Apricot Wheat - Ithaca Beer Company

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

1.05/5  rDev -67.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

This beer pours a pale clear yellow with no head or lace. There's a good bit of fizz. The aroma is a small amount of apricot and something else strange. The flavor has an apricot tang but a strange sourness and funk. The mouthfeel is light and very sticky. Ithaca apricot Wheat is not a good beer, there was a sticker on the bottle that said "sample not for resale". Not recommended!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 23:22:45 | More by B967ierhunter177

twelvsies

Maine

1.4/5  rDev -56.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Blechhkk... this is pretty nasty stuff. I was glad to see something somewhat local out here in Western New York for the summer and jumped at the chance to pick up a mixed 12 of Ithica. 4 different beers. 3 were really good, and I was sort of skeptical about this one, and I was right. It pretty much sucks. Pours a yellowy fizzy mess. And I'm talking soda fizzy, not your average beer carbonation. Smells like soda too, sugary and fruity, way too fruity, not a nice subtle hint like in some fruit beers. Oh god... after another few sips I have to drop that taste down to a 1. And I hate to do it, because their other beers are great, but this deserves a bashing. Tastes like straight up juice or soda, hardly any recognizable beer qualities. No hops. I'm sure there's malt in there (and hops too, I guess?) but there's no character shining through. I don't think I can finish this... and I NEVER pour a beer down the drain... until now.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2005 01:24:11 | More by twelvsies

SkunkWorks

New York

1.48/5  rDev -53.9%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Look: pours out bright gold. There's no head on this one and it looks kind of flat. Some sediment pours from the bottom and forms a spiral at the top of the beer rather than getting mixed in, so there's no haze which is weird for a wheat beer. No lace.

Smell: smells like apricots, wheat and acid. This might be the first beer I've ever smelled and then had to recoil from the glass. Very unpleasant smell. I remarked to my girlfriend that it smells almost like vomit and she agreed.

Taste: follows the nose nicely... or lets just say it follows the nose. Apricots, wheat and stomach acid are the flavors I get. Its just way too sweet.

Feel: its flat as it looks, tangy and too sweet.

Drink: I couldnt finish the glass. My girlfriend couldn't drink it either.

Overall, this was a downright terrible beer. I'm struggling to find anything nice to say about it so I won't. I thought maybe I had an off bottle, but from reading the other reviews I am starting to think that's not so. I would avoid this like a leper.

Ithaca, you are much better than this. I'm disappointed in you. This beer has done everything in its power to win my one and only grade of F.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 16:45:17 | More by SkunkWorks

stegmakk

New York

1.75/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Appearance was gold, clear, no head, and fizzy. Almost looked like champagne.
Aroma was actually real good. Sweet apricot, granny smith apple, almost like a desert wine.
Taste was wretched. I grabbed a couple of bottles an tried them so if they were skunked, it was various sixers that were bad. There was no real apricot taste, and no sweetness. It tasted like hay but not in the good wheat beer sense, more like dirty hay thats been under the budweiser clydsedales.
Mouthfeel was thin and carbonated.
Drinkability...well this is the second beer in my long list that I've actually had to pour out.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2006 00:06:51 | More by stegmakk

DUBinMIA

Florida

1.8/5  rDev -43.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

served from the tap in a English pint glass. Very little if any head to start and no retention what so ever. Clear amber orange color.

Smell was not impressive. No detectible flavors other than slight malt note.

Taste was not at all what i was expecting... I could not stand to drink more than three tastes... I didn't taste any apricot or wheat... more like spicy... old... something.

Mouth-feel was like water

overall i respect the brewery for trying to make a good fruit wheat beer but in my opinion i just couldn't down it... not going to try it again to say the least. Going to have to find another Ithaca beer seeing this is the only one i have ever tried or seen.

Makes me wonder if this was a bad batch or something....

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2011 21:05:56 | More by DUBinMIA

jbart

Massachusetts

1.83/5  rDev -43%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I've had this beer before--I think as part of a mix pack. I wasn't impressed then, but I don't remember it being quite as bad as this time.

A: Clear, light, orangey/amber--looks like a pale ale with very little head.

S: It's kind of a sickening sweetness. The bottle says it's brewed with natural apricot flavor, but it tastes and smells artificial.

T: It's not really a fruity sweetness. The aftertaste is apricot, but not refreshing.

D: Not very drinkable. It's low alcohol, but it just doesn't taste good. Maybe it's better in summer when it's hot.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2007 02:51:35 | More by jbart

Ty1erC

Pennsylvania

1.88/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

*12 oz bottle poured into a weizen glass.*

a: this brew looks fantastic. it's golden in color and slightly hazy in appearance. it has a ton of head and retains it well. good lacing.

s: the smell is all apricots and carbonation. nothing subtle about it.

t: it tastes like apricot-flavored seltzer water.

m: lots of carbonation, light-bodied, slightly astringent.

d: for me personally, this is not a very drinkable beer. my wife loves it, though. to each his own.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 01:30:32 | More by Ty1erC

saradad

Pennsylvania

1.98/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

To be fair I tried this one after the January "Best By" date by less than two weeks although I doubt if that would make that much difference. The beer poured light gold with a thin white head that didn't stick around long enough to barely notice. There's some obvious carbonation in the clear body. The nose is all apricot, overpoweringly so, yet not entirely unpleasant. The taste is also overpoweringly apricot with a slight bitterness of hops and an off taste of something rotten around the sides and back of the tongue that isn't noticeable if you swallow it REAL FAST. That of course makes the mouthfeel real difficult to discern as you pound it down to avoid the atertaste of rotting fruit and make it real difficult imagining that another round of this brew would be enticing. Pity too, as I always liked apricots.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 01:33:12 | More by saradad

jwc215

New Jersey

2.03/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Best by June notched on bottle:

Pours light golden with a big, bubbly white head. Carbonation vigorously rushes to the top. The head doesn't last, becoming broken bubbles. A little lacing sticks.

The smell is like apricot fruit juice with a lemon wedge. It is identifiable as apricot, though in that ariticial juice/syrup way. The lemony tartness doesn't help at all.

The taste is of sweetened apricot - tastes like apricot soda with a lemony tartness and a hint of breadiness.

The feel is watery and fizzy. Aftertaste of cross between apricot "Fruit Roll-up" and apricot cough syrup lingers a bit.

The tartness, while mild, conflicts with an otherwise standard/typical American fruit pale wheat ale. I was almost able to finish it off, and suppose I could have - but didn't want to. Not something I would recommed, even to apricot lovers.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2009 14:00:31 | More by jwc215

NODAK

Tennessee

2.05/5  rDev -36.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A very sour aroma here. Almost like a spoiled milk smell. I wouldn't call it pleasant.

The taste really is more of the same. It has an odd sour, apricot taste throughout, but it is sort of a rotten type sourness that I just don't find to be all that pleasant. It just tastes fake...and while I wouldn't go so far as to call it "vomit" as another person did, it isn't good. There really isn't much of a hop profile on this one. Some wheat shows up on the finish, which is the lone good part.

I had high hopes for this beer, but unfortunately they weren't met. Oh well.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 01:31:28 | More by NODAK

jcdiflorio

West Virginia

2.1/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

poured into my new SA glass from a 12oz brown long neck bottle with a crimped on cap

Slightly hazy,yellowy golden color with a thin white head not good for a wheat. Constaint streams of small bubbles rising from the center of the glass, but no stringing.

Musty, apricot smell,yeasty and perfumy.

Syrupy apricot taste,candy-like,grainy with a bitter apricot aftertaste after the finish.

Light,very grainy,very rough for what should be a light beer. Feels like cough syrup in the mouth. Not a beer i would want to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2007 04:59:30 | More by jcdiflorio

williamherbert

New York

2.13/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

[Note: I have tried this beer many times and tried to like it. I don't want to sound like I'm flat-out trashing this beer, because I like the rest of the Ithaca product, but I just can't drink it.]

Light golden color. Average head. Pretty clear. A bit darker than straw, but not by much.

The smell oversells the apricot. Instead of just a hint within the ale framework, it's a far too sweet blast of apricot. Smells like apricot juice, save for only a hint of weak malt. Also smells like apple juice.

Tastes like a fruit drink, not a beer. Any beer flavor is completely overpowered by the syrupy-sweet apricot flavor. Just doesn't hit my taste buds right. It's sour, and not in a good way.

Thick like a juice. Laves quite the sour/sweet aftertaste. This is really a beer for those who like wine coolers or fruit drinks. It's not for beer drinkers, in my opinion. Too bad they have to include three of these in the Ithaca 12-pack. It's a "girl drink" and it's hard to finish. I actually poured it out with about 1/3 left.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2007 03:39:06 | More by williamherbert

ZimZamZoom

West Virginia

2.3/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Medium straw color with a thin white head that fades quickly. It did not look promising to begin with as the bubbles that made up the head were large.

A light aroma of wheat malt behind a huge apricot smell. If there are hops in there I would not be able to tell with all the apricot going on. The apricot is not as strong in the taste. I wish it was though. There is no malt or hops evident in this beer. It really tastes like a BMC with some (but not enough) fruit extract added. Disappointing to say the least. I"m not a fan of fruit beers, but I can enjoy the occasional #9 or Aprihop.

Very thin in the mouth, and I would have to say not very drinkable. I will finish this one and pass the other two from the sampler on to someone else. I'm not even sure that the ladies would like this one. Maybe the BMC drinking ladies might find it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2007 22:42:58 | More by ZimZamZoom

lovetranquillity

Rhode Island

2.3/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured dark yellow, fizzy, little head, looks like beer but does not appeal to me.

Smells of apricots, and wheat. Smells pretty good, the smell makes me want to try it.

Overwhelming apricot on first taste, then fades away and turns into a watery wine cooler like flavor.

Slightly fizzy and a watery, not impressed at all.

I was unable to finish this beer due to the flavor and lack of anything appealing. I will not buy this again. Someone recommended this to me, now I know not to trust them.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 03:33:44 | More by lovetranquillity

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.35/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a pale yellow color with a large white head that fades instantly and leaves no lace on the glass.

S: As you would expect, the aroma is heavily fruity and sweet with apricot and apple. I really couldn’t pick up anything else in the smell.

T: Just like with the smell, the sweet fruity flavor of apricot dominates. There’s a faint wheat flavor in there and I think I caught the smallest amount of hops. Malt character is thin. The after-taste, of course is very sweet. It’s like fizzy-yellow-beer with mixed with apricot juice.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, light-to-medium body, heavy carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: I didn’t find it very tasty, but I’m not a big fan of the style. It’s an easy drinking beer and might able to turn someone off of a macro if they like the apricot flavor. Within the style, I’ve certainly had better. To compare it with a beer of the same fruit flavor, I did like it better than Magic Hat #9. However, this would be one of my last choices when buying beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2007 04:23:28 | More by TheManiacalOne

rohrbachsfan

New York

2.35/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance: Clear light yellow. No head after it was poured.

Smell: Sweet apricots.

Taste: Beer is sweet and has very little bitterness to it. Strong apricot flavor that overpowers what little hops flavor there is.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy.

Drinkability: Seemed to be over carbonated and a little too sweet for my tastes. Apricot flavor was overpowering. Wouldn’t bother with this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2007 00:21:17 | More by rohrbachsfan

Hojaminbag

Colorado

2.35/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Very clear golden-yellow body with fluffy white head.

Smells of sweet, ripe Apricots. I don't detect much else.

APRICOTS. Lots of them, very sweet. I almost notice a wheat bite in the finish, but I can't be sure whether it's there or I just really want it to be. Either way it isn't strong enough as this brew is overpowered by apricots.

Average mouthfeel, very light and carbonation.

I couldn't drink very many of these, too sweet and lacking balance.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2008 15:04:41 | More by Hojaminbag

yesyouam

New York

2.35/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This beer is a very clear, sparkling straw color with a small white head that vanishes right away. It smells like dried apricots. It is very light-bodied, crisp and quite carbonated. The flavor seems a bit watered down. It's mostly of apricot but a funky cardboard aftertaste emerges which ends up having more presence than the main flavor. This isn't really my thing. Stick to the Cascazilla from these guys.
(rated Mar 5, 2007)

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 15:51:15 | More by yesyouam

grees20

Pennsylvania

2.4/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A friend gave a me a bottle of this a few months ago and I finally got around to trying it this weekend. I'm not a huge fan of wheat beers so I was a little skeptical. Pours golden in color with a thin, white head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is of apricots and not much else. It has a sweet apricot flavor. Quite frankly the aroma is better than the taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 21:00:06 | More by grees20

sjohansen

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 1 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I poured the brew into a glass and it looks like a flat BMC. I got a half finger head that dissappeared very quickly. It's a completely clear yellow color with a slow crawl of constant carbonation.

The nose is all sweet, sweet apricots.

Taste is bready, tart from the fruit. It’s great in the front, but sour in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is watery, bubbly from the carbonation.

I have a love hate relationship with fruity wheat beers. This one didn’t cut it.

I was going to re-review this to give it a fair chance. I had a thought that maybe I destroyed my palate with some of the other beers I was drinking at the time. I was dissappointed to find out I was right the first time.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2008 03:29:45 | More by sjohansen

nouseforotacon

Connecticut

2.48/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very fizzy, pale yellow-orange color. Small, thin head. Average looking, but was expecting a bit more head for a wheat beer.

Aroma is mostly comprised of dried apricots, cracked wheat, and don't call me crazy, but - something that really reminds me of burnt, human hair. Strange, but tolerable.

Crisp, water taste with some of the wheat enhancing the flavor of the brew. Finish tastes like dried apricots were literally dumped into the batch, apricot really lingers on the tongue.

Fizzy and light body, but surprisingly not very carbonated in the mouthfeel. Easy to drink. A bit tart, but overall kind of dull and uninteresting.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2006 04:53:28 | More by nouseforotacon

Hefe

Maryland

2.48/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle from a 12pk sampler picked up at Wegmans in Syracuse. Gold and slightly hazy with just a patchy white head. Woah! Smells like an apricot jolly rancher, or somesuch. Taste is the same, sweet, sweet apricot. No room for anything else. I'm sure there is a market for this beer, Just waaay out of balance. For those who want a beer based mixed drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 00:26:57 | More by Hefe

Suds

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Cloudy, golden liquid with a strong, artificial-smelling apricot aroma. The apricot smell dominates the nose, and not much else comes through. Taste is slightly grainy, without the wheat-beer qualities that I expected. It’s a very soft, almost watery beer with essentially no aftertaste. This is a beer for the unadventurous non-beer drinker. I did not enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2004 10:46:44 | More by Suds

Pinknuggets

Vermont

2.5/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle to hfs sniffer

A:orange in color and totally translucent with lots of carbonation and thin white head

S: this is one that is as advertised it smells like apricots it's so sweet smelling its almost fake like a sports drink interesting for sure

T:unfortunately the taste follows the nose in a negative way it tastes way too sweet like an artificial flavor there is no wheat flavor at all

M:it's so oily and flat it's almost unpleasant the light carbonation does nothing to better this as there is a weird after taste

O:this started off okay but it might have well been labeled shock top it's that bad didnt even want to finish after getting half way through. I hope ithica's other offerings are better

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 08:29:23 | More by Pinknuggets

TheDeuce

New York

2.53/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Ithaca Apricot Wheat...

Pours a solid gold amber color, heavy head, lacy and sticky, they serve it with fruit, out goes the fruit.

Smell-sweet, definitely fruity, alcohol, lots going on.

Taste/Mouthfeel-muddled and sticky sweet, the sweetness burns and doesn't feel balanced. Not enjoyable, there is fruit here but the sweetness overwhelms everything so the beer is not refreshing in spite of the fact that it's light.

Drinkability-not an enjoyable taste , if you find a way to like it you could drink many.

Overall-interesting flavor choice but too sweet and muddled for me. Credit for originality though.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2009 03:36:17 | More by TheDeuce