Odell - India Barley Wine

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

India Barley Wine
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Light, hazy amber color.
A large amount of hops, followed by malt caramel and a touch of yeast aromas to the nose.
Short head disappears to a cover but leaves clingy lacing.
Soft, sweet malt taste, some bold hops and honey (?) sweetness.
Soft carbonation.
Full flavored, somewhat complex bodied. Even more flavorful as it warms. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
I have had this aging for nearly one year. It was brought out in the company of great beer lovers.  All agreed it was an excellent sipper. Not a heavy handed barley wine, as some tend to be. Not overly complex, nor difficult to consume.  In fact, it was deceptively easy to drink at over 9% ABV. And did I mention the hops? That is where it gets its double identity (a.k.a India) as there are 68 IBU's of hop heat neatly tucked inside this barley wine.

So glad I was able to share with those that appreciate a well made ale. Kudos Odell!

Odell Isolation Ale

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Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Isolation Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Light amber brown color.
Nutty, wood and spice smells with malt aromas to the nose.
Short head disappears to a cover but leaves clingy lacing.
Soft, sweet malt taste with hints of spice that balances the sweetness.
Soft carbonation.
Full flavored, medium bodied. More flavorful as it warms. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
I have been trying to retrieve some of this ale from my trips to Colorado without much success...that is, until I visited this fall and found some just at release. This is an Odell seasonal selection, so being there during the winter months is necessary in order to score some for your very own.

I find this a quite interesting departure from their other 12 oz bottles. And it lives up to the label's enchanting vision of being stuck in a warm cozy cabin on a cold winter's evening. Believe it or not folks, the temps in South Florida have dipped into the low 30's this week. I had my CSU beanie on this morning, sporting the Rams colors on the way into the office. So when evening came, I remembered the Isolation Ale was in the back of the fridge. A good brew to 'hunker-down' with on a cold winter's evening, for sure. One beauty of a Winter Warmer!

Odell Mountain Standard - 2010 Double Black IPA

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Mountain Standard - 2010 Double Black IPA
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 9.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown to black in color.
68 IBU's of hops and beautifully roasted malts greet your nose.
Silky soft head clings to the glass leaving draped lacing.
Big malt and hops taste that finishes softly, smoothly.
Soft carbonation.
Full flavored, full bodied. No alcohol after taste. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This blog post was done live at the first ever Beer Blogger's Conference, held in Boulder Colorado. 108 bloggers were in attendance, from over five hundred identified blogs. Luminaries of the craft beer world also attended to serve as presenters and keynote speakers for the event. A "speed round" of blogging was held by 12 brewers, each bringing an exemplary brew to blog. 12 beers, 12 blogging tables and 60 minutes were allotted in a fun, free-for-all session. 

Round #11

Odell Brewer Joe Mohrfeld & me

If you have been keeping score at home with my posts, it will come as no surprise that I am a self proclaimed fan-boy of Odell. They have an outstanding lineup of basic beer from a wheat through the pale and India pale ales and porters. Then they have their Single Serve releases and the now famously sought after Woodcut series.

Speaking of the special releases, I had the 2009 Mountain Standard Single Serve earlier this year and truly enjoyed it. But when Odell brewer Joe Mohrfeld came by our table with the 2010 Mountain Standard, my heart skipped a beat.

This corked and caged beer was being released today at 4:30 (Mountain Standard Time, of course!). We were getting to sample it only an hour before the release. This is a luxurious Double Black IPA that has a silky soft head.  Smooth, not boozy with a rich easy-to-drink texture that envelops your tongue and taste buds on the way down. Pure enjoyment, dark and satisfying to the bottom of the glass. 

Joe was a great ambassador of Odell.  He took time to explain how the 11 brewers collaborate on the brewing process for the releases. I'm sure the other 10 brewers share his passion, else their beer could not achieve such great quality and taste. Now, if we can just get that distribution a little closer to my home base...looks like many more trips to Colorado are in store for me.

Heaven on earth is the only way to describe the taste. Okay, maybe I'm gushing, but you will not be disappointed in the least. Now, I have to find a way to get some of this 2010 Single Serve before it's all gone.

Odell - Mountain Standard Reserve '09

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Odell Mountain Standard Reserve '09
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Mahogany brown color with subtle hints of ruby tones.
Piney hops and a nutty sweet aroma from the nose. A bit of malt in reserve.
Silky looking, tight foaming, two fingered head.
Great amount of lacing with each sip.
Very active carbonation.
Taste reveals a maltier than expected front with toned down hops finish. Quite the reverse of the smell.
Medium bodied mouth feel and dry finish. Very balanced.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Some days my bony fingers ache, leaving me slack to write about the qualities of a current beer.  Other days, I cannot wait to exude the thoughts on to the page fast enough.  Especially when it is a beer that is not oft seen in this crypt's parts.  The excitement to examine and enjoy spilled out of me, as fast as the beer was poured from the bottle.  I make no shame about this beer - - - Odell is one of my guilty pleasures.

Returned home with this stuff in May and was patient enough to wait to try it out.  At the end of a rather stressful week, digging the ditches at work, this was a just reward.  Shared in the company of close family and offered up as a special treat, I got excited to finally open the Mountain Standard, a beer that is lovingly named for the time zone in which it is crafted.  A rather lucky end-of-the-day to an unlucky Friday the 13th.

Immediately, our noses were greeted by that special hop signature that is only Odell's.  We all recognized it the minute we raised our glasses up to our lips and sniffed in that luscious hop aroma; one that is like no other.  An aroma I can tell with my eyes closed.  I don't know how they do it, but I hope they just keep on doing it the same way, over and over.  Until it is ever locally available, I will have to return with regularity across the Mississippi to one of the states that does sell Odell.  And I pray that there may be another Reserve Series in a coming year for Mountain Standard.

Did I mention how lucky this Friday the 13th was?  I am so glad I brought back two bottles.

Odell - Red Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Odell Red Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber ruddy red color.
Hops, hops and more hops smell. Wonderful.
Nice tight foaming two fingered head.
Superb rings of lacing with each sip.
Total immersion of hops with each sip. Malt does show a bit.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Fresh hops aroma and a hops kick - just right at 50 IBU's.  This was one that eluded me on previous trips to the mountains of Colorado.  I regret only bringing a sixer of this back, but there is hope for me yet.  GABF looms large in September when I will be back...with more.

Time to correct that mistake. Get some, before I bring it all back to the crypt.

Odell - Saboteur Brett Barrel Brown Ale

Dead Assassin

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Saboteur Brett Barrel Brown Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com
http://odellbrewing.com/beers/saboteur 

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown cola color.
Sweet pineapple and vanilla aroma with slight earthy funk on the nose.
Moderate one to two finger creamy head with minimal lacing.
The taste sours out, but in a good way.
Medium mouth feel. Complex, earthy sour flavors. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I scored two of these beauties on a trip to Colorado as part of a near $200 extravaganza of beer shopping.

As a fairly new addition to the Odell lineup, Saboteur lives up to it's name by tantalizingly drawing you near with sumptuously sweet pineapple and vanilla flavors.  Then it perpetrates its diabolical plan by turning sour to the taste as you finish the sip.  In the world of espionage, a saboteur's modus operandi is attempting to conceal their identities because of the consequences of their actions.  This is how this ale gets the job done.

The bottle label  introduces you to the fact that Brettanomyces, (the bane of a vintner's existence), is in the batch.  Hence the name 'Brett' in the ale's name.  Brett is typically found in Lambic or gueuze, giving them a sour profile.  It has the same effect on Saboteur, by design.  Saboteur is aged in oak barrels and then conditioned 100% in each bottle.

Tricky little ale that will please, as it performs its artful seduction on your senses. Don't fight it when a Saboteur sneaks up on you. At 10% ABV, you will be infiltrated.  Resistance is futile.

Odell - India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

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India Pale Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Translucent golden color.
Apple hint and citrus, hoppy smells.
Tart, tangy hops finish.
Moderate one finger head with terrific lacing.
Medium mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
And the hits keep on coming...

Another great brew from the Odell folks. We can't say enough about their unique lineup. This IPA is well done. Another of the brews my friend Adam tossed into our order. It is sufficient to say that this is one of the best all-around IPA's sampled to date, at the western crypt.

Please Odell...get some of your stuff out closer to my home crypt. As we say in Florida, the land of the living dead, "...in Heaven there is no beer, that's why we all drink it here..." I guess I will be going to Colorado more frequently.

Odell - Levity Amber Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Levity Amber Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy golden yellow, straw like in color.
Citrus zesty tang; grapefruit(?)
Pine scent, strong hop oil scent in the nose.
Minimal head that dissipates rapidly leaving scant lacing.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Deja vu? If I didn't know better...this one is eerily like the St. Lupulin, but softer in hops and ABV. It is great on its own and I don't really have more to state about it, except that it was greatly enjoyed.

Try some and you too will rise from the grave. Muaahaahaaahaaa!

Odell - St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale

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St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy golden yellow, straw like in color.
Citrus zesty tang; grapefruit(?)
Pine pitch scent, most likely hop oil scent in the nose.
Minimal head that dissipates rapidly leaving scant lacing.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
From the Odell label for this bottle, "A mystical legend echoes in our brewhouse - that of St. Lupulin (loop-you-lin) the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within - lupulin." Here is a beer that spoke of summer and the wild smell of the fields, even before this seasonal ale label was read.

Lupulin is that main earthly ingredient Odell's has managed to extract. As for the mythical St. Lupulin, well since I'm somewhat of a myth, there should be room for another mythical creature. Especially when his hop tending job is so very important! Good things from the earth go into making this a very tasty and drinkable experience. And that is what you need to do friend, experience this extra pale ale. It should be summer all year long!

Odell - 90 Shilling Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

90 Shilling Ale
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Ruby red and dark brown color.
Balance of malt and hops aroma and taste.
Frothy off-white three fingered head with peaks.
Balanced carbonation.
Excellent clinging lace down the side of the glass.
Medium bodied mouth feel; fruitiness in finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is the second of the two sixer's we sampled from our trip to the mega-cooler in Ft. Collins. Oh, how I dread returning to the Florida crypt where we cannot get this earthly nectar...I must implore my grocers to obtain shipments, somehow. Returning to the 90 Shilling...

What a wonderful balance of roasted malt and hops. Not only in the aroma, but in the taste. Just simply delicious. A great beer to have with a meal or maybe even a couple alone. Such flavor and body. Yum. Yes, I said yum! That is a fine superlative and succinctly defines this ale. Deal with it!

Now I am sad again, until we return to the Rockies in the fall whenst' more of this delectable ale can be had.

Odell - 5 Barrel Pale Ale

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Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 

5 Barrel Pale Ale

Odell Brewing Company

800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Solid orange to copper color.
Hints of citrus in the bouquet with pleasant malt and hops aroma.
Foamy off-white three fingered head.
Continuous, small bubble nucleation in the liquid beneath the head.
Excellent clinging lace down the side of the glass.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; gentle nudge of hops in the finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Making unexpected acquaintances is one of life's great pleasures. I made a new best friend in Adam, from the Odell Brewing Company today when visiting a rather large Ft. Collins beer and spirits emporium. While perusing the refrigerated aisle for suitable liquid victims to harvest, we stumbled upon his display of Odell finery. I had already made a selection prior to meeting him. Back into the mortuary fridge it went escaping my clutches to live another day. Instead we strolled out with two different six packs of Odell's, along with some mighty nice swag.

This 5 barrel ale is done in their small batch style where only five barrels are brewed at a time until they are satisfied with the formulation. Once this pilot system is perfected, they let the bottling begin! Also interesting to note is that hops are added specific points during the fermenting process, leaving a very flavorful ale as the finished product.

As we say around the crypt, "...life's short." So while you can, go do something refreshing today. Make a point of introducing yourself to some of the Odell family, either in the flesh or in the bottle! It will be a rewarding experience, indeed.

UPDATE 9/23/09 - Arrived Denver this evening for GABF weekend. A fine Irish pub was close by to our hotel and had 5 Barrel on tap. Even more marvelous to behold by the pint, fresh from the keg.

Odell - Cutthroat Porter

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Cutthroat Porter
Odell Brewing Company
800 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. 1989
www.odellbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown on the pour.
Chocolaty malted caramel and coffee flavor.
Smooth head pour with decent lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel; not overpowering. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Second post from the Rockies. Got to a regional pizza & beer restaurant that boasts "110 Brews". This is a deep rich coffee & chocolate flavored porter that went down smooth while waiting for the entree's arrival. Our host Zach, brought it along with a frosty mug to pour and explore. As per usual, I try to taste through the flavors before reviewing the label.

This local brew confirmed the flavors I was tasting in the porter, within the glass. It's from another small local brewery which is also in town where I am, ahem, "resting my bones". It seems that this will also command some attention before departing said town. Ohh soo good!