Red - Odell Brewing Company

SamN

Colorado

2.65/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A- Bubbly, rocky just-off-tan head which leaves some beautiful lacing around my pint glass. The color is a slightly hazy reddish-brown orange. Slight visible carbonation, a very nice looking brew.

S- Caramelized hops, bitter hops, lightly toasted hops-- a lot of hops in the nose, obviously. Just behind them is a sweet malty backbone-- seamless blending of the two characteristics, it's hard to tell where exactly one ends and the other begins, and that is exceptional craftsmanship in my opinion. Just a tad too much hops for me.

T- Again, a hops forward beer. Despite the inviting and complex smell, the taste is surprisingly one-dimensional; flat hops. Metallic aftertaste, where's the counter balancing malt? Just barely any sweetness. Really, there is no depth here. Wtf, Odells? No much strength of flavor either; tastes watered down. Lacking, this beer needs to be brought up to par.

M- Like water; thin, no tensile strength noticeable. Decent coating, however, and no lingering aftertaste unpleasantness.

D- Eh. This doesn't taste that good. How can I drink a beer that doesn't taste good? I didn't buy it to look at or smell. It doesn't taste bad, it's just not good. Low drinkability in that case.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 21:43:53 | More by SamN

Buebie

Minnesota

2.7/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Paired with meatloaf and blue cheese, supreme cuisine.

A bit pricey for a 6'er, at $10
Poured from the brown bottle into pub glass producing about 2 inches of off white foamy head. Tan really. Settling after a good amount of time to leave a thick froth cap of retention. Sticky webbings of lace. Color is a red amber, transparent.
Aroma of pungent fruity hops, sweet malt and caramel, touch of nuttiness. Hops are sweet nectar like and floral with juicy sweet aroma. definatly the showcase of the aroma profile.

Taste is not carrying over the hops from aroma. It tastes a bit more sour with more of a herbal sour hop bitterness and acidic flavor. Aspirin is one flavor that comes to mind.
mid malt sweetness present. Its flavorfull, but not flavors I particularly desire.
Mouthfeel is thin and crisp.

I feel a bit robbed of my $10.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 21:36:13 | More by Buebie

tr4nc3d

Kansas

2.78/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12fl oz bottle poured into my tulip

Pours a vibrant ruby like color with a three inch off-white head. Great head retention with a nice layer sticking on top and the edges of the beer. Nice layers of lacing cling to the sides of my glass.

Nice aroma of citrus hops. With some grapefruit, apricots, and some passion fruit. Bread like malts.

Very little citrus flavor in the taste unlike I got in the aroma. Some bread and cracker like malts is about the only thing I can taste. This bottle must be pretty old I guess.

Mouthfeel is borderline on thin and lacking flavor(in flavor I mean hops)with high carbonation. Aftertaste is not that pleasant either.

Overall I' am disappointed with this beer, hopefully I get to try this beer when it is more fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 23:10:56 | More by tr4nc3d

zimmerbloke

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Got this as an extra from krayziejman. Thanks, man! 12oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe glass. Drink by date of 4/26/11.

A: Mostly translucent ruby red body topped by a one-finger off white head. Head fades quickly leaving a little bit of lacing and a solid ring.

S: Very bright hop aroma. Pretty sure this bottle is nice and fresh. Malt doesn't have much to say in the aroma, but it's generally appealing. Only moderately bitter.

T: Surprisingly, there's not much of the hop presence from the nose apparent here. There's definitely an aftertaste on here that doesn't seem quite right to me... unpleasant. Makes a claim to be aggressively hopped, but I feel like it lacks a proper blending of the hop flavors and the result is less than spectacular. Malt bill is unoffensive but also unspectacular.

M: Slightly watery and very highly carbonated, but relatively refreshing. About average for the style.

D: Enh. I could drink this to drink, but I'm not a huge fan overall. The flavor isn't great, which is my main complaint.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:51:34 | More by zimmerbloke

bobhits

Kentucky

2.88/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Odell Red

Perhaps a touch old, I’ll need to look up the dating here but what appears to be the best by date of 6/15/11 so a bit too close, but we shall see. Brewer says this beer is still in the best by range so lets go!

Really nice thick head a darker cream colored head, leaving wonderful lacing on top of a dark red body. Decent clarity perhaps but this beer is rather opaque and provides a deep ruby color.

Light toast, hops, I have to say this beer really is reminding me of smelling pot (for me not a good smell).

Hoppy, watery, bready, red ale at it’s finest. A red with wonderful American hop bite that dominates the red ale’s caramel malt. I certainly have had red’s with better malt profiles, a bit more toast and caramel. The malt here is a bit weak especially given the 6.5%. The English have done far more with reds with under 5% abv, but the American hop power is rather good.

Good carbonation, somewhat thin body, extremely drinkable as it should be.

I need more malt in a red and while I enjoy the hops here am not excited by this beer. I don’t like rating to style, but keeping style in mind this beer is a weird malted IPA or an over hopped and under/poorly malted red.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 17:48:37 | More by bobhits

LeeryLeprechaun

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Odell's red ale came out of the bottle an awesome red color with a fluffy off white head.

The aroma was very hoppy but present were notes of caramel and maybe some toffee.

The beer starts sweet and finishes bitter but is not very memorable in either department. This is not helped by a watery mouth feel.

The beer is pretty average overall and there are many many red ales to go for if you are looking for something impressive in the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 01:47:33 | More by LeeryLeprechaun

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

jera1350

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Lovely amber/red color with a creamy tan head that leaves some nice lace.

Some spicy wintery malt with a big hop profile that is reminiscent of their ipa and pale ale.

Lots of hop bitterness and they come in the herbal and earthy forms. A solid malt backbone that has spicy notes. This reminds me of a lighter version of Isolation Ale which didn't do much for me tastewise either. It's not musty, but it has that kind of a presence.

The feel is nice and smooth. Medium bodied with a mildly dry finish.

Drinks okay. Like I said, the flavor profile, just like their Isolation, isn't working for me at all. Just too spicy and earthy and bitter. I guess they try to keep their winter brews similar. I still think it's a nice beer, just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 21:00:50 | More by jera1350

bbkd3b

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Amber-as-can-be body really lights up the glass, but the main attraction here is the dark beige head. The color's perfect, and the foam leaves good amount of lacing sticking to the edges. Smell's fairly weak, though. Some lightly toasted scents, mostly. Has a caramel character, but most of the time, a surprisingly bitter amount of hops are present that covers up any other scent. Also has a scent like jazz apples.

Bitter taste on the tongue on the first few swings. The fairly light body bubbles well and gets even better as the brew warms. The grassy hops slowly pull back to reveal a sweet, bready flavor that's all-too-welcome. Heck, even a bit of alcohol seeps on to the tongue, which is surprising for a beet of this style. Finish is clean as can be, but leaves the gut quite warm.

Overall/notes - A good slow-drinking beer, if you ask me. I haven't had many ambers that have been this bitter, and while it's a nice change of pace, I'd prefer that amount of bitterness to stay in American Pales, myself. Not too bad on the whole shot.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 03:05:38 | More by bbkd3b

jjjeremy

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a chalice
Appearance-Brilliant deep amber,thin off white head
Smell-Intence sappy pine fragrance blended with sour citrus notes and hops on the finish
Taste-As it smells,sappy,piney,sour citrus.Actually a bit thin.Doesnt seem to have much else
Mouthfeel-Average. A bit better than average,slightly thick,decent mouthfeel
Overall-Glad I tried it,I am glad there is more from them than this also

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 22:37:31 | More by jjjeremy

Nerudamann

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Pint glass.

Look - light, reddish brown color, fairly clear, with about two finger's worth of vanilla-colored foam that dissipates slowly.

Smell - Definitely hopy, as the label suggests. Probably Cascade hops.

Taste and Mouthfeel - Very hopy in the taste as well, but not getting bitter until the finish. Most of the flavor of the hops themselves comes in the beginning and middle. Also tastes primarily as having Cascade hops. Texture is well-balanced.

Drinkability - Good tasting, but not terribly complex, as most of the taste is just hops. Very drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 03:30:44 | More by Nerudamann

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

ckeegan04

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark ruby red with brown hues that brightens greatly when held up to light. Big foamy dirty khaki colored head. Head quickly fades to a chunky cap and leaves behind big chunks of lace on the glass.

S - Strong hoppy aroma backed by an assertive caramel sweetness. Hops are spicy and herbal. The sweetness has alot of caramel and lightly toasted dark bread.

T - Initially very sweet with lots of caramel malt coming through in the taste. The hoppiness quickly comes in to balance and provides alot of grassy notes mixed with a little herbal bitterness. Bitterness does not really linger.

M/D - Light to medoum bodied, a little on the thin side. Sweetness leaves a light coating in the mouth. Carbonation could stand to be a touch higher.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2009 19:36:05 | More by ckeegan04

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter. "Best By" date clearly marked on bottle.

Pours deep crimson and clear (I left some sediment chunks and whatnot in the bottom of the bottle). The small head that formed from the conservative pour slowly fades and leaves nice lace on the glass.

My first whiff yields a highly pineapple-hop rich aroma. Some swirling brings up sweet pine-sap, grapefruit, and more pineapple.

Hops dominate the flavor of this ale, with some (but not as much as one would think) malts supporting the blossoming hop flavors. The flavors are closely tied to the nose, with the addition of some subtle malts.

The mouthfeel is good, with medium body and enough carbonation to keep things lively.

Conclusion: This is a fine ale, however if something is called "red" I expect to taste some fairly rich malts, which I don't really with this beer. The hops are juicy and flavorful. If there was more balance with this beer I would probably love it. I don't feel it is over hopped, but instead that the malts are not rich and complex enough. Alas, it seems that for the typical American palate, any style that is overrun with American hops becomes a new favorite. Just hop the junk out of it and it will earn an 'A' on BA, no matter how far from the original style it has drifted...

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 03:03:50 | More by allforbetterbeer

UCLABrewN84

California

3.63/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to SalukiAlum for sending me this one!

Pours a clear copper/amber color with a 1 inch bone colored head that fades to a thin cap. Good rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smells of malt and spicy citrus zest hops. A very simple but good smell. Taste is of sweet malt followed by a citrus zest bite. Little hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. Mouthfeel is a bit flat and thin. Overall, this is an above average amber ale but nothing too exciting.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 03:29:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

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

phishsihq

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This January to April seasonal brew pours a rich, ruby red with a creamy white head, and about one inch of frothy foam. A surprising IPA like aroma is created with piney and fruity notes, as well as a little biscuity malt hints. A lot of the nose is noticeable on the pallet, with biscuity and toasty malt sweetness giving way to quite a wallop of citrusy (grapefruit and orange) and piney hop bitterness. A medium-light amount of carbonation is augmented by a medium body that finishes a little spicy and sticky finish. For our money, Odell's is executing the beauty of the hop better then anyone else in Fort Collins.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 22:59:57 | More by phishsihq

intensify

Colorado

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

A- Poured a 1 finger head with medium to poor retention. Plenty of lacing left on the glass and the body had haze for dayz.

S- Had a sweet smell up front. Hops, a bit of pine, a hint of grapefruit, caramel and honey.

T- Hoppy start with a caramel/honey backbone. Small detection of grapefruit but it hides in there pretty well.

M- Excellent. Medium to low carbonation and an oily, textured and well bodied mouthfeel.

O- Pretty good. I could see how this would be an excellent beer to pair with some ribs or a pork chop.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 06:23:23 | More by intensify

TheFlern

Idaho

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Damn, Odell hits another out of the ballpark.

Appearance: Red, white head, poor retention, minimal lacing.

Smell: Nice yummy hop profile. If you've had an Odell beer before you'll recognize this hop aroma. Malt backbone is kicked up a notch but the real meat and potatoes lie in the hops.

Taste: Follows the nose, not overly bitter though. Very pleasant and sweeter than the nose led me to believe this brew would be.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and good amount of carbonation.

Overall: Just another great beer from Odell. Did you expect something different?

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 22:25:42 | More by TheFlern

TenHornsProud

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, light amber red with a big tan head that lingers and laces.

Smells woody, earthy, and herbally with notes of pine, sweetness, and some cattyness.

Taste is up front sweet with herbal and spicy notes that fades into a more fruity and sweet middle that ends on a slightly bitter and caramel finish that morphs into a bready, almost metallic/copper taste. Methinks Simcoe is at play. Interesting and different, but not particularly to my taste.

Medium body with medium to low carbonation works well.

This is a fine red ale that is heavily herbal/spicy/and piney with catty and sweet notes.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 20:28:34 | More by TenHornsProud

HeroJH

Colorado

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A real nice hoppy red! If you like those, go try some out. 6.5% abv. I have to say that I'd expect some other flavors from a red aside from just hops. But, I do like hoppy reds. Just seems to need something else, or less hops to let other things come through.

A - Nice foamy head. Rich red color, clear. Some lacing and lasting ring and surface foam.

S - Full hop aroma, really nice. Smells like I might be about to have an IPA. Orange Peel. Just the slightest hint of something deeper maybe? But the hops are prominent.

T - Full hop flavor profile. Really nice. I would like a little more grain or toasty flavor maybe. Aside from the color, this could be an IPA. I'm not getting really anything else here. There might be some other flavors there, but the hops are covering it up. Though that's probably intentional, I'd just assume get an IPA. This is great though if you want some hops. I'd just like one more flavor in there.

M - Nice low amount of carbonation. Clean.

D - It's good.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 23:13:49 | More by HeroJH

quirkzoo

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly reddish amber color with 1 finger of white head. Wow, this has a much larger aroma than I was expecting, it almost smells exactly like their IPA. Lots of bright citrus (grapefruit) up front with a strong pine behind it, a touch of caramel malt sweetness at the very end of the aroma. The taste is interesting, the malt presence is much more prominent and clashes ever so slightly with the hops. The mouthfeel is very smooth and drinkable. Overall this is a good brew but I prefer their IPA. The hop profiles were very similar but I thought they matched better to the dryness of the IPA vs. the maltiness of this beer. Still worth seeking out especially if you like maltier IPA's or Hoppy Reds.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 17:54:05 | More by quirkzoo

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

Onenote81

North Carolina

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

12oz bottle poured into my Sweetwater pint glass. Best by: 4/28/11.

Pours a clear dark amber with a thick finger-width beige head on top. Good retention; lots of sticky lace on the glass. The nose is bursting with fresh citrus, pine needles, herbs. Very fresh-smelling. I dig it.

The mouth is moderately full. Good heft to it, but drinkable still. There's a bit of a hop smack at the onset, but this flavor is fleeting and short-lived. There's not a lot of depth to this one. Mild sweetness on the finish. Bready. This is a stellar drinkable beer, but I thought aspects of it could be more pronounced. It's not a palate-torcher, which is fine, but there needs to be a bit more "pop" to the flavor. Still, I could see myself having this again and again. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 17:17:47 | More by Onenote81

JoeAmerican77

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark ginger and cloud depths with a slight off white hat of bubbs...

The aroma brings some fruit to the nose, peaches dance with figs, citrus grapefruit mostly though, some pine hops character, nice and aromatic

Hops hit the palate in a medium strength struggle with the malts; a decent balance. Deeper down I can get some pine on the back of my tongue, nice. A little viney.

Light medium body with an interesting mixed bubble carbonation.

I would recommend this as a good red, not fantastic, but good. Odell's does a decent job most times and this fits that category. If they could boost the flavors I would be a huge fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 00:16:43 | More by JoeAmerican77