TEN
Ithaca Beer Company

TENTEN
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Ithaca Beer Company
 
New York, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
10%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 12.84%
Reviews:
196
Ratings:
238
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 06, 2016
Added:
Mar 06, 2008
Wants:
  51
Gots:
  7
Imperial American Extra Special Double Red Ale

"Our Anniversary beer, TEN is brewed with too many malts to list and an excess of American hops, including several additions during fermentation.

Enjoy the russet color, aggressively hoppy aroma and flavor, rich body and fiery finish."
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by prototypic:
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Huge thanks to csmiley for splitting the 750. Much appreciated.

Appearance: This one pours a brilliant looking brown color with a strong scarlet tint to it. It's very hazy. The head is absolutely huge. It's vanilla colored and stands three fingers tall easily. It's very stubborn and looks to outlast my consumption. A very thick coat of lace lined the glass.

Smell: The nose is very impressive. It's very malty and sweet smelling. Smells like caramel malts for the most part. Hops shine through very strong. Very strong scent of pine just emanates from the glass. There's some citrus notes at the secondary level. It's primarily pineapple and grapefruit, but there's a touch of light orange there, as well. A faint whiff of dark fruit emerges (raisin and plum). Surprisingly, alcohol is very light. Impressive given the stature.

Taste: Wow! This is a very flavorful and deep beer! Sweet caramel malts kick it off and give it a hell of a nice backbone. Dark fruit flavors follow and are stronger than the nose suggested. It's a nice mix of raisin and plum. Citrus grapefruit and pineapple flavors are lighter here, but add a nice, heavy citrus taste. Hops are strong and add an excellent bitter kick. Clearly the x-factor that propels this beer to the next level. They're bitter and piney, but not overly so. I love that aspect of this beer. Masterfully done. Alcohol again is very faint. It's deceiving, that's for sure. Finishes sweet and bitter.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's on the heavier side of medium. It's smooth, but carbonation is high and seems to get in the way a bit. It doesn't quite reach that "lush" level, but it's good for what it is. Drinkability is really high. It's so flavorful and doesn't present itself as such a big beer at all. I'm splitting this 750, but could've easily won the war alone. Be careful with this one.

Ithaca Ten is one hell of a fine beer. I'm super impressed. It's hard to find fault here. There are no glaring flaws. Simply superb. Happy 10th guys...and thanks for the fine beer. Thanks, Chris. This was awesome.
Dec 15, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.37 by billab914 from Virginia

Mar 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.27 by trxxpaxxs from New York

Mar 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by zestar from California

Aug 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Big_Dave from Texas

Aug 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ThePorterSorter from Oregon

Jun 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Joecaddie from Delaware

Mar 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Feb 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Roberto11232 from New York

Jan 01, 2014
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.74/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Shared with many people at my cellar cleaning.

Light fizzy head, clear cranberry dark brown color.

Nose sweet candy, dark fruit, caramel and toffee, mild oxidation, chewy malts, mild bitter hops, dark fruits and nuts, fig, candy,

Taste sweet little candy, chewy malts, mild bitter hops, mild dark fruits and nuts, caramel, toffee, etc. Little oxidation, loss of caramel. Semi sweet semi bitter finish, chewy, little syrupy.

Mouth is med to heavier bod, syrupy, little carb, booze is hidden well at least.

One of the beers I really regret not reviewing fresh, as it was pretty good back then, and a bit of a let down now. Still had some of the nice qualities, but some oxidation and loss a lot of the goodness. Oh well.
Dec 23, 2013
Photo of rudzud
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Thanks to JLindros for sharing.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice crystal clear hazelnut hue with as thin head.

S - Aromas of older malts, cardboard oxidation. Old.

T - Taste is caramel sweetness, toffee, light alcohol.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.

O - Overall this beer was past it's prime.
Dec 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by BillRoth from Maryland

Aug 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jun 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Photekut from Tennessee

May 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by GRG1313 from California

Apr 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by liamt07 from Canada (ON)

Mar 09, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by calcnerd from Pennsylvania

Feb 01, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by DmanGTR from New York

Jan 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 17, 2013
Photo of oline73
Reviewed by oline73 from Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I had this at the November Baltimore BA tasting. Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy reddish amber color with a layer of off white head that sticks around quite nicely.

Smell: Definitely malt forward with dark fruit and mild caramel malt note. The overall smell is a bit fruity.

Taste: Definitely reminds me of a red ale. The malt is the dominant flavor but it doesn't seem overly sweet. I'm getting some dark fruit. This beer may be a bit faded due to the age. The finish is slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: The body is medium to a bit syrupy. Lots of smooth carbonation with a dry finish.

Overall: I liked this beer now, it was probably even better in its prime. Still quite nice.
Nov 12, 2012
TEN from Ithaca Beer Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 238 ratings