Archive for May, 2011
Odell IPA
So, I’m not going to spend a ton of time reviewing this beer from Odell, because I think my past reviews will indicate how I feel about this. I’ve never had a bad beer from the folks at Odell, I think their label art is swell, and I reach for IPAs about 75% of the time. Therefore, it stands to reason that I’m going to like this. A lot.
And I do. Frankly, I’m surprised by the pour, as it is much lighter than expected, coming out looking more like a pale ale or a lager than a full-bodied IPA. It is really quite clear, but I’d wager unfiltered – just a hint of cloudiness presents itself. The head is stark white, fluffing up quickly but then dying down to a thin ring around the glass. A substantial effervescence remains, with tiny bubbles rising to the top of the glass throughout the session. The aroma here is full of fresh hop – very flowery with a substantial citrus hint. In the mouth, this is an IPA by the book, and one of the better IPAs I can recall having. There is a ton of sticky fresh hop flavor with a bit of pineapple citrus throughout the mouth. I wouldn’t call this very complicated – it presents it’s flavor at the front of the mouth, and that flavor remains all the way through to the aftertaste. Perhaps the citrus flares up a bit in the middle of the tongue, relaxing into more of a hop aftertaste.
All in all, I’d rank this up there with the old standards of IPA-dom, like a Dogfish Head 60-minute or a Bell’s Two Hearted. It’s an incredibly tasty beer, mildly sessionable, and impressive value for the cost. Odell’s remains one of my favorite breweries…
Rush River “Uber Alt”
One month later, and another special batch from the folks at Rush River. This one is their Uber Alt – a large take on the German Altbier, a typically rich malty concoction.
This brew pours a very dark golden – just slightly cloudy with great effervescence and a creamy dense head that just won’t stop. The aroma of this is just fabulous. It lives up to the style with rich baked bread aromas with an extra slight dose of sweetness reminiscent of cotton candy. In the mouth, this doesn’t disappoint. The initial flavor is quite sweet. In fact, it gives me a light sensation of SweetTarts. However, this is quickly mellowed out by rich sweetbreads and hints of maple syrup. The flavors are undoubtedly rich and decadent. However, the texture of the beer maintains a fairly viscous texture and flows through the mouth quite easy. The flavor tends to stick on the tongue, but the beer comes off quite crisp and clean.
Frankly, I couldn’t be more impressed with this stuff. It’s such an interesting combination of candy sweetness and rich maltiness, and such an unexpectedly smooth and clean mouthfeel, that it’s really unlike anything I’ve tasted. However, it’s not *weird*, like so many ‘different’ beers can be these days (a good thing in its own way). What Rush River has done here is to incorporate flavors we know in a unique fashion, providing a beer that is both familiar and new, and very tasty.
All in all, I think this is a fabulous beer and a great value in a 6-pack. For sure, you’ll want to watch yourself, as this rings in at a deceptively strong 8.5% abv. However, I highly recommend picking up a batch.
