Tuesday Tasting: Ithaca Ground Break

On her way home from winning the bread, the Enthusiast called to say she was stopping by the grocer and did I want any beer? But of course I did.

I've been itching to get a taste of Great Lakes' newest brew and asked her to pick up some Lake Erie Monster if the store had it and to surprise me if not. Thus, I was presented with the result of the latter situation, a sixer of Ithaca Ground Break, an American-style saison.

The Enthusiast chose this beer because she recently enjoyed Ithaca's Apricot Wheat and knew that I tend to enjoy the saisons. I can't fault that logic.

Ground Break is a seasonal, available from February to April, and weighs in at 6 percent ABV. It pours a golden orange in color with a thick frothy head. This beer suffers from a trend I've noticed in American brewing where the hops consume the flavor. And as a "springy" seasonal, what little flavor that did pop through was overly sweet.

The overwhelming sensation was fizzy, hoppy and sugary -- not tart like I expect from a saison. If that's your thing, go for it. But it doesn't suit my palate.

To me, the hops weigh down the usual light and refreshing quality I prefer from this style of beer. I guess that's why it's an "American-style" saison. What, does that mean in name only?

Maybe I'll "cellar" the rest to see if it gets better with age.

At a Glance

• Who: Ground Break (Ithaca Beer Co.)
• What: 6 percent ABV, American-style saison, six-pack
  
• When: May 17, 2010
• Where: The Viper Lair
• Why: Trying new things is my thing
  

Booze Hounds Beer Rating: 2.4 Hiccups

[Drunkard's note: The Booze Hounds Beer Rating scale (0-5 Hiccups) is based on a complex mathematical formula that would be impossible to explain to such a dunderheaded audience. Let's just say the higher the score, the more likely I am to drink it again. Natty Light would get a zero.]

Tuesday Tasting: Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison

This week's selection was courtesy of the Enthusiast, who picked up this 650-ml bottle on a trip to our local fancy pants grocer, West Point Market. This review has been in the hopper for a couple weeks as I had a plentiful spate of new brews recently, but not in the last week. I apologize if my taste bud memories are stale.

Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison is 8 percent ABV and has a sweet cherry aroma, but only a light hint of the fruit comes through in the flavor. It was incredibly carbonated, which gave it a light refreshing quality to offset the heavier alcohol content. However, the bubbles fizzed out the flavor a little too much. This would be a pleasant post-run beverage on a hot afternoon. And cherries are known for their restorative qualities, so bonus.

According to this news brief, this flavor was released in the summer of 2008 and the Southern Tier beers page doesn't mention it at all, which makes me wonder if it has been getting stale aging on the shelf since then. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Saison is another variety of Belgian ale, which has been a mainstay of my new tastings lately. I promise I'll get some variety in here soon. Or maybe I won't. It's my palate, I'll drink what I want to.

Booze Hounds Beer Rating: 3.6 Hiccups

[Drunkard's note: The Booze Hounds Beer Rating scale (0-5 Hiccups) is based on a complex mathematical formula that would be impossible to explain to such a dunderheaded audience. Let's just say the higher the score, the more likely I am to drink it again. Nitmos, do the math.]