Excelsior! Old Habit
Ithaca Beer Co. in Ithaca, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.30
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7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
(Bottle 75 cl) Courtesy of MPA. Bottle #655. Pours a hazy, dark, orangey brown with a creamy, light brown head. Pleasant aroma of caramel, overripe fruit and wood. Medium body with notes of dry, lightly burned caramel and some overripe fruit. Discreet but pleasant accents from the barrel. Fairly bitter finish. A very good if not exactly outstanding Barley Wine. 120108
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jan 2008
at 14:00
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
June 2007 bottling, #679. Bottle from jah noth. Appearance is much like prune juice, topped by a thin, tight cream head. Aroma of caramels and some sweet spicy notes, brown sugar, and medicinal characteristics. Toasty body with brown sugar, chocolate, and dark fruits. The rye malt is somewhat peachy and musty, especially in its interplay with the oak. Cinnamon. Light tartness. Earthy, bitter finish. Intense and over-the-top, this rough beer needs more age. Even with age, there is probably too much going on here.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Dec 2007
at 16:16
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle #213 - cloudy burgundy pour, with high carbonation, and a small ring on white lace - strong oak in the aroma, with prominent whiskey, vanilla, cherries, wintery spices, and a light, earthy tartness in the background - quite dry for a strong ale, with some red wine-ish tannins up front, which is quite a welcome change - black cherry, fig and vanilla up front - caramel and roasted nuts - an earthy, cellared quality that reminds me of british barleywines is quite strong throughout, as is a pleasant oak flavor - the rye and hops come to the fore at the end, once again drying out any sweetness - whiskey is an apparent element, but it is subordinate to most other aspects of the beer - sweetness becomes a bit stronger as the beer warms, but still doesn’t become too strong - very nicely balanced - this is a great brew, and one I really need to get some more bottles of.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Aug 2007
at 20:47
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
From Brewfiend. Whisky in the aroma and flavor. This is combined with moderate, bitter hops but also generous malt. Earthy and dry, but I didn’t pick up all of the other qualities in the descriptions.
Tried
on 23 Jul 2007
at 13:48