at 12:37
5.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
A fairly poor offering from a brewer that I have become fond of. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy orange-amber color with a large foamy orange-white head that lingered and left some lacing. The aroma was very faint with touches of Sweettart candies, coriander and Windex. The flavor was tart, tangy and a bit dry with notes of Sweettart candies, coriander and a hint of clove. The finish was long, dry, tart and had some coriander lingering. Medium Body. Disappointing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Apr 2011
at 16:25