365 Days, 365 Beers

Over a year ago, Austin Sherwood, the beer buyer and general manager at Coaltrain Wine & Spirits, told me that he was inspired to try a new beer every day for an entire year. He documented his journey on Instagram at @asherwoo24 with weekly photos of the beers he drank. I gotta say that as the weeks went on, I was not only impressed, but downright jealous of some of the beers he was able to try. It looks like he had a blast. As the last couple photos were being posted, we asked Austin if he'd like to share his journey with our readers. Here's his story.

The journey is complete. It was fun and educational.

So why did I do it?

A Beer Worth Buying: Odell Brewing's Tree Shaker Imperial Peach IPA

I was really happy to see Odell's latest 750ml bottle offering at the liquor store last week. It was warmer out, spring had sprung, unlike the last 24 hours, which have proved to some of the snowiest times of the entire year so far in Colorado Springs. The citrusy and peachy promises of this IPA were calling out to me. Fortunately, the beer is also 9.7%, which is certainly enough alcohol to give you that warm feeling on a cold night. So, while mother-nature tries to fight off winter, Odell has released a beer that feels good whether it's freezing out or whether it's more of a t-shirts-for-an-hour type of day.

The beer is super fun. The aromas are very citrusy, with hints of mango, pineapple, and other tropical fruits. It tastes really big, with a sugary sweetness, not necessarily a malt complexity, but it's not cloying either. There are huge citrus flavors in this beer, loads of pineapple, almost like a fruit juice. My favorite part is the search for the Peach flavor, which sneaks up out of the background, rounds out and then fades away very quietly. It's quite nice. There's some bitterness present, considering it's an Imperial IPA, but it really takes a back seat to the more complex fruit flavors. This beer is all about the hop flavor and aroma that compliment and even mimic the subtler peach. 

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

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Home Brew, Caramelized (Burnt) Sugar & Odell Brewing Company

Please help us re-welcome Justin Carpenter to the Focus on the Beer blog. He wrote an article about a year and a half ago and now we've invited him to write another when we learned that his beer was chosen to be brewed up at Odell Brewing. He'll tell you all about his beer, and we'll give you the details on how you can get some of it!

Yes, this is a beer blog, and yes, we’re going to talk about beer, but first, we have to head back in time about 80 years, to a quiet town in Kansas, to the tranquil home of Walt and Gertrude Zscheile (shī´ lē). Every Sunday, true to family tradition and recipes brought over through Ellis Island, Walt and Gertrude would milk their Jersey cow and make two batches of ice cream for themselves and their four children: one was a regular batch, and one was made with burnt sugar. This burnt sugar recipe was coveted, cherished, and once again passed down through a few more generations. As a child, I salivated at the thought of my mom cooking it on the stove; as an adult, I often made it for myself, and even shared it with close friends.

Start of caramelization

Now for the beer part: I began brewing about five years ago and was focused on learning traditional techniques and styles. As I slowly began to experiment with various hops, yeasts, grains and special ingredients, I was amazed to discover that there is really no end to the uniqueness that a beer can become. Late one night, I literally woke up with a “Eureka!” on the tip of my tongue. I shook my wife awake (much to her chagrin) to explain that I had finally thought of a way to bring family and beer together in my own creation. But how could I do it? I initially planned to attempt some burnt sugar with a brown ale, but the recipe felt like it would become a stuck mash; so I cellared the idea for a few years.

A Visit to Odell's 2nd Annual Small Batch Festival

Odell Brewing Co. was founded back in 1989 in Fort Collins. That means if you are 23 or younger, they've been making glorious beer since before you were born. They've gotten pretty good at it too. Just like anything, perfection comes after a lot of practice. Most breweries have a pilot system: a smaller brewhouse which allows experimentation and a chance to fine tune a recipe before making hundreds of barrels of a beer (aka small batch). Experimentation is the focus of this festival with beers named Tiger Blood and Totes McGotes. Most of these beers were brewed on that small 5 barrel pilot system that's nestled in between the larger tanks in the brew house. We paid the festival a visit, made the long trek from Colorado Springs and the beers did not disappoint.

Image Recap of all the crazy things we did last weekend

Last weekend was one of the busiest weekends in recent memory for craft beer in Colorado Springs. We've got some photos to guide you through some of the events. Included are Meet the Brewer with Doug Odell, our trip up north to pick up kegs for Battle of the Brewers, Battle of the Brewers, and Front Range's beer brunch. This is tough work sometimes!

Drink With Us All Weekend!!!

This weekend is going to be a ton of fun. We organized two back to back events, the Odell Meet the Brewer on Friday, Battle of the Brewers on Saturday and we're also probably heading to the Beer Brunch at Front Range BBQ on Sunday morning. You should definitely come and hang out with us all weekend long! Here are the full details:

FRIDAY, MARCH 30TH

Meet the Brewer: Odell Brewing

Fri. March 30 / 7pm

Another Pint / 13860 Gleneagle Dr. Colorado Springs
Pay per pint
Event page on Facebook

Meet the Brewer: Odell Brewing

Meet the Brewer: Odell Brewing

Fri. March 30 / 7pm

Another Pint / 13860 Gleneagle Dr. Colorado Springs
Pay per pint
Event page on Facebook

Our third installment of Meet the Brewer is going to be killer! This is a series that we organize in partnership with Another Pint. The first two events were very popular with Crooked Stave and Oskar Blues. This time, we're working with Odell Brewing in Fort Collins and we're bringing down co-founder Doug Odell! The event will take place on Friday, March 30th at Another Pint. We'll have a couple classic Odell beers like the IPA, Myrcenary, and their first beer, back in 1989, 90 Shilling. We'll also have Footloose Golden Sour and Shenanigans, a couple beers you perhaps of not had before. You won't want to miss this event! You'll have the opportunity to talk with Doug about what it was like starting a brewery before the recent brewery boom, the current direction of Odell, how some of the recent beers were conceived, and how Odell became an industry leader in terms of quality and innovation.

The new beers:
- Footloose Golden Sour – Barrel aged with Brettanomyces and lactobacillus, this sour brings forth big fruit flavors of pineapple and citrus. Tropical aromas, coupled with a tart finish and slight hints of vanilla from the oak barrel make for a unique and refreshing beer. (8% ABV)

- Shenanigans - This delightful crimson ale is aged in oak with just a touch of Brettanomyces. The subtle Brett tartness balances the rich amber malt with hints of dried fruit and light citrus. Our ode to the happy accident, Shenanigans was just too good not to share. (9.1% ABV)

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Beer Thoughts: Odell Footprint

Beer Info:
There are ten states that make up what we (Odell) call our 'Distribution Footprint.' Each state made a unique contribution to Footprint. This artful ale is our tribute to these states in which our beer is available. The brewery sourced select ingredients from each of these ten states and crafted a myriad of small batch brews that were then blended into one larger brew. Guest brewers comprised of distributor partners, retailers, co-workers and friends from each state were invited to Odell Brewing to help with the brews. Colorado: Hops & Barley, Arizona: Prickly Pear, Idaho: Hops & Barley, Kansas: Wheat, Minnesota: WIld Rice, Missouri: Oak Barrels, Nebraska: Corn, New Mexico: Green Chilies, South Dakota: Barley & Honey, Wyoming: Wheat. ABV 9.5%

The Growler Part II: The Present and Future

From kelliedayart.com

This is the 2nd and final part of our series on the growler. Check out Part One on the history of the growler. This article focuses on the views of the growler's role in the modern day beer industry from some of the leading brewers and brewery CEO's including Greg Koch from Stone, Joe Morhfeld from Odell, Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewing, and Matt Thrall from Avery. The article also looks at some of the present and future modifications companies are making to growlers to make sure the beers are fresh to consumers. So sit back, grab a growler, pour a pint, turn up the radio, and enjoy the read!

Are Growlers Evil?

Since the late 1980's, the growler has been an ever increasing popular option for beer-to-go from favorite local breweries. In fact I cannot think of a brewery in Colorado today that doesn't offer a growler fill. And they are popular too (at least in Colorado). Many taprooms have a special area at the bar for growler fills only. Growlers are regular attendees of parties, potlucks, club meetings, camping trips, ski trips, and river trips. I have never seen anyone frown when they heard there was a growler of beer. Usually the person gets a big grin and immediately wants to try "the fresh" version of the beer straight from the brewery. This excitement isn't just coming from the guy who only drinks "The Beast" from a can . These positive feeling towards growlers are coming from craft beer lovers, beer judges, beer servers, beer reps, and brewers that I role with. So when I read the article Why Beer Growlers are Bad for your Brew from the website bon appetit, I was surprised at such a one sided article about something that I had always considered my ally towards enjoying beer. In the article, the writer gives a one sided account of the evils of the growler based on the views of Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and a well respected beer advocate in the industry. The following are some of the comments in the article:

Odell's Mountain Standard is a Black IPA

I just received the press release for Odell's Mountain Standard Black IPA. I've never had the beer so I'm excited to try it. What I really wanted to talk about briefly though, is this never-ending discussion of whether we call a beer a Black IPA or a Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA). CDA is a term that many people in the Pacific NW are attempting to use in branding the style of these beers because, among many reasons, the hops used in these types of beers come from Cascadia, the Pacific NW. Many people outside the area don't want it called that. The distinction in the terms Black IPA and CDA are important in the beer geek world for more reasons than that but I want to share my opinion.

Mountain Standard is indeed a Black IPA, not a CDA. The press release says "Named for the time zone in which the brewery resides, Mountain Standard Double Black IPA features hops grown on Colorado’s western slope." Not only is Odell playing off the geographical debate that's taking place by naming their beer after our time zone, but they've specifically used hops from this time zone, not from the Pacific NW.

Ft. Collins Visit Part 1: Odell

Last week we headed up to Ft. Collins to see what sorts of things were happening up there. We didn't make it to every brewery but we did hit up a few that we were pretty excited about. We went to Funkwerks, Crooked Stave, Odell, and Equinox. We'll show you some of what we saw, and provide some info on what's happening in that part of the state. I'm going to divide the trip into a couple posts, this one will focus on Odell.

Odell was founded in 1989, and they were the second microbrewery in the state. Boulder Beer Co. was the first. 1989 is the same year that New Belgium, down the street, started up so it is no wonder that with these two breweries Ft. Collins has become the beer-centered town that it is. According to the Odell website the brewery became successful quite quickly. They began in a converted grain elevator and the flagship beers were the 90 Shilling and the Easy Street Wheat. All their flagship beers use a German Ale yeast. It wasn't until 1994 that Odell began bottling up unpasteurized six-packs, and they were the first microbrewery in Colorado to offer six-packs.

We didn't take any pictures outside so I had to lift this from Brewpublic, sorry Angelo!

Also in 1994 Odell upped their production in a newly built 8,000 square foot brewery and produced 8,300 barrels. Not bad! But the beauty-of-a-building you see in the above photo above is what the place looks like now. A 45,000 square foot brewery space. In fact it was only very recently that the space was (almost) doubled from 24,000 to 45,00 sq. ft. After all this expanding and growing, I was surprised to hear that 90 Shilling remains their highest selling beer. I would have guessed the Pale or IPA, it seems like people want beers with a more bitter and hoppy profile but I suppose that this isn't necessarily true. As was pointed out, the beer could easily be considered a sessionable beer as its balance and reasonably low alcohol levels make it an easy drinker.

This photo shows the new space in the brewery. All of it is part of their recent expansion, doubling the size of the brewery. Pretty wild to think about. It might seem like there's plenty

Odell Myrcenary vs. Russian River Pliny the Elder

Posted by Isaac Grindeland

I've been drinking the heck out of Odell Myrcenary lately. Over the last month, I've gone through 2 4-packs and probably a dozen pints at A Second Cup served by northern Colorado Springs finest beer pourer, Chad Shayotovich. I've been thinking, Is Myrcenary as good as my gold standard for double IPAs, Pliny the Elder? I found it hard believe that my old friend, Pliny the Elder, could be knocked off its glorious pedestal, but I couldn't help but think Myrcenary might have a fighting chance. So I decided, frick, let's put these heavyweights to a head to head challenge. I have to practice as a judge for the AHA national homebrewing competition anyway right? To recreate the challenge for yourself, you must buy both beers at the same time and listen to The Avett Brothers Live Volume 3 album. Judging methods are based on the BJCP guidelines. Here are my results.

Odell Myrcenary 9.3% ABV 12 oz. bottle

• Fun Fact - Myrcene is a component of essential oil in the hop flower!
• Aroma - A hop explosion of light citrus fruits such as grapefruit and passion fruit. Slight pine and grassy notes. No earthy hops. A sweet malt but not cloying. No diacetyl. 11/12
• Appearance - Golden amber. Clear. White head, low head retention 2/3
• Flavor - Hop flavor predominates with fruits of citrus, grapefruit, and pineapple. Long lingering bitterness but not harsh. Nice medium low sweet malt with a dry finish. 18/20
• Mouthfeel -Smooth medium body. Not astringent. Medium carbonation. Overall dry. Some alcohol warmth. Not hot. 5/5
• Overall - Very hoppy with nice balanced malt sweetness that finishes dry and smooth. Excellent double IPA. 9.3% is impressively hidden. World class double IPA!! 9/10

Overall score : 45/50 Grade: A+

Russian River Pliny the Elder 8.0% ABV 500 ml bottle

• Fun Fact - Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Pliny and his posse created the first botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs. He died while watching Mount Vesuvius erupt in 79 AD.
• Aroma - A hop explosion of grassy citrus notes and grapefruit. Sweet malt. No diacetyl. 10/12
• Appearance - Golden amber with a touch of copper. Clear. White head with low retention. 2/3
• Flavor - Hop flavor is strong and full of citrus, grassy, and grapefruit notes. Malt flavor is low but sweet. Very dry finish with great bitter aftertaste that is smooth and clean. 19/20
• Mouthfeel - Smooth, medium body. Not astringent. medium carbonation. Smooth low alcohol warmth. 5/5
• Overall - Complex and intense but smooth hoppy beer with an amazing inspiring dry finish all the way through. A perennial all-star of double IPAs! 9/10

Overall grade: 45/50 Grade: A+

Well, that's annoying. Both scores are the same! These beers are very close in their hop and malt profiles. While Myrcenary is a tad sweeter in the malt profile and finish, Pliny the Elder is a little more dry throughout and has a little less alcohol warmth. Myrcenary had a more intense hop aroma, but that may be due to shelf life. As the beer warmed, Mycenary had a slight piny hop flavor too. Pliny kept its high citrus notes as it warmed. Overall, I still pick Pliny the Elder as my double IPA of choice mostly because of the dryer finish, but as I stated previously, these beers are super close in aroma and flavor, and it was a very close race. In a blind tasting, I may not be able to pick one from the other. Great job, Odell, on bringing another great double IPA to the Front Range for us to enjoy! It is one of my favorites in Colorado!

Gotta Love the Local Brown Ales

I've noticed a lack of Brown Ales in the beer world. I don't have statistics on this, but it seems like the beer geek is much less interested in Brown Ales than in other styles. The same was true for me until one of my favorite Oregon breweries, Double Mountain, put like 5 different brown ales on their menu a year or so ago. Since then I've been interested in how different breweries approach the style. So I'm going to show you three brown ales. One is from Colorado Springs and the other two are local to Colorado and accessible in Colorado Springs:

Odell Brewing - Sabateur 
Odell hails from Fort Collins. This beer is still available at Coaltrain's in Colorado Springs. The bottle says it's a "Brett Barrel Brown Ale." If you're not sure what this means, let me tell you a little. Brett is short for Brettanomyces, a wild Belgian yeast that can take the beer a number of uncontrollable directions. When the beer is aged for a long time the beer becomes quite sour, as opposed to being bitter from hops. The beer was also aged in oak barrels so there will be a woodiness to the beer and possibly some vanilla flavors will come from the oak. So, let's see what we've got. Pours a beautiful dark brown, it's so dark you can't see all the way through it and there is a beautiful thick tan head that stays in my glass the whole time I drink the beer. There is a strong sour candy aroma, with a hint of roasted malt. The sourness hits as the beer