Ithaca Beer Adding Box of Sours and Spring Box of Hops

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According to a press release at My Beer Buzz, Ithaca Beer Co will be adding to its lineup of variety packs. A lineup that currently includes just the one fall Box of Hops.

Coming in February, they will release a Box of Sours featuring two familiar faces: Cayuga Cruiser, a tart berliner weiss style ale, and Raspberry Soiree, a fruited berliner weiss style ale. Joining those two will be two new fruited kettle sours: Passionate One with--you guessed it--passion fruit juice, and Früt containing grape juice and cranberry juice and puree. The Passionate One sounds like a very interesting mix to me that I'm looking forward to trying--a sour, tropical blend featuring wonderful Galaxy hops. But let's be real, I'm mostly excited about another Box of Hops...

Following Box of Sours, a spring Box of Hops will be out in mid-March. Of course Flower Power, the old stand-by, will remain. Returning from a couple years back will be Pacific Gravity, which I'm happy about. I've previously been on record as to preferring it over Creeker, which they turned into a year-round offering. I might have to put that sentiment back to the test, ya know, for science. There will also be two new offerings. From My Beer Buzz:

 Brewed to commemorate our Tough Mudder Race on Earth Day, Mudder Earth is a soft and slightly hazy IPA featuring a hoppy flavor profile of pineapple, papaya, berry, melon and bubblegum. The addition of Nelson Sauvin hops, known for a distinct white wine, grape and gooseberry profile make for a complex and distinctive character.

  • Malts: 2-Row Pale, Oats, Wheat, Honey
  • Hops: New Zealand Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic
  • ABV: 7.5%

Missing Link is new slightly hazy double IPA featuring Hopsteiner’s experimental hop varieties #09326 and #06300, as well as Mosaic and New York Cascade. The mix of these rare hops imparts a tropical fruit and mixed berry hop profile with a pleasant malt sweetness and soft mouthfeel.

  • Malts: 2-Row Pale, Wheat, Oats, Carmel Munich
  • Hops: Hopsteiner Experimental #09326 & #06300, Mosaic & New York State Cascade
  • ABV: 7.5%

Ithaca Beer clearly leaning hazy with these two new ones both including oats in the malt bill. I'm particularly excited to try the Mudder Earth. It has the potential to lean a bit too sweet for me, but I absolutely love Mosaic, and Nelson Sauvin is a great hop as well. 

Missing Link also appears to feature mighty Mosaic as well as some interesting experimental hops. My doubt with this one lies in the caramel munich malt. If I'm drinking a "hazy", I don't tend to want it weighed down with a heavier malt backbone that munich often brings. Still, I'm looking forward to trying both of these new ones, and hoping that it is released fresh to the local market. 

Cheers!

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