Odyssey Imperial IPA - Sly Fox Brewing Company

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bomber into nonic pint. date on the bottle says 12/2/12, which im assuming is a best before considering that date has not yet happened and i doubt this was bottled in the future.

A: very clear. orange hue. head is bubbly. retention is good, not great. lacing is thick.

S: OJ. pine. slightly subdued american hops in my opinion. a little funfetti cake. i like more of an aroma overload.

T: fruity. cantalope. orange slices. the hopes are definitely balanced with a hefty grain bill. grain gets chewy and a little munich-like. finish is bitter. remains long after the sip is gone.

M: moderate carbonation on a medium mouthfeel.

D: good DIPA, but in a field with plenty-a-standout, this one is slightly pedestrian. no real complaints, just not over the top, in your face, lights out.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 02:35:17 | More by Jimmys

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

hazy bright orange with a big billowing white pillow like head and a slow fade leaving a nice lace down the sides. Smel was sweet, with a big citrus hop presence. Lots of orange, pineapple and tangerine flavors, balanced nicely with hints of carameled sugar and a touch of alcohol. The taste was very nice, warm, with lots of hoppy bite. Very smooth, and no real hint of alcohol whatsoever. This was very nice and a definate keepe

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 02:49:48 | More by mikesgroove

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber purchased at The Hop Shop in State College, PA.
Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Medium amber colour with an orange glow around the edges. Half a finger of cream coloured head that quickly disappeared.

S - Pine, herbal and light citrus notes with a noticeable malt backbone. Not an overly bitter nose for a DIPA.

T - Piney hops up front with a good bitterness. Light citrus notes. The bitterness is somewhat dry with some orange zest coming through along with some floral/herbal notes. Some sweet caramel in the backbone.

M - Medium body with a nice chew; light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 03:56:55 | More by TheSevenDuffs

skratchx

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge fan if imbalanced pale ales that assault you with hops. Just a disclaimer so that you can understand where I'm coming from.

I poured into a half liter Oktoberfest mug from a 22 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Poured a copper color with a short but thick head which dissipated into moderate to high lacing rather quickly (could be that I just washed the mug with soap).

Smell: Gentle hoppy smell. No outstanding characteristics of flowers or fruit.

Taste: The first sip is an almost toasty malt character on the front with crisp but gentle hops rolling in and finishing off the swig. Successive sips are dominated by the hops which have a subtle grapefruity character but not much up front, as opposed to more aggressive hop varieties like chinook.

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated. Medium body, on the heavier side.

Drinkability: As far as imperial IPA's are concerned, this guy is pretty drinkable. Not something you put down in one go, but you could have a few of these in a night. The 8.4% ABV (advertised on Sly Fox's website) is well hidden though, so don't plan on driving if you're going out for a couple of these!

Note: It's my understanding that this beer is different every year, so it is probably unwise to look at reviews from previous years to figure out what you'll get in the present.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 23:22:05 | More by skratchx

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A nice looking beer with a color of amber with orange high lights. Poured into a glass it produces a dense thick head but fades quickly. Well carbonated and a tad hazy probably some cold chill. Good lacing.

Aroma is light with a pretty balanced bouquet. Hops have a pineapple and citrus smell while the malts are light and sweet.

A lackluster taste here. The beer is bitter and tart and does not complement the apperance and aroma.
Malts are pale in taste but are muted from the extreme bitterness. Hop flavor is absent.

Bitter and tart and a bit harsh. Could use some flavorful hops to balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 14:12:22 | More by micromaniac129

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This Imperial IPA pours out as a golden color with a white soapy head that doesn't stick around that much. The aromas are hoppy not too much else coming through. The taste is surprisingly bland I thought for an imperial IPA. Rather disappointing brew in my opinion. The mouthfeel could have been a little thicker I think, some more hop oil would have been nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 02:07:23 | More by Knapp85

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Copper colored and clear. Ample lace left on the glass. The head is near perfect in size and settles to a thin layer of minuscule bubbles.

Pleasant floral aroma of fresh hop is the first impression to the nose. Light grapefruit and paler malts. Attractive

Pale malt base is overwhelmed by a bittering hop. Yet, this is not an extreme beer. Although unbalanced, it is not one-dimensional. The body is lighter than I would like for the style--moderately distracting. The higher carbonation adds to this effect. The aftertaste is an extension of the smell, plenty of grapefruit with a modest level of peppery spice.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 02:13:38 | More by smcolw

prg1976

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark amber colored, white head. Some lacing and head retention.

Smell is malty, some pine hops in the background.

Taste is a sweet malty mess with dry hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel and drinkability....yeah, it doesn't really matter, there's got to be something wrong with this bottle. It's dated 12/8/11 (best by, I assume) so it can't be that old. Last year's version was a lot better than this. I'm not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 01:10:38 | More by prg1976

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Deuane for this one.

A: The pour is an amber color with a moderately sized off-white head and some nice lacing.

S: The nose is citrusy, offering up lots of grapefruit with more caramel malt than I'd like, but still not sweet.

T: The flavor had a pleasant bitter grapefruit flavor along with a hint of pine. The sweetness was not as pronounced as I was expecting, but did provide balance to the beer.

M: The body is medium with a moderate carbonation and a crisp, bitter, and refreshing finish.

D: A pretty nice DIPA. Not my favorite of the style, but a bit of a surprise and some good flavors.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 02:14:34 | More by womencantsail

tpd975

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another beer I have had several times without giving it a rate.

A: Pours a very clear amberish orange hue. Nice tall creamy head. Rocky on top. Insane retention with HUGE chunks of lace.

S: Wonderful aromas. Light caramel, with huge hints of citrus and fresh cut grass.

T: Very well balanced. Nice sweet candy malt backbone plays well off the bold citrus hops. The finish has a nice blast of bitter herbal grassy hops.

M: On the fuller side of medium, rather full bodied for the style.

D: Good I really do like this beer. One of the best offerings i have ever had from Slyfox.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 20:21:24 | More by tpd975

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.13/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Got this at De Bierkoning in Amsterdam.

From a bomber into a snifter.

APPEARANCE: Pours a 1 ½ finger thinner looking off-white / tan head with good retention with medium carbonation evident. Color is somewhere between clear burnt umber and sienna brown. Head slowly fades to a thin film. A wisp and ring remains 'til the end and leaves some good lacing down the side. Average for the style.

SMELL: Toasted and pale malt for sure with hints of caramel malt as well. Some hints of grapefruit and some earthiness as well. Not as powerful a grapefruit / pine punch as some other DIPA's. Some nice floral notes show through too. Mild but fine, and a more malty than average nose for the style.

TASTE: Toasted and pale malt again with lots of citrus and grapefruit hops. Floral through the middle and finishes with pine notes and spiciness at the end. More flavor than the nose had indicated, especially on the hop end. Strong bitterness at the end and a stronger and longer lasting bitter piney and floral aftertaste just keeps lingering and lingering. Maybe a bit too much of an aftertaste, but I certainly enjoyed it.

PALATE: Medium-thin body, not quite as creamy as hoped, and only somewhat smooth on the palate. Goes down fine with no bite, alcohol well hidden, and finishes drier on the palate. A bit of an astringent ending on this one. Certainly below par for the style.

OVERALL: Pretty decent. Enjoyed it, though the palate was a little weak and the head a little unimpressive. A decent beer with an interesting taste profile non-the-less; one I could drink a few of.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 16:03:03 | More by Jeffo

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 06/13/2009. Bottle. Pours a hazy deep orange with a thick off-white head. Aroma of citrus hops, caramel malt, floral hops, and light fruits. Flavor is very malt-forward with a bitter hoppy finish. Decent IIPA, but it's a little heavy in the palate.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 17:34:00 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Lexluthor33

New York

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden brown with a nice head and lace.

The aroma of piney hops,grapefruit and malts with some alcohol in the back.
The taste starts off with malts,some sweetness and then a super power hop comes through.
The feel was mild bitterness with medium body and a smooth carbonation. A well balanced beer.

Notes: I enjoyed this beer and I liked how easy it was to drink. Good strength in the ABV,but seems a lot less.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 01:35:28 | More by Lexluthor33

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.22/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber, served in a standard pint glass.

Clear, amber color with a foamy white head, that thinned to a light layer, leaving good sticky lacing.
Sweet malty aroma with a faint odor of piney hops.
Sweet malty taste on the initial sip, then the bitterness of the hops kicks in hard, very good overall flavor.
Medium bodied with just the right amount of carbonation.
Good drinking beer, I could enjoy a few of these over the course of an evening.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 20:40:41 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

srandycarter

California

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A -.25 inch head, bright but murky orange color.

S - Major citrus hops surrounding small malt profile.

T - Not much malt, but tons of citrus hop. Malt makes a sneaky appearance towards the end of the sip. Not balanced for me.

M - Average.

D - Too one dimensional and bitter for all night interest.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 05:36:36 | More by srandycarter

ncvbc

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a lighter amber in color with active carbonation and fluffy white head that leaves good lacing down the glass. Smell is kind of weak. Earthy, floral hops for the most part. A little piney stuff underneath and pale malts. Not too much sweetness. Taste is also not too complex or bold. A good hop profile but not one that stands out among the many I've tried. Light grainy flavor as well. Mouthfeel has a nice clean bitterness to it that is appealing. Tingles the tongue and finishes good and dry. Pretty drinkable. Not a favorite but not something I'd complain about if offered to me.

Thanks to DrJay for this 80's BIF beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 18:45:31 | More by ncvbc

DefenCorps

Oregon

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle received via trade with dashirey. Poured into my spanking new Urthel glass

A: Clear reddish copper with steady carbonation and a dense, frothy two finger white head. Sticky lacing as the head recedes.

S: Pine and grapefruit hops up front with a solid malt backbone featuring caramel. There's a slight fruitiness as it warms up.

T: A good dose of bitter up front - sharp and moderately astringent. The malts start to peep through but disappear pretty fast with a long, moderately dry and bitter finish.

M: A very pleasantly carbonated beer, nice body, pleasant finish. Definitely good

D: Oh boy, is this easy to drink!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2008 02:57:25 | More by DefenCorps

t0rin0

California

4.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This came as a bonus in a trade with jtrockchalk
a couple weeks ago. I always love trying things from around the country that we can't get in Ca. I'm a little confused about the "American IPA" description of this beer, as its got the abv and the hop flavor to qualify as a DIPA.

The beer poured a deep red/amber color that was nice and clear. The head was sticky and offwhite and really laced the glass well.

The smell was very piney and fruity. I smelled some citrus smells coming out with an underlying IPA sweetness that can only come from a ton of base malts. I had a bit of a stuffy nose that day and we had just finished doing a 5 year bigfoot vertical tasting but I still noticed the hops. Very nice and strong.

The taste was well balanced. There was a fair amount of malt flavor to balance the huge amount of hops. The piney flavors were stronger here in the initial taste and the citrus flavors were noticeable more in the aftertaste. This beer had a large amount of bitterness for a DIPA or atleast for the ABV. I guess this is why someone thought to call this an IPA instead of a DIPA?

The body was good and heavy but the bitterness was a tad distracting as it became more difficult to fully appreciate the complexity of the brew. Very drinkable if you're a hop head but it might be intimidating if you're just getting into IPAs.

On a side note, I looked at the sly fox website and it lists this beer as a Seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 07:34:03 | More by t0rin0

bort11

Missouri

4.18/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Vermonthiker for this one.

22 oz bomber poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Thick head that stands a fingers width. Great retention. Lacing clings to the glass and creates an awesome webbing. Color is a darker amber orange with red hughes when held to the light.

Smell is a sharp hops bitterness. Piney, herbal, and citrusy. Taste is very complex, with the flavors changing as it rolls back. Sharp and piney up front and smoothes out to fairly sweet and fruity in the back. Noticeable malt balance. Mouthfeel has a solid medium body.

This is the first Sly Fox beer I've had, and I'm impressed. I hope Odyssey comes out of retirement.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2008 12:37:53 | More by bort11

WillieMoe

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice orange amber color, with a moderate head and leaves some beautiful lacing.

The smell is of a several different hops, with the pined hops being predominate, but is not as potent to the nostrils as one might think.

This tastes of very dry and overly bitter. There are some subtle fruit tastes in there as well,mostlyof the citrus variety. The taste is not what I was expecting. While the hops are present they are a lot more subtle than I've grown to expect from an imperial IPA.

A wonderful mix of flavors makes this worth a drink, but there are better imperial IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2008 02:44:42 | More by WillieMoe

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours with an ever so lightly hazy, rich amber hue that shows bright, reddish copper color when held up to the light. The head starts out a fat-two-fingers in height, is fairly dense in consistency and is a light tan color. Quite hoppy in the nose, there is a nice mix of fruity notes (definitely the dominant character with sweet citrus and apricot notes) and sharper pine-like / herbal notes. Underneath this though is a nice, low level of malt character; while rooting around in the nose, malt aromatics of toasted grain, caramelized malt sugars and biscuit malt can at times play quite a substantial role in the aroma. Interestingly enough the fruity hop character that was so noticeable at first becomes washed out quite quickly; only bits of the vibrant hoppiness that was in this beer soon after popping the cap are left. Faint notes of butterscotch are also found in the nose.

Sharply bitter up front, with a continued hop bitterness through to a biting finish. The bitterness in the finish actually becomes more aggressive and sharp after the beer has completely left the mouth, it even picks up astringent menthol-like flavors. A hint of diacetyl seems to be noticeable, though at a very low level. The hop character leans more towards the bitter, astringent side of things, but there is a low level of tangerine, lychee and sweet orange peel flavors here. This has a reasonably substantial body to it, and some definite malt backbone in the form of sweetness, so I am a bit surprised that the fruity side of the hops are not more apparent here. There is lots of malt though; flavors of soda crackers, biscuits, fresh bread crust and some caramelized grain character.

This is certainly a substantially hoppy beer, unfortunately (for me at least) it is show casing the harsh, astringent side of the hop. This really needs at the very least a lot more citrus type hops in the recipe. It would seriously help to bring balance to the hop focus of this brew. I do like the substantial, yet clearly secondary, malt character here, which would again really help to showcase some of those great citrus type hops if those were added to the bill. A decent beer, but I find it is even a bit too unbalanced for my hop head side.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2007 01:45:00 | More by Gueuzedude

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Surprised to see this retired. I just bought a bottle in Rochester 1 month ago.
The beer pours a clear amber color with fluffy eggshell white head of 3 cm foaming up easily and fading slowly.
Aroma is mild pine sap and some caramel mixing almost indeterminably. Sweet and sticky nose, if scents can have a texture.
First sip reveals an average body with very fine and gentle carbonation. Slight syrupy texture and a fine sticky coating on lips after each sip.
Flavor is caramel and toffee then rolling to pine sap and bitey hops that linger long after each swallow. Some grapefruit hits the sides of my tongue as well.
The ABV is hidden pretty well and the beer is dangerously easy to drink considering the 8.4%.
I like this beer and find it to be a nice drinkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2007 03:21:21 | More by sulldaddy

boelker62

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Like almost all Sly Fox IPAs, very little aroma. Looking past this, the complexity is fairly deep, and you can pick out some of the varietals. Maltiness is light. That is expected and preferred, however. Of course the bitterness is going to be smoothed out, as all the varietals play, bounce, add and subtract from each other. This is nicely bittered, and has a wonderful finish. I have had all the single varietal brews that make this 2006 Odyssey, and this year’s combination outweighs them all. A great addition, and wonderful to have in bottles this time. A local must-have.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2007 02:07:39 | More by boelker62

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear bright orange to copper in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some deep amber highlights. The beer has a three finger tall pillowy light beige head that slowly reduces to mottled thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer, a couple of medium patches of thick film, and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of caramel malts with a touch of light fruits upfront. Moderate aromas of citrus/orange/tangerine and pine hops.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of caramel malts that imparts very little sweetness to the overall flavor of the beer. There are moderate to strong flavors of citrus/orange/tangerine and pine hops which impart a moderate to heavy amount of bitterness which lingers for a long time.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Relatively smooth.

O: This beer has quite a bit of lingering bitterness but is still pretty enjoyable. Not the easiest beer to drink because of the intensity of the bitterness but there are some nice hop flavors in it.

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 01:51:43 | More by dbrauneis

TimUF1

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from a can with best by date of 5/3/13 stamped on it

A sessionable IIPA? Its flavors are not as much of a hop battering ram as most American IIPA's.

Good two finger head, fair lacing, a bit hazy light copper color.

Lots of floral notes in the scent, rose, orange blossom, some hay or clover honey.
The flavor follows this, where a lot of citrusy iipa's tend towards grapfruit, this seems more like clementines, sweeter, less tart. Finishes with a lot more of the bitterness of the tart grapefruit flavors, almost metallic, and a bit astringent. The IBUs are definitely back loaded on the finish.

Serving type: can

04-02-2013 01:36:52 | More by TimUF1