Woodcut No. 3 - Oak Aged Crimson Ale - Odell Brewing Company

FernMaster

Missouri

2.98/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Poured from the bottle into a Tulip.

There are such a few amount of reviews out there for this beer. I don't know if it's from the price tag alone or from people who buy it refusing to put how disappointing this beer is into words. Time to add one more negative deviation to my review count....

The pour of this beer, aside from the fantastic 2+ fingers worth of head, was foreboding. More so than Hitchcock's opening to Rebbecca. The appearance, in a word, was septic. I feared for my life and grabbed for a knife thinking that the creature from the Black Lagoon was going to pop out at any time and strike. Okay, the lacing was nice. But the creature from the black Lagoon could rip through nice curtains.

The smell was just okay at best. There was caramel, raisins and a decent touch of hops in the mix. The oak barrel aging was noticeable in the smell, but not truly welcome.

The taste. Meh. I've had plenty better in this style, that didn't cost so fucking much too. The mild hop profile blended well with the oak aging and fruit flavors, the raisins, maybe other dark fruits and the caramel again. My buddy noted it's like Bigfoot Ale, we both agreed that that's better though. There's an earthyness to this beer though that probably comes from the oak aging and in this case, I don't think adding it to the barrels truly in the end added a damn thing to the beer. It was more of an unwelcome house guest, one you can't say no to, you wish he was gone, but to keep up appearances you had to grin and bare his presence.

The mouthfeel was okay, it was thick but not overbearing, something you can easily drink and enjoy.

This beer has a Twenty-six dollar price tag on it. That's a lot of freaking money! And I definitly say that it simply is not worth the money. I've had MUCH better beer in this style for a lot less money. This beer is rather pretentious. There's limited quantities, it was aged in oak (for no apparent reason) and comes with a laughable price tag. If a beer was to ever sit in a proverbial ivory tower, this would be it. I wonder if the reviews are so high because people spent so much money on a beer, they want to believe it's good. Who wants to spend this much money and be disappointed? If this beer was say, $8, how much lower would the score be? How much does scarcity and steep prices affect the psyche of the reviewer? How much does it add to the disdain? I can answer that, at least sixteen dollars worth.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 04:43:49 | More by FernMaster

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

05-19-2013 01:10:49 | More by Photekut

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%

03-24-2013 18:07:34 | More by Sparky44

G-Hawk

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +19.6%

03-10-2013 23:29:26 | More by G-Hawk

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -24.4%

03-05-2013 02:39:17 | More by nzerbe

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

01-11-2013 21:43:32 | More by AlexFields

Pecan

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

12-20-2012 16:53:33 | More by Pecan

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

12-03-2012 03:59:52 | More by t0rin0

tuckerlikesbeer

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

11-29-2012 05:15:59 | More by tuckerlikesbeer

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle #3633, Nov. 2009

Pours a very cloudy, dark orange-ish/brown color with a 1.5 finger yellowish beige head that very slowly settles into a lasting ring. Large streaks of soapy left behind. Normally I would score the appearance higher but the color is off making it seem mud-like.

The aroma is dominated by earthy oak, overpowering most of the other elements. Tons of barrel but not burnt smelling or overwhelming. Pretty one dimensional. As it warms there's a strong yeast component along with faint hops, caramel malt and biscuit. The nose isn't uninviting, just kind of boring.

Medium bodied with tight carbonation and a prominent oak barrel flavor that lingers over the ale yeast, earthy hops and sweet malt into a dry finish. Dry and woody but not acrid or toothpick like. Strong yeast character provides balance but he hops taste stale at this point. Some malt sweetness underneath but it's outshines by the barrel and yeast. Subtle alcohol heat in the finish but overall, the high ABV is decently masked. Still, the flavors are a touch harsh hurting drinkability. Not bad but I wish I would have opened it sooner.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 04:34:36 | More by corby112

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

been cellaring since 2009. finally popped it. pours a beautiful red orange color, heavy looking, with a lot of white foam that relaxes quickly. this is a dense liquid boy, it is leaving some serious runners on the glass. it smells like a forest on a wet autumn day. like decaying wood. okay, but not fresh oak. the malt profile is sort of german, but this has broken down considerably im sure. rustic yeast gives fresh bread notes, but the old oak is really dominant. it also smells like its going to kill you in terms of alcohol, but the flavor isnt nearly as boozed up, and it actually feels pretty mellow. lots of old wood in the flavor too, totally decomposing oak. never had a beer with this much oak maturity to it. its impressive really, and the red malts give a lot of flavorful body to it. i never had this when it was fresh, but i imagine the aging process helped it calm down a bit. its got a relaxed mouthfeel. full body of course, and very thick to drink, but the alcohol sting is not intense, and there actually remains a decent but of carbonation in this. this is my second of the woodcut beers, and maybe not as enjoyable as number 5, but it was a special treat worth the wait. id be curious to hear what anyone else thinks about an old bottle of this... its interesting stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 19:49:50 | More by StonedTrippin

CelticAleMan

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

09-04-2012 06:51:07 | More by CelticAleMan

GRG1313

California

4/5  rDev +0.8%

09-03-2012 07:33:17 | More by GRG1313

Dieck

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

08-30-2012 03:09:54 | More by Dieck

DovaliHops

California

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Generous extra from an awesome BA. Pours a murky brownish red color. Scent is very malty with some pleasant almond and vanilla aromas. Good barrel profile...vanilla and caramel. Hints of toffee. Taste is very malty at first with a slightly tart cherry flavor. Bitter-sween raisin flavor with a good amount of nuttiness. As it warms, lots of almond and cashew. Still a good amount of booze to this one. Some mellow cherrywood flavors with a bit of palo santo. Finishes with a bit of alcohol and tart cherry. Mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy. Warming. Drinkability is fairly high for such a huge beer. Overall, another great offering from Odell. I liked the Woodcut 5, loved the Woodcut 4, and this one falls somewhere in between.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 06:11:29 | More by DovaliHops

theminutemen

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

05-30-2012 20:19:17 | More by theminutemen

whartontallboy

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

04-15-2012 05:05:05 | More by whartontallboy

raveskdr

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Chris (Radagast83) for this one. I got this off the shelf for him back at a Friar Tuck in St. Louis.

A - Darkish brown with a nice head.

S - Lots of oak and maltiness in this one. Slight dark fruit as well.

T - Taste follows the nose. Lots of maltiness that is encased with some oak and slight vanilla. Minimal hoppiness that has stuck around after years in the bottle. Probably was quite hoppy when fresh.

M - Nice thick mouth. Definitely a sipper.

O - This is a fine beer, but it's nothing special. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, and wasn't nearly as good as Woodcut 5. And with a $25 pricetag...

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 18:54:22 | More by raveskdr

Pencible

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

02-11-2012 19:30:55 | More by Pencible

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

01-31-2012 08:49:45 | More by ygtbsm94

rawfish

California

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

01-28-2012 23:35:57 | More by rawfish

adgrant

Wyoming

5/5  rDev +25.9%

01-23-2012 19:48:06 | More by adgrant

kiki3drt292

California

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-10-2012 18:57:44 | More by kiki3drt292

JMBSH

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-09-2012 00:41:00 | More by JMBSH

savagepm

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.8%

12-18-2011 23:55:44 | More by savagepm