Woodcut No. 4 by Odell Brewing Co.

The Woodcut series by Odell Brewing Co. is a series of beers based on barrel aging in a certain type of barrel.  Odell purchased new medium toasted American Oak barrels back in 2007 and this style of barrel has been used since.  The beers in this series are all brewed using Odell's pilot system before being chilled and placed in barrels.  While stainless steel tanks impart no flavor into beer, wood barrels do.  Often barrels are previously used to make whiskey or bourbon before sold to breweries to age beer.  This makes Odell's choice a bit unusual.  I have only been lucky enough to try No. 4, their latest release,  and I can say the barrels provided the right amount of flavor.  Besides we have enough bourbon barrel aged beers out there.

When I got off the plane from Denver my suitcase was dripping and I could smell beer.  I had bubble wrapped all the beer so my mind immediately jumped to the cork in this bottle.  Alas, it was safe.  In fact I had some difficulty getting the cork open.

 No. 4 is a Double Märzen-Style Lager.  I poured bottle #4796 into a pint glass revealing a copper hue and a medium, light head.  Aromatics of vanilla and almond waft up and a little cinnamon and nutmeg.  The beer had a slight carbonation with a full body and a bit of alcohol that gave way to the mellowness of oak tannins and warm flavors of fall.  At 11% ABV this does pack a bit of punch.  If you happen to get your hands on a bottle, I recommend a cool evening with a good friend and relaxing conversation for this beer.

Odell Brewing Co. Week Is Coming!

Starting Monday my posts for the week will cover Odell Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colorado.  Look for a review of the operation overall as well as several of their beers.  I was lucky enough to visit a short time ago, and decided I would create a virtual visit for all of you.  Stay tuned posts should be up each morning.

Beer Review: Sigda's Green Chili by Cooper Smith's of Fort Collins

Wednesdays are for beer reviews and I know I have been telling you all about the 1001 beers.  However, I had one of those beers that change perspective last weekend.

Sigda's Green Chili was light and crisp with a fiery chili side.  I found it not to be obnoxious like Cold Creek Chili Beer or even Rogue's which are so in your face its not worth drinking.  (I am sure some Rogue fans would disagree.)  It was an excellent example of what a brewer can do when a brewer puts his mind to it.  He could of just as easily just dumped a bunch of crap in a kettle and called it beer, however he did not.  The attention to detail resulted in a well balanced beer where the spiciness was an element and not the killer flavor.  I am assuming this drinkability (thanks for coining the phrase AB) comes from the use of Anaheim and Serrano chilies instead of chipotle like Rogue.  Although Cave Creek uses serrano so I have no idea.  I will caution you it is spicy, but if you like spice give this one a shot at least as part of your sampler.

Look for my full review of Cooper Smith's within a week.  Trust me it is good news I don't buy glassware from just anyone.

Denver The Initial Report

So I went to Denver over the weekend.  Here are my initial thoughts: SWEET.  Yeah that sums it up.  We started at a place called Cooper Smith's, New Belgium, and Odell's on day one.  And yes all were awesome.  Day two we took it easy apparently, I am one of those people prone to altitude sickness.  Although sick I still made it out to Tommyknocker on day two.  Day three I rallied and we visited Breckenridge's Ballpark location for lunch, followed by some of the best canned beer ever at Oskar Blues, and finished up with Great Divide before heading to the airport.  Oh and the airport led to more drinking.  Once there we stopped into Boulder Brewing for a drink and the Chophouse for supper and a sampler.

I hinted that I thought Denver made some genuine mistakes in beer.  One is the prevalence of taprooms versus brewpubs.  It caught me off guard that places like Odell's, Great Divide and some others don't feel the need to have a restaurant style environment.  I really think this hurts the business.  There is a movement to show beer belongs on the table just like wine.  A brewpub is the place to show that.  Secondly, the crowd was very young at these places.  Occasionally you would see a couple with kids, but not often.  The inability to create an environment that is truly kid friendly limits the people who will come and sit and sample your beers.  Finally, out of towners (like myself) need a place to sit and relax.  I felt without food I had to drink less.  Now I do understand adding a restaurant takes things like space and management and capital and blah blah blah.  Regardless, I think if some of these establishments truly want to achieve long term bliss it is a critical way to reach your market.  At least to me I felt many of these places where way out in the middle of nowhere.

The other problem?  GABF.  Yes I think GABF being in Denver is a problem.  Not really for Denverites (is that what they are called?), but for the rest of the country.  This obviously requires a much longer and dedicated post.

I plan on writing reviews of each brewery I visited along with tasting notes on a number of beers.  So stay tuned and of course my thoughts on GABF will come before this years event.

Back From Denver Metro

Hey Everyone!  Back from the Denver Metro area.  Got lots of great beer, great times and unfortunately some altitude sickness.  Anyhow as I did not get back until late there will be no Tough Topic today.  I will try to post a quick recap of the trip tomorrow.  This will be followed by beer, pub and brewery reviews.  As well as some critical problems with craft beer and Denver.  Yes I said it Denver has two very serious problems in their craft brew scene.