#12 of 1001 90 Shilling by Odell Brewing Co.

Another in the Series based off of the book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)).

Odell Brewing Co. named their amber ale 90 Shilling after a Scotish tax.  Tax authorities there at one time taxed the highest quality beer at 90 Shillings.  The owners and brewers of Odell must of thought they had something special when they named this beer.  This was a well done, solid amber, but not fantastic.  Maybe it was the high expectation of the name, but I was slightly disappointed.  Of all the Odell beers I have had this year, this one lacked the POW, BAM, and BOOM of the others.

Tasting notes:
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, this copper colored beer formed a medium head.  Malty, caramel aromas wafted to the nose.  Medium bodied it went down somewhat fruity, with a trace of chocolate and a nutty aftertaste.

Deconstruction Ale by Odell Brewing Co.

Deconstruction Ale is part of the Odell Brewing Co. Single Serve Series.  Odell brews a great deal with their pilot system in order to get feedback from consumers.  The beers in this series are a limited release in 750 ml bottles of the most popular pilot beers.  When I first drank this beer it was with one of the brewers on the patio of Odell Brewing Co, and decided it was worth bringing a bottle back for a fuller examination.

Typically when a beer is barrel aged it is done so in one type of barrel.  Deconstruction Ale is blend of 44% straight ale, 33% oak aged, 20% bourbon barrel aged and 3% wine barrel aged.  I must also say aging in old wine barrels is also outside the norm.  This beer comes in at 10.5% ABV, which is typical of barrel aged beer.  I poured this beer into a snifter forming a nice thick head that had some staying power.  Golden in color and a bit fizzy with a full mouthfeel.  Deconstruction started sweet and turned tart pinching your cheeks as you finish.  I am not typically a fan of Golden Ales, but I did enjoy this one.

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.

St. Lupulin by Odell Brewing Co.

St. Lupulin is an Extra or American Pale Ale by Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado.  St. Lupulin is not actually a saint, but rather a character the brewery made up.  Lupulin is in fact real.  This compound found in hops contains aromatic oils creating much of the aroma and a resiny consistency containing acids for bittering.

St. Lupulin comes in at a slightly hefty 6.5% ABV.  When poured into your pint glass it gives off aromas of hops, citrus, orange and a slight bready malt note.  There is a delightful amber hue with a moderate light colored head. Medium carbonation gives way to a smooth body with hop and floral flavors.

I tried this out in Colorado, and bought a jacket.  It takes a bit to get me to buy clothes from a brewery, but St. Lupulin had what it takes.

#10 of 1001 Odell Brewing Co. IPA

Another in the Series based off of the book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)).

I stopped by Odell when I went out to Denver, and was successful in bringing a couple bottles of the IPA back.  The IPA has eight hop additions using a specially designed hop back.  A hop back is a tank acting like a strainer to assist in adding additional hop flavor.  The bottle explains that the beer is an Americanized version of of an English IPA.  Not sure if that matters.  Most beers in the U.S. are an Americanized version of some beer somewhere, but I digress.

Tasting Notes:
Poured a nice thick foamy head, with bubbles coming to the surface.  A fruity aroma.  Citrus on the tongue and very herbal in quality.  Finishes dry and lingers on your palate.

#9 of 1001 Odell Brewing Company Cutthroat Porter

Another in the Series based off of the book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)).

Cutthroat Porter was originally brewed at the request of a tavern in Fort Collins, Colorado and named after the state fish.  This was one of the first beers Odell started brewing, which made it convenient to take back home in the suitcase.  In all honesty, this is one of my most favorite porters of all time.  I seriously could drink this one all day, now if they would only sell it in Chicago.

Tasting Notes:
Pours a deep black with a thin tan head.  (Although the book calls it a rich tan head)  Smells of coffee and chocolate.  Has a light mouthfeel with a gentle smokiness.  Comes off a bit more hoppy than one expects.

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.

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.