Odell Brewing Co. IPA
Odell Brewing was one of the two breweries that we visited during our whirlwind, 3-hour stop in Fort Collins. When you consider that the stop also included New Belgium Brewing, lunch at a goodMexican restaurant, and a stop for groceries before we split town to head into the hills of Utah for a night of camping, you get a sense of how little time we had to really appreciate their offerings. But, luckily we did take the time to try a sampler of some of the beers they had on tap, and we took a handful of bottles with us to tide us over until the next brewery.
First off, the brewery itself is a really nice spot. They have a good-sized patio and a couple of comfortable rooms filled with tables, chairs, and couches where you can relax and use their wireless while sipping on a pint. When we were there they were offering two trays of samples. One was their lineup of regular, year-round beers, and the other was a collection of one-offs, seasonals, and other special beers that they were offering. We gave each a shot, and were quite glad we did since the two samplers were wildly contrasting.
Their regular lineup consists of an IPA, Levity Amber Ale, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, 90 Shilling Ale, Easy Street Wheat, and Cutthroat Porter. All were enjoyable (although they did not have the IPA on tap when we were there), with the 90 Shilling Ale and Cutthroat Porter being my favorites of the bunch. At this point (a couple of months later), I honestly can’t remember exactly which seasonals and other one-offs they had on-tap at the time. I know that we tried the St. Lupulin Ale, and a brett-fermented red ale, but that’s about it. What I do remember is really enjoying their year-round lineup. Each beer had distinct character, and all were very drinkable and solid.
We were both pretty smitten with their artwork as well. Each of their labels is very well done, with some great drawings and excellent design. I only wish they offered some more info about the beers themselves. Here’s the full text from the label:
Ready To Buck Convention?
We took the traditional IPA, originally shipped from England to India in the 1700s, and made it bolder and more flavorful – American style. We’ve added new varieties of highly aromatic American hops to create a distinctive bitterness profile and an incredible hop character. Hop on, hold tight, and enjoy the ride!
As much as I enjoy the enthusiasm of their writing, it doesn’t really do much for me. Nor does their website, which gives little (to no) more information. What we do know is that this beer rolls in at 7% with 60 IBUs, a respectable bitterness-to-gravity for a northwestern-style IPA. What I don’t really understand though, is how on their website they don’t even give out much information on their really special beers. Such as their recently-released Bourbon-Barrel Stout, whose webpage has no mention of gravity, malts, how long it was in barrels, etc. I realize they must think that most people are not interested, but I’m just not sure how true that is.
Anyhow. On to this IPA. 7%, 60 IBUs. Rant aside, let’s roll with that.
It pours a hazy, amber gold, with a frothy white head, and leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The nose has notes of cotton candy, orange, lemon, and lime peels, forest pines, resins, and a lick of spiciness. The palate has a strong dose of carbonation but manages to be rather smooth and velvety none the less. There is lots of hop bitterness with a sweet maltiness layered on top of it. The beer is really a tale of two contrasting flavor groups: malt honey, and even a bit of caramel on the one hand; grassy, citrus hop bitterness on the other. I wouldn’t say it’s balanced or not balanced. The two flavors groups are just so distinct without warring. The finish brings lemon curd alongside leafy, hop bitterness.
On the whole, while I would say that the flavors don’t run deep here, this is a very tasty beer. It would definitely fit the bill on a warm summer or spring afternoon. And while I’m disappointed by Odell’s lack of telling consumers anything about their beer, they definitely produce a solid lineup of year-round beers that, if they distributed anywhere near me, I’d happily partake in.
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Hi, I attended your excellent whiskey tasting at Amherst Coffee in late November and I’ve lost the list of whiskeys we tasted. Any chance you could post it or email it to me? Thanks!