Ithaca’s next Excelsior! an Old Habit

(Ithaca, NY) – Ithaca Beer Co. has made another beer for its Excelsior! Series, to be released this summer. The following comes from Jeff O’Neil at the brewery:

“[

Ithaca Old Habit

] is our hefty Rye Ale brewed with four different Rye Malts (American, British, British Crystal Rye, and German Chocolate Rye) comprising 40% of the Grist….it takes two mashes to avoid disaster (yes, we learned this the hard way). We age it for no fewer than eight months in Rye Whiskey barrels from the Heaven Hill Distillery (used to make their Rittenhouse Rye, a Pennsylvania style Whiskey). It also gets a healthy dose of American C-hops and is 100% bottle-conditioned.

We’re really proud of this beer, and I think it’s a departure from a lot of the other barrel-aged beers out there, as it’s not very dark and carries a spicy whiskey note that bourbon barrels just don’t have. Add in the viscosity of the rye and the mouthfeel fools you into expecting a sweet finish….nope. Very well-attenuated.

We expect to release it sometime in July.”

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