White Gold - Ithaca Beer Company

number1bum

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this one from BeerTruth. Thanks buddy. Bottle #495.

Pours a hazy light golden color. A few bubbles rising to the top and a fizzy couple fingers of off-white head. Head recedes to a thin lace, doesn't leave much of any stick.

Smell is quite interesting. I get some light citrus notes, wheat, some sweet malt or maybe honey, and then Belgian yeasty aromas.

Taste is a bit of a diversion from the smell. Much drier, more bitter, with little sweetness. Rather than a sweet citrus flavor there is more like a tart lemon flavor. Ample noble hop bitterness, too, and some spice and yeast. Gets a touch sweeter when it warms, but remains mostly dry. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and drying, with appropriate carbonation.

This was an interesting brew for sure. It had some dry white wine-like characteristics it seemed to me, given the very low level of sweetness and the higher level of bitterness. Different for sure, and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2007 22:46:34 | More by number1bum

supercolter

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was a good but quite odd brew.
Appearance was thick for an APWA, with a decent head and slight lacing. Smell and taste are pretty similar. Very spicy- almost holidayesc I taste a lot of black licorice like the spice Anise. There is peppery and lemony flavor/smell coming through as well. This mixes with some sweet malt, cookie flavor.
Mouthfeel is decent, nice carbonation and medium in body.
Drinkability is good but slightly hampered by the overabundance of licorice flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2009 05:25:42 | More by supercolter

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This uses trappist yeast and so there is a good argument to make it a Belgian style. The taste correlates more closely to an American pale. There is a bit fo sourness offset more by yeast than malting. It looks like an American pale wheat and the aroma is interesting because of the inclusion of brett, and Saaz hops. A good Summer beer.
Had again 2.5 years later on tap and found it astringent wheat.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2008 03:52:43 | More by northyorksammy

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

oline73

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a very cloudy golden color with a hint of amber. There is a two finger fluffy white head that fades to a layer as I drink the beer.

Smell: There is a ton of spice from the yeast. Some sweet fruity notes, perhaps some banana. There is also a sour, acidic note at the end.

Taste: There is a strong flavor from the pale wheat malt right off the bat. From there I'm picking up a lot of spice from the yeast, and a fair amount of sourness. I like the sourness with the other flavors. There is also a fruity mildly sweet hint of banana. The finish is bitter and very crisp. Not a huge fan of the aftertaste, it's bitter, but not in a great way.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and a bit chewy. The carbonation is fairly delicate and on the mild side of medium. The finish is quite dry.

Overall: I like this beer, but the aftertaste kind of bugs me. I'm really glad I got to try it, and I thought it was quite interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 01:47:36 | More by oline73

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Batch E!008...Been looking to purchase this beer for a long time and finally bought it! Was super excited to try this. 750 ml bottle poured into my La Chouffe chalice

A-Beautiful, perfect appearance. Just what one would expect for a brew influenced by the witbier. Very cloudy, nearly opaque straw yellow body. Pours with a healthy 2-3 finger foamy white head that eventually fades to about 1 finger and has perfect retention leaving plenty of lacing behind in the glass. When held up to the light one can see that the cloudiness is dynamic with minimal yeast sediment and the cloudiness whirling throughout the brew.

S- The nose is somewhat mild and generates more wheaty,grainy characteristics than anything else. There is a slight mustiness and earthiness to this wheat and a hint of phenols as well...but the spiciness is well hidden in the background underneath all of this.

T- Flavor is much like the aroma. Upfront is pretty mild and offers a slight peppery presence but the main character is a bready flavor that offers some earthy characters. Some soft hops come through for the finish as well as the slightest hint of phenols-but the bready yeast comes through more.

M- Low to medium carbonation and a light, somewhat thin, but pretty smooth, yeasty body.

D-This is a pretty good brew that is easy to drink. It drinks like a typical, sessionable wheat beer-so the ABV is very sneaky. This has a much milder, less exciting character than many of this style but is still a pretty good beer-actually-I split this with my mom and she loved it. Its a great, classic wheat beer that doesn't get wild or crazy in anyway except for ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2009 02:07:23 | More by PittBeerGirl

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Two fingers worth of crisp slightly creamy slightly rocky pure white head... Awesome retention that lasts througout... Bursting at the seams with swirling moderate-to-quick paced carbonation... The color is lemony golden yellow... An ever so slight haziness... A good bit of lacing clings to the glass...

S - Sweet lemon... Grassy... Wheat... Some moderate yeasty notes... A bit musky... A very muted spice component... Perhaps even a bit of bubblegum...

T - Sweet candied lemon... A touch of vinegar... Pear... Apples from a canned fruit salad... Some wheat notes... A slight touch of spiciness... A slight hopiness rises on the finish...

M - Light to medium bodied... Sticky... A surprising bit of tartness... Slightly creamy to start... Not much in the way of carbonation...

D - Starts of strong in terms of appearance and smell, but quickly works its way back to average... The taste is a bit of a muttled mess with some nice things going on but no clarity... The mouthfeel is also a bit odd as well... Overall the sum doesn't equal the parts... An interesting offering, but not one I would either recommend or seek out again...

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 01:57:45 | More by philbe311

PEBKAC

New York

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler from New Beer. Ommegang anniversary glass.

A cascade of brass finally settles with a couple dollops of eggshell head over a deep gold, slightly hazed body. Decanting not being my best skill, I drop more sediment into the bottle then I should of. Today's color is now peach. :P

The smell could use some work. Dusty & grassy, with some orange rind, lemon & Witbier strength alcohol & wheat.

Initial nectarine tartness. Fading, it gives into rindy grapefruit & bittergreens. Finish is bready & yeasty, maybe a touch peppery. Grassy peach, & big on yeast now that I fumbled on the pour. As is warms it turns into more of a soapy whit, a style that has never grown much on me.

Carbonation is alright. I sense a little menthol after a few pours. Dustier then I would of liked. Not too much trouble on the growler. By the glass, I could see coming back for another after running through a sampler.

Slightly better in the bottle, but what's left are old bottles...

Serving type: growler

07-11-2009 05:20:52 | More by PEBKAC

Nascartailgatefa

New York

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Slightly hazy amber in color. Pours with half inch head good lacing. Nondescript smell. Strong taste of citrus which lasts throughout. Aftertaste is not bitter. Average drinkability. Slightly on the heavy side for the beer type. Suprisingly high abc of eight percent

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2009 01:49:38 | More by Nascartailgatefa

jampics2

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice pour from Tony - thanks, man!

Huge head (as in this was creeping out of the bottle). Cloudy, nice looking beer.

Smell is really nice - tart wheat, clean yeast, and some fruity esters. Citrus and wild scents dominate.

Taste is good but a little underwhelming. Granny Smith apples, sweet and tart Belgian yeast esters, a touch of horseblanket, hops, mango, and coconut all make appearances. I love how this combines all these flavors, but it falls just a hair short of top grades.

Nice amount of body and GREAT carb on this one. Overall, it was nice, but I felt like it was just missing something (or maybe I was). A nice offering, but I'll take others from Ithaca over this any day.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 19:28:34 | More by jampics2

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch # E!012

A: pours a slightly hazy, yellowish-orange color
S: mild nose, a bit of hops and some funk
T: very refreshing, a smattering of malt some hops and funk and yeast to balance it out, decent beer, some Belgian traits are there but somewhat mild and very easy drinking, doesn't taste at all like an 8 % beer
M: very clean, mild
D: very drinkable, especially for a warm summer day
(low 80s in Milwaukee today)

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 23:25:20 | More by wisrarebeer

OldSchoolGamer

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the third Ithaca I have had that comes in the large champaign bottles. I have had Brute, Ten, and this one is White Gold. Here is my review:

A: Initially, this one pours a nice, clear golden yellow. But once you get to the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle, it makes the beer cloudy and opaque as it creates a lava lamp effect once poured. Head was a bright, white color and was quite large. It does dissipate rather quickly and leaves nice soapy lacing on the glass. One of the most unique looking beers I have seen I a while.

S: Smells very tart and fruity. Some green apple and maybe lemon. Some grain in the aroma as well.

T: The tartness carries over in the taste. Sour fruits like green apple, lemon, and maybe some honeydew in there as well. A slight vinegar component as well. I do not get much wheat in the taste. Pretty good overall though. Just a little lacking in complexity and character.

M: Medium to light bodied with a nice crisp and bubbly mouthfeel. Almost champaign like.

D: Drinks very easily. Not something I could drink very often, but an enjoyable brew overall. Nothing harsh or off-putting about the beer at all.

Of the three Ithaca Excelsior! beers I have had, this one is my least favorite. It seemed a little lacking in complexity, but still is a very enjoyable beer. Definetly worth checking out, but if you have a choice, go with either Ten or Brute as they are superior brews overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2009 03:18:51 | More by OldSchoolGamer

wagenvolks

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml bottle, E!012. Thanks to whichever BA brought this to the September tasting in Austin.

Cloudy goldenrod body with a creme-colored head. Fat bubbles quickly settle to a thin veil of foam. The aroma is quite simple given all that's gone into this beer--light wheat from the malts and a kiss of floral hops. A touch of funky earth and tartness suggests wild yeast, but Ithaca can do better (e.g., LeBleu, Brute, Old Habit Batch E!017).

The flavor takes the tartness up a notch, with a juicy, funky blast of orange peel and dry Brett. Wheat gets kicked aside, but manages to add a tasty balance of bread crust to the mix. White Gold finishes with a bone dry crispness--body is thin and well-carbonated. Overall, a unique beer to say the least, but probably not something I'd want to have again. Worth a try...

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 06:22:26 | More by wagenvolks

billab914

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Harpoon IPA glass. It poured a hazy orange color with an active, bubbly white head to it. The head settled down but left some pretty good lacing as I drank it.

The aroma shows a lot of wheat to it with a touch of sour and tart flavors coming through. A bit of the Belgian yeasty spice comes through as well.

The taste also shows just a bit of that sour, tart, wheat flavor to it. The yeasty spice comes out a little more in the taste compared to the aroma. It finishes with a little acidic sharpness mixed with more of the tart wheat flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being about average. Drinkability is pretty decent, it was a very interesting and unique beer. I liked the little bit of sour flavor to it, it gave the wheat a little something extra and different. It was pretty smooth overall and also pretty flavorful. A pretty good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 02:37:11 | More by billab914

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Sam Adam's Perfect Pint Glass

Thanks to brendanbeer for sending me this want

This beer pours a hazy golden orange color fluff bleach white foam. The aromatics are a slight funky notes that are combined with citrus notes. The flavors are significantly more mild than the aromas had let on. The flavors are more sweet wheat flavors than the funk. I can almost not taste the tart. The mouthfeel is light but chewy and goes down epically smooth. Though there's not much to the content of this beer. I enjoy it, it's tasty, but there's nothing overly special about it.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 04:47:15 | More by Vdubb86

busterthecat

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle split. Batch: E!031

A- Pours a bright golden hue. A nice bright white head forms and stays around for a while. Good head retention through session.

S- An initial light dish soap aroma that does disperse. Berries, citrus, hay, wheat and sweetness do come through. A slight zesty tang.

T- Taste is similar to aroma. Lots of citrus and hay. Citrus has a lemon and soft orange makeup. Taste is quick and light. Lots of rind.

M- Medium bodied but very light on palate for abv. Zest on palate. Decently drying. A mild tartness that does linger.

O- A good and interesting take on an a wheat ale. Pretty easy to drink. The citrus does become a tad overbearing and takes on a strong rind character. Would have liked the wild aspect of this beer to come out more.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 01:17:58 | More by busterthecat

Jmamay22

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

White Gold pours a clear honey colored yellow with a half inch ecru colored head. Plenty of lively bubbles can be seen running to the top of the liquid.

Smells lightly of must, orange, coriander, lemon, wheat, and candied sugars.

Light and effervescent tasting. Lemon and spice come through more emphatically than in the nose. Midway through there is a growing candied sugar sweetness. Pulling everything together is a grainy wheat presence.

Feel is well carbonated giving a light and airy quality. Dangerously quaffable. More of a Belgian than American beer. A good beer that I won't be purchasing again due to the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2008 16:27:16 | More by Jmamay22

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 9/18/08. Bottle. Pours a cloudy orange with a huge, thick, foamy, creamy white head. Aroma of orange, melon, lots of citrusy goodness. Flavor is quite similar, lots of citrus fruits and a spicy tang in the finish. Very flavorful and tasty. Nice beer.
7/4/8/4/15 (3.8/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 17:51:38 | More by LilBeerDoctor

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle from somewhere, either purchased in Syracuse by myself or generously provided by charlew. I forget... I do know that it is Batch E!008.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1 1/2" off-white head over the effervescent clear golden brew. Head sno-cones above the rim over time, finally calming down to leave chunky bits of lacing. Aroma is sedate, of wheat, spices and citrus. Taste is an intensification of what the nose hinted at. Mouthfeel is a bit too prickly for my taste, and drinkability is pretty good. A good representative of the style, a bit too much carbonation for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2009 00:30:05 | More by ppoitras

MbpBugeye

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks go out to Ryan011235 for this one.

The looks are pretty. Its a light gold colored beer with a lively white head. Unfortunately there is no lacing. The aroma might be the best part. Its sporting very nice lemon that dies down to a smooth woodiness. The taste is mostly a rustic, musty woodiness with fresh lemon splashed in. Mild citric tartness and acidity is all of the "sour" qualities this beer has. This is a crazy dry beer. A glass of water might be a good idea.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 04:20:09 | More by MbpBugeye

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Half Acre shaker pint glass.

Thanks to VDubb86 for sharing this bottle!

White Gold! Texas Tea...sweetener! It pours a hazy golden straw topped by over a finger of cream-white foam. The nose comprises wheat, orange zest, tart lemon zest, coriander, and black pepper. The taste holds notes of blood orange peel, black pepper, coriander, lightly tart mandarin oranges, wheat, and grass. Things don't quite meld together as well as one would hope. The body straddles the border between heavy light and light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a dry-ish finish. Overall, a pretty solid brew, very similar to Bell's Oarsman on some mild steroids.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 23:49:44 | More by TMoney2591

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap. Pours a translucent amber color with a half inch of head. Good amount of lacing. Aromas of bread, orange peel, lemon, and bitterness. Hard to pick up on too much since the smell is pretty faint. Taste is of orange peel, lemon, apple, bread and some hop bitterness. Bitter orange and lemon peel finish. Medium bodied with a nice mouthfeel. Good alcohol presence. This is a style I'm luke warm on, but this is a solid Wheat. Overall, worth having again for certain.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2012 19:08:41 | More by PicoPapa

vrazionale

Vermont

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750mL bottle at refrigerator temperature poured into a snifter. Bottle reads, "Batch# E!008."

A - Pours a slightly hazy golden brown, the color of golden raisins. Nice lingering frothy head that has a mixture of dense, tiny bubbles and large bubbles.

S - Lemon, grass, hay, wild yeast funk, sage, honey, a touch of wildflower. Nice understated complexity here that develops as the brew warms.

T - I'm not getting a ton of wheat malt flavors here, but a surprising amount of hops, considering that the nose didn't have the more traditional hop aromas. I taste honey, grass, and a touch of citrus. I was hoping for more funkiness, because I could smell the wild yeasts on the nose. The finish is all hops and honey notes, making for an interesting and unique combination. Tastes good, but it doesn't blow me away.

M - Has a lingering mouthfeel that isn't unpleasant, but hard to describe. I keep coming back to the honey thing, but it's kind of like the feeling in your mouth after you eat honey straight up - where you can still taste the sweetness, but there is something bitter going on as well.

D - In some ways, it just feels like this beer is trying to be too many things at once, with the wheat malt, the hops, and the different types of yeast. They blend together to make an enjoyable warm weather brew, but one that might be improved with a little more focus. I would probably pair this beer with a creamy, buttery blue cheese and some fresh fruit, like a pear, a peach, or some strawberries.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2009 02:29:41 | More by vrazionale

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to tenderbranson69 for sharing this with me on Mothers day -purchased at Capone's poured into tulip chilled.

The beer has a murky golden appearance with thick floaties of yeast particulate and substantial thick band of rocky cream capping. A thick ring of lace sticks. The smell starts tart with a light tropical aroma with subtle tangy mango and dry citrus rind w/ light grape-like odor and tart berry. The tangy feel is gently sour and has a warmth. The moderate bitterness seems at odds with the yeast and relatively highly carbonated body w/ mild sweetness and light spice. The tanginess of the yeast with some juicy tartness is also shadowed by the alcohol presence.

The feel which is astringent at times leads to the tangy acidic citrus combination of bretty funk and American hop accents. The fruity yeast is countered by an almost lime-like character from the bitter hops with mild pineapple/grapefruit flavors and mellow lemon tinge w/ yeast complexity present but the hops have mild grassy flavors that are somewhat fighting for the spotlight and there is a rind like flavor w/ funky dry yeastiness in the finish. The malt which is obivously doing its part for the beer is not over the top bitter, but it doesn't really contribute much to the flavor either. Overall I find this beer to be interesting and has nice brett and hop flavors, but the combination of yeasts and hops are leaving an unbalanced experience and the only real detracting thing is the alcohol becomes noticeable as you continue to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 13:55:26 | More by Slatetank

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into tulip - thanks gillian!

Pours a hazed dark golden color with an absolutely out of control head, which foams out of the bottle and all over the place. Clouds of film and lacing are eventually left on the glass, along with suds left on my friend's kitchen counter.

Wild years and funk in the nose, lemon peel with zest. Hints of spice and tartness, some touches of coriander and orange.

Light hops and spice up front with floral notes. Citrus peel with lemon and orange. Juicy and flavorful, resting on top of a soft, but well balanced wheat and straw malt base. Tart and funky towards the middle, but not sour. Finishes dry with some lingering citrus and slight warmth.

Light medium body, high carbonation, dry and bubbly on the tongue. Drinks nice and easy despite the higher ABV, which is masked incredibly well. Too bad the bottle gushed all over the place.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 02:27:39 | More by xnicknj