5 Barrel Pale Ale - Odell Brewing Company

kojevergas

California

3.03/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served from a bottle into a pilsner glass in Fort Collins, Colorado. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a four finger head of fair cream and thickness, and good retention. Colour is a semitransparent copper.

Sm: Pale hops, slight caramel, and a bit of cream. A mild strength aroma.

T: Caramel, pale hops, and a great malted barley foundation. Fairly balanced and nicely built. A bit simple, but pleasant.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Suits the taste, sort of.

Dr: A pretty drinkable beer. I'd have it on draught. It's pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 19:35:19 | More by kojevergas

tavernjef

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brassy gold with a medium firm cap of dark ivory foam that slims down to a solid skimming. Lacing in spattered sheeting sticks lightly to the glass.

Solid aroma of deeply woody hops and tone with a splash of pine oil, hay, and some dulled orangeyness.

Taste is also solid with a bold holding tone of woodyness and a nice crunch of grimey pine oil to add some beefy bite in bitterness to its finish. There's a tad of some orange and darker grapefruit stretched within the woodyness.

Body is a smooth medium with a bold pinch of woody tone and slight astringency to its bitterness that squeezes in a bunch of old, pale pineyness and touches of citrus.

If pale ales are your thing this a keeper! For me a little more crispness and less wood/pineyness and it would be far better for some delicious drinking.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 18:46:58 | More by tavernjef

ccrida

Oregon

2.7/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

On draught served in a mug, the 5 Barrel is dark gold with a slight chill haze and small white head that leaves medium lace.

Smell is sweet tangerine esters and a little off tang from the malt. Isn't this supposed to be dry-hopped? It's the rotating tap so I doubt it's that old, but who knows?

Taste is very fruity, but like the nose, esters not hops. There's also this sweet tang to the malt that is a little homebrewy that I've noticed in quite a few CO micros on this trip, maybe it's something in the water, not the recipe? Either way, one I pick up on it, it's difficult for me to ignore. Aside from that, this is a pretty vanilla pale ale - I was expecting lots of hop character from the dry-hopping the tout, but there wasn't any of distinction to be found here...

MF is crisp, medium bodied.

Drinkability is on the lower side for me because of that off-flavor and lack of any other interesting tastes.

Mouthfeel is

Drinkability is

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2008 03:39:57 | More by ccrida

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

n8dietz is da man!!!

The color is a clear copper, Italian Earth color. Veyr tiny and slow bubbles slowly make there way to the top of my beer. A one finger head slowly sibsides to a tough film of foam that lasts all 12 ounces.

Clean hop aroma with just a touch of toasted caramel and crystal malts.

Powdery toasted mlat, that seems to have that pilsner malt flavor. Maybe just a hint of biscuits as the palate loses some of that pwodery feel in the middle. The hops add just a little touch of lemon and crispness. The palate finishes semi-dry and flat.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 04:15:39 | More by scruffwhor

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had at the local Old Chicago.

Clear golden coloured brew with a small head of foam, decent lacing.

It smelled piney some malt in the nose, sort of balanced but still on the hoppy side.

Tasted of pine, light grass, some minimal malt sweetness, very dry finish. With a good mouth feel and good taste, this is a good drinking beer on draught but I don't find it as a real representative of an English Pale Ale at all, if that was what Odell had intended.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2011 20:49:58 | More by Bitterbill

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: single finger head and lots of lacing. Clear amber.

S: cirtus and pine with hop notes.

T: a very tame taste to this one. More earthy hop flavors than the pine or citrus that is on the nose. Finish is a little toasted malt.

M: moderate carboation and medium body.

Overall: very drinkable beer but not a very flavorful pale ale though I suspect this has more to do with the fact that this is an english pale ale as oppose to an american pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 06:06:44 | More by kylehay2004

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle received from ArrogantB. Best by 4th Oct 2008.

A: Amber with a pleasing, frothy off-white head. Not much carbonation. Great head retention and nice lacework too!

S: Hoppy in an English way. Leafy and earthy. Mild malty sweetness. Good stuff

T: Starts off wonderfully hoppy with green, leafy, earthy hops with a mildly spicy note. Mildly malty with toffee and almost a hint of tobacco. Dry finish

M: Nice carbonation, refreshing.

D: Glad I have another

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2008 19:05:29 | More by DefenCorps

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a mostly clear medium-dark golden color with a sticky tainted-white color. Superb lacing and retention. A good looking beer.

Smell of hops are both floral and grassy. Biscuity malt aroma along with a slight copper tang. Do they use oats in here? Smells a bit like it. Nose is rounded out with a bit of carmel apples and honey.

This one has a pretty full malt body to go along with some hoppy bitterness. Not an abundance of hop flavors. There is the mildly toasty coppery tang again in the taste, not too fond of that. Maybe it is the fact this is supposed to be English style and they tried to give it some minerality...Overall, It is very drinkable and a fairly good PA.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 23:58:15 | More by twiggamortis420

smakawhat

Maryland

4.36/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a stemless wine glass.

A real nice classic orange amber, with a soapy but good two finger white head. Bubbles real nicely with lots of shampoo like retention, and clumps in valleys and peaks. Nice slow rising carbonation through a bronze amber body. Classic looking, a little bit of dullness, but pretty solid.

Really nice light toasty grains, and a little bit of orange marmalade fruity character. Grain rips quite a good bit too, a real inviting sense of barley.

Light malts hit the palate with big dry grains. Barley just rips and drys the palate and gives a real huge toasty aroma. Hop angle is nice and real subtle, with some herbal earth quality, and perhaps a hint of drying tea leaves in the finish. Lively carbonation that isn't distracting either.

Overall a real straight forward solid Odell creation, great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 15:02:35 | More by smakawhat

FosterJM

California

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

912th Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12 oz.

Best by: 12/14/11
Purchased from: On the Rocks, Lawrence, KS

App- A good murky Orange with some lighter brown notes and a good 1/2-1 finger of head. A small touch of cling and dots.

Smell- A bit floral with some earthy, caramel and sweet notes. The malts really open as this warms.

Taste- A good bit of layered flavors on this one. More soft vs what most abrasive pales would be. A bit floral with more sweetness and a touch of bitter, you can taste this is more of an English beer vs what most Americans would want.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a medium carbonation. A good dose of earthy bitterness.

Drink- Not too shabby. This was a lot more flavorful than I thought it would be. More of a mellow balance and earthy.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 03:46:59 | More by FosterJM

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a great all purpose pale ale, this one smells of a cournicopia of different hop varieties, and has a slightly sweet aroma. mouthfeel is bright with a medium body, extremely refreshing. taste is constantly evolving hop essences and malt balance. this is a winner, a trusty daily drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 17:06:42 | More by StonedTrippin

champ103

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very cloudy reddish/brown color. A small white head forms, but sticks throughout. Some spotty lace is left behind.
S: A large pine aroma up front. Though other hoppy aromas come out as well. Citrus, floral, and grassy. This is an English Pale Ale? Not really, but still very enjoyable.
T: Way to hop forward. A strong resiny, and piny bitterness. Slightly floral and grassy. A huge hope flavor and a bitterness that just wares me out. I don't know how they can call this an English Pale Ale?
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. A bit rough and prickly though. Not hard to drink one, but I would not come back for another in a sitting.

Not bad, just does not resemble an English Pale Ale at all. I could tell that right away from the nose. They really missed the style, if indeed it is intended to be English. Along with the palate burning bitterness this is not something I will revisit often.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2010 21:50:29 | More by champ103

alexgash

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 02/16/08. Served at 45 degrees F.

Deep golden center with yellower edges. Small, wispy, off-white head. Butterscotch and pear brandy malt aromas mix with spicy, herbal hops. Toasted malts and citrusy hop bitterness up front. Butterscotch and fruity malt flavors settle in. Citrus bitterness gradually becomes more of a mildly numbing herbal mint bitterness. Creamy mouthfeel in a moderate body. Nicely drinkable and would maybe be even better on cask.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2007 21:29:56 | More by alexgash

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle sampled less than two weeks before its best by date, into a shaker pint.

A: Pours a clear medium amber body with light carbonation floating up to an inch of very coarse, frothy off-white head. Decent retention and ample lace. Not bad.

S: Rather dull aroma of toasted malt and floral hops. Not terrible, but not good.

T: Starts out with lightly sweet, biscuity, nutty malt, and finishes with a nice level of hop bitterness. The very clean aftertaste is the best part.

M: Fairly substantial medium body with plenty of soft carbonation. Excellent.

D: I'd like a bit more hop presence, but it's still quite drinkable.

Notes: I reviewed this in my notebook without having looked the beer up on BA, so I was assuming it to be an American Pale Ale (since it comes from a brewery doing mainly American styles). Now that I see it's listed as an EPA, a few of its characteristics make a bit more sense. If you want, feel free to consider the scores I've given for taste and drinkability to be a half-point too low. Either way, though, I don't think it's any more than a B+ beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 14:01:08 | More by woosterbill

Vancer

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Yep, this is a fine English pale ale. I like them much more than the American versions – just don’t care for the overload of floral hops.

This poured a great amber/orange, frothy tan head, nice sticky laces. Just a touch of citrusy malts in the aroma. Quaff resulted in notes of malt, followed by a small floral hop kick, nice – not overpowering. Labels mentioned how this is made with hops, but it was light and refreshing. A crisp and tart brew, just a tad thin.

With the 5.2%, this makes for a good sessional summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2006 13:17:34 | More by Vancer

merlin48

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle pours a chill hazed amber body with a delicate offwhite head that leaves behind a lot of clingy lacing. Aroma is earthy and citrusy hops that have a grassy and piney component. Malt notes are toasty and biscuity. Body is medium and well carbonated. Taste is earthy hops with grassy elements. Softer citrus notes emerge as it warms. Malt backbone balances well, with a toasty and biscuity caramel presence. More of an American IPA than an English Pale Ale but pleasantly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2008 13:59:07 | More by merlin48

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A very nice amber, dark gold color. A nice white, bubbly-clumpy head topped it.
Aroma of hops; wet grass or dirt perhaps. Kind of a gritty smell to it.
Tastes very nice. Malt mixes well with the hops. Hops give it a slick dryness feel to it. Stops just short of becoming an American PA, or an IPA. Bitterness is haulted by the full hops.
Very nice

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2006 01:41:43 | More by Mebuzzard

emmasdad

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

We sampled this one at the Odell Taproom with some friends, a few Saturdays ago. Poured a nice copper-amber color, with some decent cloudy white foam on top. Aromas of caramel, light brown sugar and some floral hops. On the palate, light bodied, with caramel, biscuit and a hint of hops.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2011 07:59:23 | More by emmasdad

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I remember being impressed by this beer when it first came out. Its orange with a nice head and looks great in a pint glass. Smells good but I can see why this is "English" style. This is a nice balanced pale ale. Its very easy to drink, tasty, I can drink several of these, I should have bought a twelve-pack.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2007 03:23:49 | More by ArrogantB

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tried this one several weeks back, poured to a pint glass. Embossed date: 012707.

A: Billowing light tan head, just shy of two-fingers. Clear amber-color with a few streams of slow carbonation. Attractive sticky bands of lace.

S: Enticing sweet, malty smell that screams "bakery!", followed with a nice mix of caramel malt and sweet orange rind hoppiness. Initially the smell bursts from the glass, detectable from a couple feet away, then mellows quite a bit...

T: Assertive biscuit-y malty flavor and sourdough bread, lemony and lightly bitter. Hops are faintly herbal as well and the beer, overall, is grainy tasting.

M: At times, it has a sticky/gummy mouthfeel that I don't really care for. Body is medium, carbonation light - overall it has a thicker, moderately creamy texture.

D: Pretty good, I'd have this again. Flavors are solid and balance is good. Mouthfeel is a little lackluster, but this beer has other attributes that I find appealing. Thanks to both Wasatch and flexabull for sending a bottle...

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2007 19:43:51 | More by msubulldog25

Mitchster

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, 5.2% ABV. Very cool embossed bottle and textured paper labels. Pours to a hazy orange-amber, forming a tall rocky and soapy off-white head with average retention and good lacing. Carbonation is moderate. The aroma is interesting...at first pungently skunky like Amarillo or Simco with some faint English character caramel and butterscotch with mild higher alcohols. The mouthfeel is exceptionally soft and silky smooth in the finish with a medium body. Very nice mouthfeel. The taste is also dominated by pungent skunk but not in the Euro-lager fashion...only in a hop way. This is nicely balanced by a pale malt under-running and thankfully no ruddy cardboard or caramel as expected. Bitterness is mild to moderate and resinous/skunky in nature. Great drinkability. No perceptable off-flavors or alcohol.

A very solid pale ale brewed with some cool hops. Kinda like a tamed-down Stone IPA. Me likey. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2006 01:57:38 | More by Mitchster

flexabull

California

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer pour a light amber color, decent white head, and some haze visible.

Aromas are a bit subtle, but nice. A bit of citrus hops and a sweet malty quality are noted.

Flavors are quite crisp and tart. Hops are the dominant flavor, but not at all strong. Beer starts with a creamy tart quality, then finishes with a bitter citrus hop bite, kind of like grapefruit.

Mouthfeel is good, pretty full bodied for a Pale Ale.

This is a solid yet unspectacular beer. I would have no problem drinking another, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to track another one down. Certainly session worthy.

Thanks for the bottle Wasatch.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2007 22:05:04 | More by flexabull

morimech

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear amber with a large white head that slowly settles to a thin cap. Large amount of sticky lacing is left on the glass. Mild aroma. Floral and herbal hop qualities. A little ash is detected as well. Did I mention how weak the aroma was? Herbal and earthy hop flavor. A touch of pine as well. Mild biscuit malt and even some yeast esters giving some complex flavors. Low bitterness for some decent hoppy flavors. Mild yet complex. Lighter body with a soft effervescent carbonation. Lively and dynamic. Well done pale ale. Nice lighter body and low ABV. Bitterness will not wear the palate out. Very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2009 02:14:51 | More by morimech

argock

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a clear glass tumbler. Single purchased from Skee Vue Liquors (Breckenridge, CO) for $1.49.

A: Appealing rusty orange with off-white 2-finger head with good retention and respectable lacing.

S: A very earthy aroma with some herbal and floral hops notes. The earthy, rustic nose is interesting but not what I was expecting.

T: A bit abrupt with a nice caramel and pale malt backbone, but the hops are a little bit lost in the shuffle. It comes off very strong in the Fuggles department, which isn't necessarily terrible, but it isn't exactly the first beer to come along like this.

M: The dedicated malting is evident in the medium-to-full body. The carbonation is dead-on for the style and the aftertaste is earthy and herbal.

D: A decent English pale ale with a clear dedication to quality crafting, but the hops influence is a bit muddled, and its abruptness make it not a top-notch session beer candidate, which is what this style is meant to be.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 03:54:48 | More by argock

RBorsato

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tasted from a bottle on 06/04/07 at a Sports Bar in the Denver Airport.

Golden in color with a nice full pillowy off-white head. Citrusy hop aroma and flavor (Amarillo ?); not overpowering. Nice balance. Medium bodied and smooth with a crisp hop finish.

Refreshing but not real spectacular.

Per OBC website: Fresh whole hop flowers in the Hop Back and the Fermentor. Four hop additions during the kettle boil.
5.2% ABV. 36 IBUs
Gold, Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 2006 GABF
Silver, Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 2005 GABF

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2007 19:11:00 | More by RBorsato