GABF 2009 Road Trip: Odell, New Belgium and Fort Collins Brewery

Fort Collins is a smaller town in northern Colorado with a trifecta of heavy hitting breweries, two of which distribute to Indiana. After a stop at Wilbur's Total Beverage and Whole Foods (for a quick snack) we were ready to start our day of drinking.


Odell Brewing Company opened in the Fort Collins area in 1989 and is currently undergoing a brewery expansion. We figured we would hit them up first and sample some of their award winning brews. The tap room we visited has been open since 1994 and everything seems to be very well thought out and well put together. After a sampler each we decided to try a pint of one of their GABF beers.


I went for the Friek, a blend of their two-year-old kriek and their new kriek, and because it wasn't quite ready, they added fresh raspberries to make it sweet enough to enjoy. It turned out to be an awesome lambic with lots of big mouth puckering sour notes and just a hint of raspberry sweetness on the finish.


I went with their Bourbon Stout, which we also picked up a bottle of. This bourbon stout had the aroma of fresh creme brulee and a combination of brown sugar, vanilla, and toffee. The flavor obviously contained a generous dose of oaked bourbon. Brown sugar, cream, molasses, and dark chocolate all filled out the body of the beer and created a great balance that had very little alcohol burn. This is really one of the better bourbon aged beers I've had.


From there we headed to New Belgium. Many of you know of New Belgium from their recent entry into the Indiana market with their three offerings of Fat Tire, Mothership Wit, and 1554. I had signed up for a tour using their really cool online reservation system and we were set for the first tour at 2PM. When we arrived we were greeted with the knowledge that we would be getting five samples along the tour and a token for a bonus sample (which we could enjoy at any time throughout our visit to New Belgium). We were also encouraged to fill out postcards while we waited for the tour and they would mail them for us to anyplace in the world.


The tour was probably the best brewery tour that we've ever been on, and we even had a sample of the Lips of Faith "La Folie" (a sour brown ale) during our tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and personable. She wasn't hokey (no bad jokes) and encouraged us to ask as many questions as possible. The tour concludes with about twenty or thirty minutes in a private room where you have an opportunity to taste two different brews (we had Le Fleur Misseur and the recently tapped Fall Wild Ale). We filled out more postcards and also imbibed a big goblet of water.


After our tour we enjoyed a few more samples before heading on our way.

Hoptoberfest: This beer has a nice copper color with a fluffy, foamy head. The nose has lots of overpowering hops and gives you lots of grass and pine. When you take a sip, you're first met with a nice, tame Oktoberfest, and then all of a sudden it's like someone invited the hops to the party and they are there to wreak havoc on your taste buds. If you like hops and want your Oktoberfest beer to be a little more adventurous, then this is the perfect beer for you.


Dandelion Ale: If you haven't heard of this beer before, it is brewed with dandelions instead of hops. Surely your interest is piqued. The dandelions create a grassy nose that lacks the hop bitterness that usually accompanies this scent, along wildflowers and a slight sweetness. This beer is similar to many complex Belgian beers with a spicy background containing pepper and chamomile. Overall the beer is slightly sweet with hints of clover honey and simple syrup. A slight bitterness appears at the swallow and creates a satisfying finish to a really great herbal Belgian blonde.


Adam's Ale: Despite being brewed with Pilsner lager yeast, brewer Adam didn't like the sound of "Adam's Lager" or "Adam's Pilsner," so he went ahead and called it Adam's Ale anyway. The aroma is very clean with only slight hints of malt. Notes of honeydew melon and cantaloupe create an enjoyable sweetness, which is increased with the flavor of honey. A nice grassy character similar to hop leaves balances out the sweetness. Overall this makes a great summer beer.


After New Belgium, we hurried over to Fort Collins and squeezed our way in just before last call. Since we were in such a hurry, we didn't snap any photos. The Z lager had a nice, Spezial-like sweet smokiness. For a bit bolder smoke flavor, the Kidd Lager proved to be quite smokey despite its Schwarzbier label. One of the limited release beers we enjoyed was the Common Ground coffee ale. Unlike most coffee beers, this one isn't a stout. The base for Common Ground is an amber ale and it creates a very sweet caramel malt background that provides a nice contrast to the acidic coffee. We both agreed that Gina would approve.

Beer Diary #11 - Mike - The Beers of Odell Brewing Co.

This beer diary is a bit more pointed than previous versions - this time I had an agenda.

We missed Odell while in Fort Collins (we hadn't started drinking early enough, and arrived in the Odell parking lot just in time to find out they were closing (6 pm?!?!). So before we left Colorado I picked up a bunch of Odell beers from the Boulder LiquorMart. Surely this was the best form of penance for for our lack of diligence! I'd just have to drink the beer at home.


Single Batch Series Extra Special Red - I'll start my Odell Roundup with a a beer that's been discontinued. A reddish/copper colored brew with little head, this one has a big hoppy nose that didn't seem at all "Red". We also got some peppery notes from the nose, which faded once into the glass. The front revealed big bitter hops flavors, with a hint of caramel to balance out the flavor. A soapy almost syrupy hop presence was the main characteristic we got - a tangy mouthfeel, and a finish that was all hop bitterness. Although this is a red, the "extra special" bitterness had me thinking IPA all the way. Would buy again.


You know the pictures are getting fancy when I roll out the tin foil background.
90 Shilling Ale - I've planned to drink one Odell each night until I'm through all my varieties (that's dedication!), and tonight I was really after something a little more stout. Unfortunately the closest thing I've got to Odell's Stout in Odell's Porter - and I want to save that for last.

So I guess the 90 Shilling Scotch Ale is the next natural choice. Recent research has revealed that these bottles are dated - and this beer is best buy 01/17/09 - either that or it came from the future. A golden body supports a nice thick head. The nose reminds me of the smell of mash - fresh and grainy, malty, and tempting. A silky smooth mouthfeel delivers a mild roasted grain taste, with a sharp metallic finish. I don't get much hop presence here - but perhaps I shouldn't be pairing this with curried chicken salad. All told, this is a smooth, balanced, and highly drinkable brew. But I think I'd be more likely to try something else before buying this one again. Which is funny - I bought a 12 pack on a whim while in Boulder.


5 Barrel Pale Ale - For my next trick I've opened Odell's contribution to the Pale Ale circus; A cloudy golden and bubbly brew named 5 Barrel. Why 5 Barrel? The bottle has a long beer description on the side, but not exactly a clear explanation. Perhaps it's the "infusion of fresh whole hop flowers in the Hop Back and the Fermentor, as well as four hop additions during the kettle boil." That has nothing to do with barrels, but four plus a qualified one (Hop Back and Fermentor) would equal five. Or maybe they just needed a name that was befitting of the drawing of five barrels on the label. It's a mystery I'm willing to leave unsolved.

A mild citrusy/orangey nose awaits, which leads to a sweet yet balanced full flavored gulp. A slightly drying bitter finish with a hint of fruit leaves my mouth happy. This doesn't have the bigger flavors of my favorite American Pale Ales (I'd say it's closer to English Pale in style), but it's a beer worth having again.


Levity Amber Ale - It's the day before the pre-HBG Thanksgiving feast, and there's a brine to be made. I pour myself a beer to aid in the effort. Levity Amber has a pretty copper color, slightly cloudy, and leaves a light lacing on the glass. A bready nose and front and slight farm-y funk finish tell me this isn't the typical amber. A chewy finish lingers on my tongue, and beg me to drink more.

As the beer warms, it starts to remind me more of a farm - there's a certain funkiness that reminds me of the potent odors of my rural roots, and while that may seem like a bad thing, somehow it isn't. This is definitely a different kind of amber. Would drink again.


India Pale Ale IPA - Most of you reading know that IPA stands for India Pale Ale. The label for Odell's version lists both the abbreviation and the actual words, perhaps as a service to the uninitiated?

We've just arrived back in Indianapolis after the drive home from Thanksgiving festivities in Illinois, and although I've recently started a workout plan and diet to work my way back to fitness, these past few days have been a crash course with gluttony. I continue that streak with this clear golden ale, which has a nice light and inviting layer of head and lacing. A nice piney citrus nose dares me to take a drink.. but do I notice an almost roasted turkey-ish element there? Perhaps it's lingering remnants of my week-long turkey indulgence, but nevertheless it's an element I appreciate.

Grassy/piney elements dominate the front, but this isn't an overpoweringly hoppy IPA - just a smooth, creamy, balanced hop delivery device. I've had IPAs that made me think "this is a pale ale", but I'd guess that Odell's is pretty true to style. This is the last of the six pack I bought in Boulder, and I'll be sorry to see it go.


A good photographer would have placed the light source on the label side of the bottle. Instead, I went back to drinking and Fulham football.
Cutthroat Porter - So I've arrived at the last of my Odell varieties, and the only "dark" beer of the bunch, the Cutthroat Porter. Calling this a dark beer isn't making it clear enough - this is a beer that just barely allows light through. Hints of red show up if you hold it to light, but calling it a black beer might be more accurate.

The nose has a heavy coffee scent, with just a tiny bit of malt peeking in. A sip reveals even coffee flavors, a hint of malt, and a big creamy mouthfeel. The bottle says "not a stout but definitely no lightweight.." and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Lined up against other beers that call themselves stout, you might be hard pressed to pick this one as the porter of the bunch. But I'm not complaining. This is the best of the Odell beers I've had, and a fitting pick if saving the best for last.