Ellicottville Brewing Company - Stainless Steel IPA

This year-round offering from Ellicottville pours a beautiful medium-amber color with good clarity and a thick head of long-lasting foam. The aroma caught our attention right away with big juicy fruit notes including citrus, definitely, but also pineapple and other tropical fruity and floral tones. Look also for a bit of a berry-like impression and some undercurrents of earth and exotic spice. The story is much the same in the flavor, which is fine by us; the six different hop varieties grab lots of attention with all the aforementioned aromas coming forth on the palate too. The malt core is easy to overlook beneath all the expressive hops, but it provides a perfect backbone of mild caramel and light toast, along with a satisfying body. We found the bitterness very firm, which at 83 IBU is not a surprise, but the mild residual sweetness in the caramel core offers a nice balancing counterpoint which increases as this IPA warms in the glass. For pairing options, we'd recommend Hawaiian pizza, curried Indian dishes, or spicy Southeast Asian fare. Cheers!

Ellicottville Brewing Company was started by Allen and Walter Yahn and Peter Kreinheder out of a desire to open a family business. The inspiration struck while on a ski trip to Vail, CO, where craft brewing got an early foothold. There was the realization that Ellicottville, sometimes referred to as the “Aspen of the East,” would be the perfect location for a craft brewery and grill. Their instincts were proven right, and over 20 years later EBC is a thriving craft brewery with a devoted following in Ellicottville and throughout western New York.

The original brewpub location in Ellicottville was expanded in 2013 and now boasts a German-style beer garden along with a restaurant and brewhouse. Additionally, EBC has three other locations in western New York state: EBC West in Fredonia, near Lake Erie; their Bemus Point location, which opened in 2016 along the shores of Chautauqua Lake; and a brand new location in Little Valley which is scheduled to open to the public in the spring of 2018. This latter location will offer an outdoor concert venue, a beer garden for the summertime, and winter activities perfect for snow mobilers riding the Pat McGee Trail. Just as cool, in our opinion, will be their all-ages Craft Brewing Science Center, with exhibits delving into the four main components of beer – malts, hops, water, and yeast – along with brewing equipment and more.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, check them out at ellicottvillebrewing.com.