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Medium body that felt higher than it really was. Head faded supper fast.Ĭould have used more carbonation: just a tad.
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SRM about 16-17: reddish-dark copper that was becoming brown. Quite the haze to this one which may have been exacerbated by coffee. Pale malt way in the background, as one would expect from many IPAs. The aroma was the best sense of the quaff. The hops and coffee were perfectly balanced but were too light to start. As it warmed the cold press turned into chewing on coffee grounds covering the hops, which were more Pale-ish when it comes to balance. I thought, “THAT will up my score.†WRONG. To be honest cold pressed coffee too often tastes like chewing on coffee grounds which this had a hint of to begin with. So many ways it could go wrong and, once it warmed, that only confirmed my fears. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Also it reflects the idea that they met the style just a tad bit outside of the flavor parameters with that cheeky point 1 after the 4 and did so with both panache and control. My score of 4.1 reflects excellence in all five categories but minus a few points for fast falling spots not streaky clinging on the lace which fell just a bit faster than some and was not at all soapy even though it was uniform. Their brewing process had to be meticulous. Congratulations Ithaca on a modern yet traditional Kolsch style beer. This is despite the appellation designation already granted to the Kolsch.Ĥ.1 out of 5. However, they have called it a “Kolsch” instead of a “Kolsch style” ale or beer. If you read the guidelines you will note that the style is subject to a not too loose interpretation in that regard. If we say that terroir has to be admitted in order to use local hops in international styles, then this beer meets the style. If you have ever had Sunner Kolsch but not too recently as the last batch I had seemed different from my first few, you would have noticed a resiny and substantially bitter hop presence that is not at all fruity. There is just a tiny bit of stickiness from hop resin on the tongue as it finishes. I can say no acetyldehyde because I think the fruity ester I was able to perceive is pear like but not sufficient so as to be able to say. A little orange-y tasting but it’s brief and not too overdone as complimentary hop bitter and dryness from perfect attenuation punctuates the moderate carbonation and malty finish. Bread-y with hops making their mark in the body of the beer. There is a barely perceptible fruity ester form yeast that tickles the nose like a hint of something sweet. The mosaic hop is completely under control on the nose and while it hints at orange and shows you some leafy hop greenness too, you cannot smell orange. Ok, I take back my low key rage about the aroma hops not standing out, because they worked nice in the other departments.The color is golden amber, the clarity is exceptional and the head is white, uniform and fell modestly to a cap and ring. Surprised how crisp it is, yes, the carbonation is up there and fitting, but the cloudiness of the appearance made me think it was gonna be more bready and hoppy than crisp and refreshing.
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It works, its good, nice and crisp, but with a bit of those tropical fruit flavors and hippie weed body stank, but not so over the top that it becomes an ipa. The hops were used, but zero dry hopping. I mean, sure, traditionally this shouldn't have Mosaic or Nelson Sauvin hops, but look, you're the one pushing this narrative and recipe, so if your commercial tug job doesn't pan out, don't fall back on style guidelines as an excuse. There was a lot of talk about the hops in this one, but they didn't show up. Yellow cloudy pour, 1/2" white head with good retention. Had this towards the end of my evening at Ithaca Brewing and October 2019 New England trip.