I say that Colorado may not exist because for me, the state of Colorado frequently sounds too good to be true. Fresh air, beautiful mountain ranges, a healthy, friendly populace and dozens of great beer producers... I don't know about you but it all sounds a bit like a fairytale to me. And since I've never actually been there to see it with my own eyes, it's days like today, (as I sip back a few of the states wonderful beers) that I begin to consider whimsically that it may not really exist after all. Perhaps, I think as I day dream, it's really just a clever marketing strategy used to sell craft beer to the masses. As I mull this though over in my mind I lift a too-light pint glass to my lips and raise the bottom higher and higher until I'm snapped out of my day dream by the realization that my pint glass is empty (and quite possible has been for a while) and I am in need of a refill. Determined to get to the bottom of this Colorado mystery I head back to the refrigerator, fetch another cold rocky mountain brew, and return to my desk with a full glass, and a revived determination to get back to the project at hand.
The project at hand, so to speak, was a Tour d'Odell, a parallel tasting of four of Fort Collins based Odell Brewing Company's beers. The beers I tried were: 5 Barrel Pale Ale, Easy Street Wheat, 90 Shilling, and their IPA. Here are my notes, enjoy.
First stop the 5 Barrel Pale Ale. The beer pours a neon-mandarin. The flavors were light and delicious. It's an excellent example of what a pale ale should be. Light but flavorful, effervescent but not overly-carbonated, flavorful but not high in alcohol. There was a subtle but sound hops-presence, and a touch of Orange Peal on the finish.
Second stop, Easy Street Wheat Beer. This cloudy unfiltered yellow-
orange beer had all the typical characteristics that a wheat beer should have. It was light, crisp and refreshing, and had a beautiful thick white foam and a long citrusy finish. In generally I try to avoid wheat beers (and pilsners) in the winter but this was one I could make an exception for (What really made this beer special was the finish... it was very long and had hints of spruce and pine-excellent).The third beer up to the plate was Odells' 90 Shilling. This Scottish style ale was much hoppier, and richer than the pale ale. It was also more creamy, darker and higher in alcohol. My favorite part though wasn't the flavor but that it left little foam rings on the side of the glass marking each gulp as I drank.
I saved the best for last. One whiff of Odell's IPA and my knees went to rubber (actually that may have been the alcohol as this was to be my 4th beer of the hour (what, I working hard!)). The beer was hoppie and pleasantly bitter. It was robust and round, and it was very well balanced. Not a lot to say here (definitely nothing bad to say).
So there it is, my take on four beers from Odell Brewing Company, one of the many fine breweries from my 'el dorado' state. For more photos, check out the beer photos page.
-Prost!
D.Lux
