Ithaca Ground Break Saison
Ground Break is our new spring seasonal… it’s an Americanized (hoppy) Saison. It’s brewed with generous amounts of Amarillo, Crystal and Glacier hops (none added during the boil by the way- only first wort, whirlpool and dry-hop additions) and flaked rye. It’s fermented with a blend of Dupont and Chico yeasts. Very dry, ample yeast character, and hoppy. We’ve brewed a couple of batches so far, and expect it to start showing up on draft first, then in 6-packs and our variety 12-pack in February. It’ll last until May or so when we start rolling out this year’s version of Partly Sunny, our summer Wit-style beer! This will show up everywhere that our seasonal brews and variety packs are found: NY, PA, CT, MA, RI, NJ and OH.
3.5
226 reviews
Ithaca, United States
Community reviews
Bottle to glass. Hazy yellow body with a thick hearty white head. Nose is a dry bitter farmhouse hay, some sharp lemon. Taste is dry, bitter hay up front with a lemony bitter finish. Not bad.
Draft at Pony Bar with Wally. Pours a light golden body with thick white lacing. Aroma is nice light wheat, pale malt and lemon. Mouthfeel is medium to light with notes of smooth rounded vanilla malt, pale hop, crisp wheat and light yeast. Some lemon as well. Nice clean sessionable saison.
From tap. Color is muted peach. Lemon and lavender on the nose. Taste is citrus and hops. Quite floral. Less dry and more bitter than expected.
Tap. Spruce. Pine. Grainy wet herbs. Hay. Sweet bready malt backing . Old somewhat vegetal dough. Bitter grass on that lingering finish. Okay.
12 oz bottle. Pours hazy golden with tall, long lasting, fluffy white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of Belgian yeast, bready malt, spices some apples and citrus fruit. Body is medium, creamy and tangy. Herbal hops, spicy yeast, pale malt and ripe fruit fill the mouth. Finish is very dry. Great brew for spicy food.
Pours a cloudy gold with ample head and lacing. Aromas of honey, wildflowers, and lemon. The bitter hops are a bit surprising at first; yeast is noticeable, as are the hints of sweet citrus. Not bad!
This pours a beautiful lemon yellow with a slight orange blush when held to the light in the room. When held to the natural light you will notice a dirty or muddy quality. Swirls of it actually. I think it’s the yeast. The head is just white , fat and creamy. it lasts to a thick film on top an da small ring. refreshes lightly with each tip of the glass.
Nose is candied fruit peel. Lemon and a sweet little bit of breaddy malt. There’s some earthy yeast on the nose that adds a dimension and the whole thing smells like morning dew. Bit of ginger to excite the nose and the taste is wonderful. Follows the nose all the way. This beer is smooth but bubbly. Dry but with a bit of sweetness. There’s a touch of tartness to the middle that keeps it refreshing. Extraordinarily light. Lemony, grassy and vibrant. The yeast is earthy and it finishes dry but with a touch of sweetness. There is a "grain of salt" or a slight metallic taste in this beer. It lies just underneath the body of the beer and I think it does detract.
Appearance: cloudy, dirty gold with a creamy white head and average lacing. Aroma: orange, honeysuckle, banana peel, graham cracker, pepper, grass, and a tiny hint of the typical saison funk. Taste: sweet honeyed crackers, lemon, clove, pepper, orange zest. Finish: sweet caramel malts linger over a bit of clove and pepper. Notes: Very sweet for a saison, and not as light and dry as the more traditional versions, but this was a very good beer. There was some complexity and boldness here. Not nearly as much hops as the description indicates. Beerdvent 2013, day 22.
Best By: March, 2011
A: Pours a golden yellow ale with turbid opacity. A single finger of soap sud foam falls to a moderate sheet of the same.
S: Belgian yeast, coriander, cardamom, peppercorn, sweet lemon. The malts seem a bit more caramel than typical for the style, not in a bad way.
T: Sweet, herbal, and honestly quite a bit of corn. Plenty of lemon in the background, not sour or tart, but essence is present.
M: Heavy for the style. typical carb. Dries my palate, but only enough to stimulate salivation. Decent.
O: This beer is okay. I think for the style, it’s a bit sweet, simple, and americanized. The yeast is the highlight here, but the herbal tones continue to be strong.
Serving type: bottle
05-11-2011
Pours a hazy yellow. Has a strong wheat and spice aroma. A nice wheaty taste with some yeast, lemon and spices. Little aftertaste.
A: Hazy Orangish/Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Decent Lacing
S: Hay, Oranges, Black Pepper
T: Black Pepper, Yeast, Mild Oranges, Mild Lemons
M: Decent Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Spicy
Overall, a pretty sessionable saison with nice mild citrus and pepper profile.
Bottle 2/6/11.
Clear pale golden body small white head
Sweet honey and malt aroma
Sweet honey pale malt and spicy hop flavor
Medium light body mod high carb
Saison on the sweet side but very enjoyable. Banana nutty fruit smell, with a taste that matches. Slight bitter finish on the sides of the tongue. Very enjoyable.
12oz bottle poured into glass. Nice lemon zest aroma, mixed with a little bit of yeast in there as well. I actually was impressed by this beer. I don’t come across saisons that impress me all that much.
Bottle. Smells like a Saison and tastes like one too. I typically dislike them but this one is pretty swell. My guess is its a bit old but still pretty good.
Floral aroma, golden yellow body, lots of citrus lemon flavor in this Wit-ty Saison.
Cloudy golden wheat with a good white head and horizontal curtains of lace. Fizzy wheat and malt open things, growing a little into the palate as it opens cleansing hops to bring things sharply into balance. At the close, a glimmer of sweet returns to remind you of where you started. Recommended.
Pretty good saison. Pours cloudy orange with great head and lacing. Aromas of hay, piney hops and a touch of bubble gum and booze. Average carbonation. Finish a little bitter with some tang. Bottle, a little past its prime perhaps but still very good.
On tap. Pours a cloudy orange color with an inch of foamy white head. Aroma of citrus, malt, and spices. Tasted of citrus (mainly orange, lemon), sweet malt, and light grassiness and spice.
Bottle. Milky lemon/orange and wheat malt aroma. Hazy golden yellow with moderate head. Musty sweet lemon/orange and malt flavor. Lightly bitter herbal finish. Very tasty.
On tap at Joe Canals West Deptford.
Appearance: Slightly clear pale amber with a creamy light tan head.
Aroma: Slightly tart and chemical smelling citrus, lemons.
Taste: Mildly tart lemons with slight spice and a mild malt base.
Palate: Soft creamy body.
Overall: Not a fan of this, it has a weird taste.
Bottle - lightly hazy gold - foamy, well-retained head - nose is lightly musty and musky, light melon and other mellow fruits, crackery malt, light mineral, but the is also a pronounced character of adjunct spices, perhaps some orange peel - not too bad, but it does get in the way of the yeast character - flavor is a touch sweet up front, but dries out fast - light tartness through the middle makes way for mildly flinty dryness, mild phenols - dupont yeast character is apparent - lightly pepper finish - the orange peel character is slightly present in the finish - soft, frothy in the mouth - lightly musky throughout - finish is overly bitter, perhaps some other adjuncts are to blame- as it warms, the bitterness is much stronger, and more adjuncts are apparent, leading to an overly spiced finish - it is a decent brew, but has some rough edges to work on - less is more.
Pours hazy yellow with a tall, off-white head.
Aroma is bright, yeasty, citrus...
Taste is crisp citrus, floral hops.
Spicy, clean.
Nice increasing bitter.
Sample at the Pint Room on 4/27/13. Clear gold pour with a medium white head. Aroma of malt, banana, bubblegum and some herbs. Malty flavor with banana, clove and some pepper before a dry finish.
Half pint on tap at Jackie-Os. Clear golden color. Nice big foamy white head, with good retention. Nice thick coating of lace. Medium body. Lighter, smooth carbonation, kind of creamy texture. Nice citrusy tropical fruit aroma. Belgiany, estery saison yeast, light spice. Light sweet taste. Lightly spicy solid saison.
Bottle: pours hazy pale golden, bright white dense foamy ring. A bit of lacing. Nose is great for an American saison. Floral yeast, dough, lemon citrus, flaked oats and grain. Clean hop profile with nice bready yeast, lemon citrus, chamomile, buttery Chardonnay notes, pleasant crisp dryness on the finish. Very sessionable and perfect for Memorial Day lounging. Good beer
$5.50 at the Ale House. A grassy and wheat-grained saison.. no mysteries here. Walk away: you’ve had this before.
12 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Market Wexford. Pours a hazy golden color with a frothy white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of spicy, herbal hops, citrus, stone fruits, pale malts. The taste is herbal, citrus, earthy hops, pale malts and a fruity finish. Comes across more as a BPA than an American hopped beer. Medium bodied, quite refreshing. Nice beer.
Pepper, lots of pepper. On tap. A hazy light gold color with a thin small white head. Aroma and taste is just pepper with a bread backbone. I was very disappointed in this one.
Poured on draft. Pours a hazy straw color with a white head of foam. Aroma is grassy, herbal, and nearly funky. It has just a touch of earthy tartness, but by no means is it sour. Medium bodied and a nice thirst quencher.