Red - Odell Brewing Company

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up in Wichita at Goebels...

Pours caramel/copper with 2 fingers of intensely tight sand colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Pineyness & a hint of biscuitty malt, plus lemons & orange.

T: Pineyness, dryness & toasty malt up front. Grapefruit, caramel, dryness & a hint of booze are dominant as this warms, plus just a whisper of apricot. Finishes dry, with piney & herbal hops, almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Medium bodied, moderate carbonation & nice balance

Dangerously drinkable & a great addition to the stable, but let's bring back the IMP Red as well, please!!

I will pick this one up when I can, scratches the hop & malt itch...

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 05:25:40 | More by russpowell

jwc215

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bitterbill for this one!

Pours hazed orange amber with a tan head that becomes wispy. Dotted lacing and thin lines stick.

The smell is of caramel ala "red", piney/spicy hop notes and slight bread/toast.

The taste is of caramelish maltiness with light to medium toast. Spicy hops give it piney/herbal notes. Finishes dry. Finish lingers.

It has a smooth medium body with mild to medium carbonation.

An American Red with a nice hop balance. Alcohol very well-covered. An enjoyable American Red!

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2009 12:02:31 | More by jwc215

Wasatch

Utah

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to Bitterbill for this brew.

Pours a very nice amber color, nice carbonation, very nice one-finger creamy tan head, with some nice sticky lacing to follow. The nose is malty, with some hops, slight citrus even. The taste is very nice, a nice little hop bomb, with some malts, citrus. Medium body, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Very drinkable, this brewery surprises me just about every time I try something from them, way to go Odell, thanks Bill.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 20:06:05 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this cool lookin red thanks to Doodler.

A: A semi thick frothy head rises over a very clear dark reddish brown "deck-stain" like color. As the head slowly fades it leaves a nice lacing.

N: Pretty interesting nose, with some spicy fresh hops right away. Like fresh wet hops. Then some dark malts, little crystal malt. Not much else as the fresh hops really just overpower it all. I'm now wondering if I should have let this sit a bit first as the fresh hops may be too much for a red ale.

T: Taste is much easier on the hops. It starts with a slightly sweet malts. Mostly caramel/crystal, then some toasty malts. Slightly sweet brown sugar molasses like flavors, followed with some toffee. All that is followed by some lighter hop flavors. A slight bitterness with some grassy and spicy hop flavors, and a little earthy musty fresh wet hop. Slight chewy malt and hop combination hidden in there as well. A very slight bright fruit flavor as well.

M: Medium body with good carbonation.

F: Finish dries off a bit more, and comes with a slight bitter spicy hop flavor that hits more on the end. It adds more of that caramel and toasted roast, and slight porter flavors late. A lingering earthy bitterness from the hops really continue late.

Overall a really nice red ale. I'm usually not a big fan of red ales, but this really redefines what I thought of them. It has some nice malty caramel sweetness, and combined with a great hop character, despite being a little too much on the nose.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 02:54:16 | More by jlindros

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle care of drumrboy22 as an extra in a recent trade, thanks man! 12oz uniquely shapped/scribed brown bottle poured into a pub glass. Best by date on the label is 5/11/11.

This brew appears a clear amber to copper red color with a finger of yellowish stained creamy head. When held to the light, some very faint particulate is stuck in suspension but you really need to look close to see it. A stream of bubbles rises to the surface and supports the cap. An interesting webbing of lacing is left on the glass after each sip. A light swirl revives the creamy froth to less than a finger which remains throughout the duration.

The aroma of this brew is fresh with hops. It smells of hoppy sweetness that is floral with a scent of citrus and pine included as well. Some grassy notes and a spiced indication is evident. As it warms, it picks up a faint green yeasty indication and a bit of mineral aspect comes into play. A light scent of caramel malty sweetness is evident but it pales in comparison to the characteristics of the hops. Overall, the smell of this brew is solid. It is reminiscent of a mini version of Nugget nectar.

The taste of this brew includes a toasty grain flavor that is somewhat caramel-like with a faint touch of must. It is clingy with oily resinous hops that taste of pine, grass and herbs. It is slightly medicinal coupled with some minerals and a green yeasty flavor comes through the backend. The 6+% alcohol is not hidden, it is evident with a warming factor and flavor which accents the herbal/medicinal aspect of the brew and really warms the back of the throat.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Quite easy drinking and enjoyable. This is quite the hoppy rendition of a red ale. In so many ways this reminds me of a scaled down version of Nugget Nectar. This really is a good representation of the style. With the best by date being still 2 months out, I am curious how one of these would have tasted when it was super fresh. This is only my second experience with Odell and I am liking what these guys are doing.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 02:52:07 | More by stakem

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep dark coppery brown with a bit of brick red to it. Heavy glow to the body carrying a smeared appearance. Densely capped with a beige crown of firm foam standing to about a pinky high. Faintly thinned sheets and webby strings of lace coat the glass well.

Sweet dark red apple bready aroma with a bit of fresh leafy hoppyness, apricot, red rice, pale and red malts. Nice and clean, with a bit of crispness to it and tugs well on the nose.

Taste is smallish in the apple area with a semi dry undertone of red, toasted, and pale malt with a fresh grazing of grassy and leafy dried hoppyness. Breezy but a firm little sweetness sits a bit bready with some lighter honey and caramel swimming about. Airy finish with a fluffy ended light tone of bittering hops and buttered toast.

Clean lighter medium body with a nicely rounded and easy going sweetness that floats right through letting the little nuances of the flavors and dryness mingle their way onto the palate with a complexity worthy of any solid Red ale out there.

Pretty impressive stuff. Subtle, complex, with an easy to drink attitude. Odell knows how to make the simple styles seem just a bit more so, which is great. And this is definately one of those brews.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 01:41:28 | More by tavernjef

mactrail

California

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big, hoppy colorful ale.

A wild red-orange color. Nice lacing and pleasant carbonation contribute to an good mouth feel. Peculiar smell of Band Aids. Seems fairly rich and malty but very sharp with a bit much of the grapefruit peel. Hops are the big story, which I guess is one option for this "anything goes" style. To me it's more of an IPA with the big resiny flavors and long, long bitter aftertaste. Hops are actually pretty good.

Candy-like flavors are balanced by the bitterness. Makes a bold statement if you want an assertive brew. Let a couple of fingers warm up and it's a good exercise in hop tasting, whatever their blend might be.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 04:12:44 | More by mactrail

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this one up at the COOP today.. the brew pours a clear reddish/amber... okay white head with no real lacing or retention.

Nose is good toasty malt and light caramel.. orange zest hoppiness..

Very nice American amber... all elements punch out and still meld well... great citrus zest.. sorta pithy... sorta dry with a great malt profile.. bits of caramel and nice dry toast... very balanced.

Body is medium/light with appropriate carbonation.. long toasty finish with tangerine zest.

3.5/3.5/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 02:55:21 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to jmkratt for this one as an extra in a past trade! Dated 4/26/11B. Served from bottle into a Warsteiner mug. Poured a deep red-orange with a two finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, citrus, pine resin, and citrus hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, citrus, bitter hop, caramel, and slight cream. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty nice red. Not a lot missing on this one for the style. Pretty good aroma and flavor both. Nice balance of sweetness and bitterness on both accounts. Worth trying and really glad I got a chance to try it as well.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 19:49:27 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike!

The beer is transparent and orange / brown in color. The aroma brings dank hops, alcohol, and pretty much smells like a red ale. The flavor is decent, with alcohol more prevalent than expected. The beer is growing on me the more I drink it. The feel is a bit on the thin side. Overall, a solid example of the style. I'd drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 00:22:20 | More by Huhzubendah

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is on tap at the local Old Chicago.

A great red colour with a small but persistent head of foam that brought some lacing with it.

The smell is very hoppy with big notes of pine,some citrus, and a mild presence of caramel malt.

The taste is just as good as the smell. Very bitter pine with some citrus that's semi balanced with caramel malts. A bit of bread as well.

Medium bodied, same for the carbonation.

I had 3 pints in 2 hours. Yeah, it's pretty darn drinkable. A nice unexpected find at my local watering hole.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2011 21:15:16 | More by Bitterbill

Tone

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear, amber color. One inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of strong hops and some slight sweet malt. Fits the style of an American Amber/Red Ale. Mouth feel is smooth, crisp, and a low carbonation level. Tastes of strong hops throughout (especially in the finish), some earthy malt, and slight sweet malt. Overall, a really easy drinking beer but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2009 22:44:00 | More by Tone

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz single with a freshness date of 061209, seems my sample might be a bit past it's prime. Pours a fairly hazy reddish brown color with a huge, billowing, mesa-forming tan head. Have to wait a bit as the foam recedes very slowly and clings to the glass with ease.

Smell is juicy tropical, citric and grassy hop goodness. Bold and hopped up nose here. Enough sweet caramel malt backbone to distinguish it from your typical IPA, but the hops are the main show here.

Hop flavor outshines the hop bitterness here, which is just fine by me. Malt provides plenty of backbone and this one has a smoothness I have not seen from some of the other big reds I have had. I like the fact that the sweetness is kept pretty low, which contributes a somewhat thinner than usual body, but in this case it makes the beer that much more refreshing. I would like to get my hands on another, fresher sample sometime soon as this beer is quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 20:07:12 | More by twiggamortis420

smakawhat

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a stemless wine glass.

A real nice orange amber body, hints of red on the edges, and slow rising carbonation goes up. Head is a clumpy off tan, that has major retention and hang on everything. A real aggresive and impressive looking brew.

Nose brings a bounty of ripping malts and hops. Ripping grain action, with a hint of light toast. The hops have a little bit of earth quality, but get a bit herbal, making the malt even sweeter almost caramel dominant. Either way it's impressive.

Palate turns it down a bit though from everything anticipated. Light malts with some good doughy like density, ripping grain is turned down a bit, without the big husky quality. Hop angle seems a little lost, but brings some lingering sweetness of tea and herbs on the finish.

Overall though it's still an enjoyable brew from these guys and I can see myself drinking a lot of this very casually.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:05:34 | More by smakawhat

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

back and better than ever (or so i hear)... pours a not fully red and perfectly clear amber color lighter than expected. nose is piney hops and a dusty caramely red malt. more hoppy than sweet, and in fact more hoppy than most red ales. taste is epic, huge depth and tons of hops for the genre. agressive and lasting. just short of an ipa, or rather, much too much going on to be just an ipa, like drinking a the redwood forest. this beer rocks. mouthfeel is way up there, fuller bodied and strong, but drinkable like no other. what a session! odell is blowing my mind every new one i try. wow. this is a fantastic early spring seasonal

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 06:14:02 | More by StonedTrippin

blackie

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: deep aged copper in color, topped with a nice off white head

s: immediately struck with a nosefull of fresh, pulpy citrus hops - grapefruit, tangerine - resting on a malty dark caramel body evoking torched sugars and dark cookies, some pineapple lurking

m: carbonation medium, body about the same

t: the taste follows the nose - juicy citrus hops set this red/amber apart from the crowd, most notably sweet grapefruit and tangerine, nice grainy caramel body, dark bread, appropriately bitter, seamlessly balanced

d: easy - a satisfactory six-pack pickup

sourced from the Liquor Depot, Rock Springs, WY

dated 05/21/10

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 06:00:46 | More by blackie

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a solid red ale, with a pronounced citrus hops characteristic.
Pours a semi-bright amber/caramel color with a just off-white head. Looks pretty darn good.
Hops up front in the nose. Citrus and slight metallic, a faint malty biscuit.
A hop forward flavor. Citrus with some of that metallic coming through. touch of alcohol. Some softness towards the end. As it warms this softness introduces a nice maltiness and bread. A good balance towards the end.
Easy drinking. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 09:01:34 | More by Mebuzzard

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a clear bright red color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes quickly into a small cap of lacing lingers for a while. The aroma is a great balance of malt and hop. There is a ton of grapefruit and a ton of caramel. The taste is maltier up from with a solid bitterness coming through in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a really good beer. It is very flavorful and aromatic, however, the spectrum of those flavors and aromatics isn't that deep. Still I would happily drink this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 21:46:45 | More by KarlHungus

emmasdad

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a glass of this one on tap this afternoon at the Odell Brewery in Fort Collins. Nice aroma here, citrus hops and sweet malt. On the palate, this one is fairly medium bodied with flavors of citrusy hops, caramel, sweet malt, spruce and milk chocolate.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2011 04:43:01 | More by emmasdad

ArrogantB

Colorado

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This could easily be mistaken for an IPA.. Great transparent red color and smells like the grassiest fruity hops. The taste is bitter grassy hops again, fruit and bitterness. I guess you could call this red based upon the color but the smell and taste say hoppy IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2009 04:21:29 | More by ArrogantB

morimech

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reddish copper color with one inch of head that quickly settled to a thin skim. Heavy lacing is left on the glass.

Aroma is heavily influenced by the hops. Smells dank and old growth forest. Slight floral and herbal notes. The malt is slightly toasted and has a toffee quality.

The malt bill does not quite do it for me as other great reds are able to do. Just a touch artificial. The hops are strong and bitter. Pithy, resiny, and just a little rough. Has a bitter bite in the finish.

Very low carbonation which does not hurt this hoppy beer. Medium body.

It seems most of Odell's beers just fall a little short of being great to me. This one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 20:14:24 | More by morimech

argock

Virginia

3.54/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a straight-sided clear glass 16oz mug/stein. Best by 05/15/13 on label. Single purchased by my brother Greg from a Minneapolis area bottle shop for $1.99.

A: Very deep almost plummy red with 1-2 fingers of soft beige big-bubbled head with average retention and a couple of good lines of lacing.

S: Heavy pine hops aroma with some grapefruit, floral, and resin qualities. The malt contribution is pretty heavy on the burnt caramel aroma. There is not a lot of yeast character.

T: The flavor is too sweet and caramel malt heavy for me, and I wish they had substituted some of the dark 80-120L caramel malt for 40L as the plum and burnt, buttery caramel flavors are not a great match for the piney, resiney, citrus hoppiness. There is a roasted maltiness aspect in there as well. The beer is certainly drinkable but has a bit too much caramel malt for my taste for this style. I know it is striving to be a West Coast style red ale, but the dark malt component is too heavy-handed for me.

M: I think this beer is as drinkable as a beer with this much darker caramel malt can be. The sweetness and roastiness is not cloying but does hamper the drinkability. The body is easily medium if not a little more which is great for the style. The carbonation is lower than average as it should be.

O: Odell Red Ale is a beer tha a lot of people will love for the intense piney bitterness and roasty dark caramel maltiness. For me, it was just a bit too much plum and caramel flavor in the end and it didn't work as well with the intense pine and resin hoppiness for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:52:12 | More by argock

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #37 (Feb 2010):

Chestnut red color with a gleaming clarity in the light, the head drops a thick curtain of lace on the glass. Grapefruit hop aroma and a dried grassy, honey-like maltiness rest under the hops. A whole lot of hops here, bitterness is cranked up and the flavor sticks to the palate with citric rind, mint, pine sap and a tropical fruitiness. Malty even with the flexed hoppiness; grassy, toasty and a little sweet. Finish with the last push of hops that does not fade quickly at all.

A bit of a wake-up-style spring seasonal. Odell keeping it true with an old-school hoppy Red Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 19:50:16 | More by BeerAdvocate

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Happy with this look; hazy browned orange color. Lacing is not too bad, and hopefully forebodes a decent hop bill. Nose is caramel sweet with some toasted malt and a stab of piney hops.

Caramel and toffee malt notes, hops are citric and piney with notes of lemongrass. Hops follow to the finish and cap the sips with a blast of bitterness. Good body and carbonation. Easy to sip, as it is well-balanced but actually brings a zesty hop note to the table.

If you prefer not to detect hops in your beer, skip this one. If you're looking for a nice complement to a roasted veggie sandwich and vinaigrette-marinated olives, you're in. There are clearly many shades in between, but I think the point is clear enough.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 04:04:45 | More by BretSikkink

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So far this brewery hasn't dissappointed.
Nice amber color with dark red with brown and gold. Initially smaller head, but great stamina that at about 1/2 way began to show markings with each drink.
Complex hop aroma with some citrus and some flowery quality. Apparent malt background.
Flavor matches aroma in complexity of hop profile. Malt backing more apparent and hints at some sweetness. Adequately dry finish.
Some creaminess from head shows in flavor. Moderately light body.
This is good, but not quite as impressive as the others I've had. I've noted that some hoppy beers fit the winter and others the summer, and I think this fits the later better (for some reason).

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 01:45:10 | More by garymuchow