Mountain Standard Double Black IPA - Odell Brewing Company

Wasatch

Utah

3.95/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to RedHaze for this brew.

750ml Bottle
Caged/Corked

Poured into a chalice a dark brown color, nice carbonation, HUGE foamy three-finger plus off-white head, with tons of thick sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, some toffee notes, and some caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with some toffee/caramel notes. Medium body. Drinkable, a pretty tasty ABA, worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 21:32:41 | More by Wasatch

youbrewidrink

Vermont

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was expecting more of a brown ale and was pleasantly suprised.

The color was a rich brown with a small head.

The aroma was of a variety of hops, citrus, pine and floral.

I would prefer this to be a bit less malty, but the balance was dead on. The hop and malt melded nicely making this a very drinkable beer. It was like drinking a big brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 13:17:13 | More by youbrewidrink

rowew

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 750 corked and caged. 2009 Reserve, bottle conditioned. Cork is a royal pain in the ass to remove.

Appearance: Pours dark reddish brown with a large tan colored head, good retention and lacing.

Smell: Something smells slightly sour, with a malt sweetness.

Taste: Very balanced, good malt flavors, and just enough hops to keep it from being overly sweet. Despite a relatively high ABV, this is very drinkable.

Overall impression: Highly drinkable - nice beer, but probably a bit over priced. Odell does need to do something about the corks they use, they are consistently a pain.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 00:13:05 | More by rowew

Tone

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, brown color. 5/4 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of floral hops, sweet malt, slight alcohol, dark citrus, and slight yeast. Fits the style of an American Black Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of hops, sweet malt, citrus, yeast, hint of roasted malt, and slight dough. Overall, good appearance, great aroma, good body, and good blend.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 21:16:45 | More by Tone

ghebel

Iowa

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours clear deep red to brown color with a huge off white head initially composed of mostly larger bubbles. It dissipates slowly leaving a lot of lacing on the glass and the top of the head takes on a creamy consistency.

S - Dark malts with lots of citrus and piney hops. Malt character is caramel, dark fruit, slightly roasted.

T - Follows the aroma with moderate bitterness. Great malt and hop balance. Hops flavor is strong for such a malty beer.

M - Carbonation bite, moderate body.

D - Drinkable

Overall - Great balance of malts and hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 20:49:31 | More by ghebel

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled January 2010
Forgotten time my ass, I live in AZ and here we never forget ;)

Absolutely, excessively carbonated, as a very soft pour nets me a finger or so of beer and almost six fingers worth of head in my 25cl tulip glass. The head is a tan color and it sits on top of a burnt amber colored beer and shows a brilliantly clear darkish amber color when held up to the light. The beer smells of crystal malt and American hops; grapefruit, a bit of sweet tea, bergamot, hints of lychee, and a solid tangelo note.

A touch viscous as it hits my tongue for the first time, the beer definitely has some sweetness to it as well. It finishes with a touch of astringency that seems like it might be roast grain derived, but I think is more likely from the ample hops. Flavors of grapefruit, tangelo and some hints of tropical fruit are buoyed by a solid malt character that provides notes of caramelized whole grain bread, soft brown sugar notes, an ample biscuit like maltiness and perhaps a hint of more toasted grain flavors. This is quite a bit more balanced between malt and hop than I was expecting; it is still more hop dominated than anything, but there is a lot of malt character here as well. The hop and malt character seem to compete more often than residing harmoniously together; though it is a friendly competition that ends more muddled than anything.

My second pour nets me almost three-fingers of beer, but at the expense of having the beer foam over the sides of my glass (luckily the sink was nearby). When drunk quickly after pouring the beer it is excessively foamy and the texture manages to accentuate some hot alcohol notes as well. This beer has some potential, and I really like the idea of Colorado grown hops, but the execution comes off a touch more lackluster than I was hoping. This is certainly by no means bad, in fact it is quite drinkable, it just needs a little work.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 16:58:55 | More by Gueuzedude

bhalter8

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep ruby red... or mahogany as the label calls it, with a huge 2 finger light tan head. Head recedes but leaves excellent lacing. A huge sweet citrus aroma conflicts with the dark appearance of the beer, but smells delicious. I love the cascade and chinook hops, and come out beautifully in the nose of this. The aroma is so strong, that I am surprised by the flavor, very much in line with the aroma, but not as intense as it had suggested. Luckily the malt backbone is strong enough for the intense usage of hops, it makes the beer taste like a citrus candy! There is little complexity there beyond the hops, so I would say this one is best as fresh as possible. This beer rests a bit tart in your mouth, and this tartness impacts its drinkability. In the end, another uniquely hopped up style from Odell, much like the India Barleywine and Red Ale. I like the hops they use, so its another winner for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 21:45:24 | More by bhalter8

wnh

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden chestnut, letting only a small amount of light through, topped by a huge and lasting foamy tan head.

Hoppy aromas of citrus, earthy resin, and fresh leaves, offset by a strong sweet caramel maltiness. Not unlike a well-hopped old ale.

Very well balanced and clean on the palate. Earthy molasses and sweet caramel, a touch of vanilla, and a nice bouquet of hops (citrus, resin, leaves). Full bodied and moderately firm, with a lasting finish. A clean, well-made, tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 00:55:05 | More by wnh

bort11

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml corked bottle poured into a tall Hobgoblin tumbler glass. Thick khaki colored head stands a solid two inches that gradually drops down to a dense cap. Sticky lattice of lacing surrounds the glass. Color is a deep and dense reddish mahogany. Very lazy carbonation rises up.

Smell is a thick green hops, floral and a little spicy. Taste is also very hop-centric, but the brown ale malts try to maintain balance. There is a sweet caramel and chocolate finish that comes in after hops subsides. It's like an IPA that finishes like a brown ale. Spicy hop bite on the tongue.

Mouthfeel is a lot thicker than what I was expecting. Very chewy texture, like a melting toffee. Carbonation is mild in the mouthfeel compared to the visible activity. Must be the heavier body keeping the bubbles checked. Very interesting beer that defies category.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 04:04:29 | More by bort11

gford217

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The cork came out of this with a massive pop and the subsequent pour was active to say the least, with an enormous white head that refused to recede until finally leaving a clump of foam on top and quite a bit of lacing. The body is a dark murky amber.

The aroma is all about the hops, pithy grapefruit, pineapple, oranges and some pine sap as well. There is a light malty sweetness in background but not much stands out other than the hops.

The taste is more complex than the aroma would suggest, though the C hops are still the most dominant aspect with a big citrus bitterness up front. There is a lightly toasted caramel malt and nut presence that stay secondary to the hops, which come back strong in the finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and sticky with hop juice. The carbonation is fairly lively and keeps the mouthfeel from getting too sticky.

I don't know how I would categorize this beer except that it's got a lot of hops in it. The underlying beer is just hefty enough to support the hops, but I doubt it's big enough to stand up to time. I'd say drink this one fresh and enjoy the hops, but don't expect a ton of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 23:03:17 | More by gford217

KenGage

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a 750ml single from Total Bev in Westminster, CO.

A: Pours a rich mahogany with an enormous cream colored head I couldn't wait for the head to go away so I could dive in. Did I say it had a big head?

S: Strong hop smell leaps from the bottle. Citrus and pine...followed up by malt smell...scent reminds me of Dugana (Avery).

T: The hops are somewhat muted by the malts...but not so muted that the beer doesn't finish hoppily strong. I think the malts compliment and support the hops...not to compete with the hops or "balance" the beer. The malts sometimes gave hints of caramel...sometimes a flash of nuts.

M: Medium-light body...a little more wouldn't be unfitting for the hops and the color. The carbonation was appropriate, but could lighten up a tad without hurting the beer (my opinion). I think the hop/malt/dry finish created a little anticipation of the next sip.

D: It's corked and not inexpensive...so expected a liiitle bit more. Lose the cork and drop the price to $8 and we've got a winner.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2009 19:37:36 | More by KenGage

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml single from Central Park Liquors in Steamboat, CO. Around $16. Not sure this can be classified fully as a brown ale, will review more as a strong ale.

A: Pours a rich deep brown color with an enormous cream colored head, three fingers easy, on this bottle. Head isn't incredibly dense, but lingers nicely. Lots of nice red accents.

S: Dense strong citrus and piney hops, smells like a big IPA. Smells slightly soapy as well. A few malty profiles in there as well, smells sort of melonlike as well. Not too shabby.

T: Interesting, not nearly as hoppy as it smells, sweet pale malts mix with roasted malts to create a pretty nice sweetness. Fairly bitter with a nice lingering citrus profile on the tongue. Tastes reminds me a little of DFH's Palo Santo Marron. Nice flavors overall.

M: Fairly light bodied, with medium carbonation, slightly warm alcohol, and a definite dryness.

D: Pretty easy to drink, but not nearly as exciting as I'd hoped for. Decent flavors, and fair drinkability. A little disappointing though. Definitely not a $16 beer, and definitely not a beer to age, I don't know why this is caged and corked. Would make a much better six pack beer. Overall a decent beer. Just not quite at that next level.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 02:27:41 | More by pokesbeerdude

GarrisWH

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a deep, dark reddish-brown with a big, creamy, light-beige head. Head recedes slowly, and leaves some nice lacing behind.

S - Fairly sharp, floral, and spicy hop aromas dominate. Hint of sweet, caramel malt in the background.

T - Floral, slightly spicy hop character up front that leads into some rich bready, caramel malt. Finish lends some spicy earthy hoppiness that blends nicely with the malts. Hop flavors linger into the aftertaste. A nice, interesting flavor overall. I like the balance of the rich malt character paired with the hops.

M - Medium bodied, maybe medium-full, with a light carbonation that lends a smooth feel.

D - A nicely done beer with good flavor, balance, and mouthfeel. Goes a bit off the beaten path style wise. The only real drawback is the price-tag, which does seem a bit steep. Worth a try though.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 05:08:00 | More by GarrisWH

jacobseyb

Alabama

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A=deep, very dark brown with a slight off white head that left some lacing

S=hoppy citrusy on the nose, with some finishing malts on the end

T=very similar on the taste from the nose.

M=light carbonation, gentle feel, soft finish

D=good feel, and taste, good even tasting beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2009 03:12:10 | More by jacobseyb

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A deep chestnut color in the pour. Asked the gentlemen pouring (at Wynkoop private pouring) what style this might be he said probably a brown IPA. Ok, I'm not a huge fan of nailing down the style, but as a reviewer it's hard to mark. Head was fluffy and white, good retention. A nice whaff of floral hops in the nose undercut a bit by some caramel maltiness. First sip is crisp, floral. A nice malt backbone, caramel and sticky bread. Malty finish. Residual hops gives a clean overtone. This is a good beer. Not sure why it's corked. Not sure if this will stand up to any aging.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 06:43:00 | More by Mebuzzard