White Gold - Ithaca Beer Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer review from BA Mag Aug 2007.

Part of Ithaca's new Excelsior! series of bold, hand-bottled, bottle-conditioned beers. Brewed as a Belgo-American Ale with domestic barley, French wheat malts, Saaz and Santiam hops and a Trappist ale yeast. This is bottle #78 from the April 2007 release.

This beer is cloudy and dirty blonde in color, with a fantastic pure white foam head that laces and sticks to the end. Hints of sugar, peppery alcohol and peach in the nose. Tight carbonation creams up on the palate, with a medium body beneath and some gritty grain tannins. Malts are bit one-dimensional, with a biscuity edge and lots of husky tannins. What stands out the most is the sweetness and the alcohol base, showing spicy and more peppery notes. There's some peach-like fruitiness going on, as well as a light leafy back, while hops come to play with herbal and floral characters here and there. Tannic and dry in the finish.

White Gold definitely defies today's style guidelines, which isn't a bad thing. It's basically a Belgian Tripel meets an American Wheat--it's good, but it could be great if it finished a bit cleaner and offered a bit more depth of malt.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 13:56:12 | More by BeerAdvocate

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-23-2013 13:45:32 | More by Eriktheipaman

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1%

05-22-2013 16:40:28 | More by InspectorBob

GennyCreamAle

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-20-2013 15:16:43 | More by GennyCreamAle

brentblack1

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-14-2013 20:17:36 | More by brentblack1

xdefeatsy

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1%

05-12-2013 18:16:31 | More by xdefeatsy

ThomasMetal75

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Murky yellow . Lots of head! Bottle was screaming with carbonation.

S- Sour, musty, barnyard filled with horses. Acidic with floral hops.

T- Key words to describe this:
Earthy, grassy, with tart fruitiness and light sour notes. Finish is clean, pretty dry. But it doesn't completely dry your mouth. Floral hop taste is detected, but not real bitter. As it warms, this floral/spicy hop presence is more pronounced. Slight alcohol warmth is detected on the tongue.

M- Real easy to drink. Silky smooth.

Overall, this does taste like a Belgian beer and a refreshing wheat beer mixed together! This is a little too sour to be what I want on a hot day, but real good regardless!

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:30:58 | More by ThomasMetal75

prototypic

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

White Gold pours a light gold, almost straw color. It’s very hazy. Backlighting brightens things up a bit and gives it more of a true gold look. An incredible, foamy white head tops it. Carbonation looks very active as it stands about four fingers tall. It’s extremely slow to recede. Never completely dissipates. Lacing was very, very thick and sticky. Thick waves cling to the glass as it descends. Looks really good!

The nose is quite good. It’s very earthy, grainy, and musky up front. Wild yeast is easily noted, although it’s not really funky. Light lemon is apparent. Belgian yeast also has a notable presence. It definitely spices things up quite a bit. Pepper seems like the most notable scent. Some grassy notes emerge. Smells like it might be attributable to hops. Alcohol is a little noticeable, but is blended pretty well.

The flavor is impressive. It is earthy and grainy up front. There’s a little malt sweetness there, but earthy notes predominate. It’s definitely musky. Wild yeast doesn’t add a funky flavor, but it’s definitely musky. It’s a nice complement to the grainy notes and tastes good. I like it. Lemon and white grapes round out its fruity side. Belgian yeast is very tasty and brings a really nice spicy flavor to the mix. Pepper and light clove are noted. Grassy, earthy hop notes emerge late and are a nice touch. Alcohol doesn’t seem to be much of a factor. It’s masked well. Finishes earthy, grainy, musky, and spicy.

White Gold has a body that’s on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is active, but the bubbles feel rather soft. For a bigger beer, it goes down easily. This one won’t last long.

White Gold is a nice addition to the Excelsior Series. It’s a tasty beer that definitely has more depth and character than you might expect. I wouldn’t fewer bubbles, but that’s my only small complaint. Good stuff. Definitely recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 03:42:53 | More by prototypic

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-27-2013 12:46:22 | More by DrunkinYogi

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

04-24-2013 02:46:11 | More by randylangford

Kelp

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -24.2%

04-22-2013 20:54:16 | More by Kelp

tdm168

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Hoyt for bringing this bottle to our last get together

A - foam exploded out of this one as soon as it was opened, it took quite a while to settle down; poured a hazy yellow with a big, frothy, white head that had great retention

S - very peppery and spicy

T - peppery, spicy, herbal hops, husky, lemon, straw

M - medium bodied, crisp, faint warming alcohol

This is one of the more complex and flavorful wheat ales I've ever had. The use of three different yeasts really imparts some tremendous spice. There is a noticeable hop character that is very complementary. I really very glad I got to try this one. If I could get Ithaca in NC, I would definitely get another bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 10:51:13 | More by tdm168

AlexanderSelby

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Huge huge huge bubbly head. Kind of fun, but a little excessive. My first pour was very clear with a golden hue, my second was hazy straw-colored. Smells of tart fruit, like plums and cherries, and a hint of malty musk. Begins with a bright snap on the front of your tongue, smooths out in the middle, and then bounces to a almost sour tang on the finish.

A bright beer with a certain funk that is intriguing. Zippy and smooth at the same time, which is a nice surprise.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 00:17:17 | More by AlexanderSelby

PatGreer

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-25-2013 03:33:26 | More by PatGreer

ttengea

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-23-2013 15:40:26 | More by ttengea

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-21-2013 06:12:33 | More by WDJersey

Bizoneill

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1%

02-27-2013 15:27:40 | More by Bizoneill

lovindahops

New York

4.01/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Decided to pull a white gold out of the cellar.

A- floaties galore in this hazy dark orange of a brew. Marshmallow frosting head of foam with lacing all of the edges.

S- massive bready yeast with zest and herbal spices. Lemon and almost a grains of paradise scent.

T- good Belgian taste with spicy, fruity hops. Musty and somewhat dry on the finish

M- good creamy flavor with strong carbonation

O- an enjoyable cross between a Belgian style and wheat ale. Glad I have another one down stairs

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 00:19:17 | More by lovindahops

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

02-22-2013 05:55:02 | More by RblWthACoz

JohnQVD

New York

4/5  rDev +1%

02-17-2013 22:52:14 | More by JohnQVD

Rempo

Indiana

4/5  rDev +1%

02-08-2013 23:37:16 | More by Rempo

ithunt

4.75/5  rDev +19.9%

01-31-2013 03:10:53 | More by ithunt

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

01-29-2013 14:48:41 | More by DmanGTR

Brew33

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

01-22-2013 21:01:56 | More by Brew33

beertunes

Washington

3/5  rDev -24.2%

01-11-2013 23:37:39 | More by beertunes