Odell Cutthroat Porter - Odell Brewing Company

cosmicevan

New York

3.73/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thank you kindly to pokesbeerdude for sending this generous extra my way! enjoyed from my hill farmstead tulipy wine glass.

a - brew poured a pewter black with almost 3 fingers of foamy mocha cream colored head. as the head dissipated there was big chunks of lacing on the glass.

s - really nice blend of powdered chocolate and char that gives the beer a vanilla vibe too. robust roastiness too.

t - wow, that's huge...and robust. black malts. powder chocolate. char. roast. a bit intense.

m - char. burntness. fairly full bodied for a porter, but overall light to medium bodied. tingles in my mouth. fairly aggressive.

o - overall this is a big porter. extremely full robust flavor profile. i like my porters to be a bit more subdued.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 01:11:28 | More by cosmicevan

denver10

Colorado

3.84/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours black with a brownish hue and an off white head. Aroma is roasty, some coffee, a little chocolate, and a little presence of some dark fruit. Flavor followed suit. A medium body. Overall, a solid beer. Not my favorite porter but that is more subjective than objective.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-17-2012 01:11:37 | More by denver10

uhcougar

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice dark color with a nice thick creamy head.

Date on the bottle was July so little past prime but I wasn't disappointed. Not much on the nose, but the taste was classic -chocolate roasty. They hit the taste of what I think a porter should be like 100%. Great lacing and great head retention.

Mouth feel is okay.

If I could get this more often I would buy it all the time, but sadly Odell is not in Texas yet. Hopefully that will change.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 20:57:59 | More by uhcougar

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.48/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dang this is a stereotypical very good porter that was a hair's breadth from being great. Served a little cold with a smallish tan head that slowly settled and lots of lace. Color is a very hazy dark garnet brown. Aroma is classic cocoa, malt, roast, coffee. Flavor is likewise standard high end porter, like nose, hint sweet, good carbonic tang, some astringency and spot on bitter. Body is almost faultless - there's a suggestion of bandaid that just barely throws it off kilter. Carbonation is perfect. Finish is like flavor, of average length, and super drinkable. Wish we could get it in Wisconie.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 00:49:40 | More by drpimento

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass.

Appearance: Pours a very dark blackish brown with a little bit of reddish/orange color at the bottom of the glass. Lots of bubbles and a huge five finger beige head with good retention. Lots of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A pretty big roasty aroma. Dark roasted malts with good hints of chocolate, coffee, burnt caramel, toffee, and some nuts. A little brown sugar, milk, and some light dried dark fruit. Very roasty aroma overall with a little bit of smoke. pretty solid.

Taste: Roasty and dark like the smell indicates. Dark roasted malts with notes of chocolate, coffee beans, nuts, milk, smoke, and burnt caramel and toffee. A little brown sugar and molasses. Very subtle hint of dark fruit. Some earthy hops provide some balancing bitterness in the back end. Very good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very creamy. Slick and very smooth.

Overall: A very good take on the American style Porter. Nicely roasty and robust while still going down pretty smooth and easy.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 05:51:05 | More by MattyG85

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured aggressively into a tumbler glass. A two finger head quickly halved in size but is sticking around.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost black. Little bit of a maroon hue when held up to the light but otherwise opaque.

Aroma: Very rich roasted malt. A little dark chocolate and coffee.

Taste: Well-rounded. The roasted malt comes through beautifully and lingers just the right amount of time. An aftertaste of dry dark chocolate. The hops are present and help bitter the palate at first but quickly fade, which is just fine because it lets the malt shine.

Mouthfeel: This porter has definite drinkability. Though it dries out your mouth a bit after every sip, it isn't very noticeable.

Final Thoughts: The Odell Brewing line-up of offerings are always on my shopping list. This is my first time trying their Cutthroat Porter and I will definitely be going for it again in the future. A very well-rounded beer and great example of the style. There is so much flavor packed into this brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 23:34:11 | More by JamesMN

beagle75

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a nonic glass.

A: Opaque dark brown showing scant light transmission around the edges with over one finger of light beige foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Roast is fairly intense, with chocolate, charcoal, lesser dark fruit, and a slightly scorched edge.

T: Begins almost dry, with dark chocolate and refined roasted grain. A thread of dried fruit also emerges before the moderately acidic transition into the middle. Sulfur is a bit too strong here, suggesting some out of place dimethyl sulfide, but not really detracting. More chocolate is present in the finish, alongside aromatic green hops that only yield mild bitterness.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, creamy but slightly astringent on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Surprisingly flavorful for a 5% abv porter, this dark contribution from Odell is mostly masterful. As good as the flavor is, it takes a few unexpected turns with detectable acidity and possible off-qualities of fermentation. Not a perfect example of the style, but there are some serious flashes of brilliance demonstrated here.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 20:27:47 | More by beagle75

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark brown-black with a thin finger of frothy chocolate colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of roasted coffee and chocolate malts with some milk sweetness and a bit of smoke.

T - Starts off with a mix of roasted chocolate and other dark malts with some vanilla and a touch of smoke. Through the middle, some roasted slightly bitter coffee comes through with some more lactose flavor. The finish is a mix of roasted coffee and chocolate with some smoke and vanilla flavors.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry, roasted, and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice balanced american porter. Good mix of flavors and just the right amount of body.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 05:45:53 | More by ngeunit1

rfbenavi80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a Nonic Pint.

A- Pours a very dark brown, looking almost black in the glass, with 3 fingers of frothy and foamy mocha colored head that is slowly forming bubbles and popping away.

S- Strong dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, and light roasted coffee on the nose.

T- Robust flavor of roasty, smokey, dark chocolate. Follows nose well. Very minor hop flavor present in the back.

M- A bit watery for me. Wish is was a tad thicker. It is sort of creamy, a little more thickness would make it more rich. Not overly carbonated.

O- A nice, easy to get, example of a porter. Somebody said something about a Cutthroat / Black Butte tasting in one sitting. Personally I like the Black Butte a tad better, but this is a VERY CLOSE second.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 23:24:38 | More by rfbenavi80

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.23/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Classic American Porter here. Dark brown with a tight-bubbled head of tan foam. Smoooth. Milk chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, and caramel. A nice dose of floral hop flavor plays off the malt beautifully. Rich, but easy to drink in gulps thanks to the dry finish. Just a touch of tannins keeps it quenching. Right there with Edmund Fitzgerald as the quintessential American Porter. Enjoyed on tap at the incredible Odell tasting room.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2012 04:09:15 | More by bump8628

intensify

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First of all, I picked up this beer as just a "eh ill give this a try". Popped the top off and poured into a snifter. Smells delicous to say the least. Dark chocolate and coffee aromas filled the rim of my glass. Rich, smokey and nutty. The appearance is dark with a caramel colored head that did not pour more then a half finger head. As for the taste.... awesome. Rich dark chocolates with a hint of coffee. Roasted malts followed by a nuttyness which blends it together well.
Overall, this is definately one of my new favorite porters. it is well balanced and the folks at O'Dell's did an excellent job brewing this masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 05:32:20 | More by intensify

angelmonster

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a big 3 finger beige head, body is black with a dark brown hue at the bottom. Head retention and lacing are good.

First smell is of sweet toffee, roasted coffee and caramel malts. Oak and a smokiness are also there, along with faint chocolate brownies. Hops and alcohol arent detected at all.

Taste is of chalky burnt malts, mixed with roasted acidic coffee and a smoky, peaty finish. Would have guessed that this was a smoked porter if I didnt know it wasnt. Hops have a slight bitter finish but are buried by sweet malts and smoke. Alcohol is non existent.

Mouthfeel is kinda light but typical for a porter. Beer is well carbonated, head died prematurely.

Overall this beer is delicious. Extremely sessionable especially for its style. This beer is always a solid standby, especially the nitro draft version.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 03:44:18 | More by angelmonster

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nitro-tap @ O.H.S.O. in Phoenix, AZ.

A: Deep amber-brown with a creamy, smooth, white head that sits there for days. Great retention of course.

S: Sweet, toasted malt. Sort of thin.

T: Great, sweet, roasted malt. Light-roast coffee.

M: Smooth, sweet, easy drinking. A solid Porter that was super smooth from the nitro-tap.

O: Good-looking beer. Damn good Porter.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-30-2012 04:01:43 | More by Gatch

kylehay2004

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark brown body with little light getting through with aa single finger tan head. Aroma. Flavor is excellent and may be the best porter I have had and includes roasted malts, smokey notes, burnt toast with a smooth chocolate malt flavor. Light to moderate carbonation and on the heavier side of medium body. Odell is becoming my favorite brewery. So many of their beers are top of the line and full flavored.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 23:34:19 | More by kylehay2004

bambam2517

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance and Pour - Love the nose on this one, dark and inviting. Hints of coffee and chocolate, folded into the roasted smell of malts. Pours into an English pint glass with a finger of lacluster foam, which dissipates to a spotty layer and doesnt linger down the glass. Burgundy-brown and clear body.

Taste- Lives up to the pour, tasting strong coffee and chocolate maybe even some berry tones. The malt is lost though, and the flavors quickly fade. A bit watery even...

Mouthfeel - Lackluster. Its wet, but after the flavors are gone there is no warming sensation, no dry or bitterness. Nothing remarkable at all really.

Overall - A decent try, but there are others in the style that pack the same flavor profile and have a way of making it linger. Value-wise, at the 9.99/6pk here in AZ I'll be moving on from this one...

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 08:12:37 | More by bambam2517

lynchmob9

California

3.85/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark syrupy brown. Head disappeared quick w/ no lace.
S - cocoa, brown sugar, milk chocolate, Nestlé quick.
T - espresso, dark chocolate, like 86% Trader Joe's cacao dark. Thin, mouthfeel disappears quickly but flavor lingers and grows.
O - like it. Couldn't have but one or two but was enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2012 04:19:02 | More by lynchmob9

gavindailey1983

Idaho

4.85/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Having this and Deschutes Black Butte back to back and I have to say although its close the O'dell is my favorite. Smoother finish but more bitter than Deschutes. I wonder if anyone else is comparing these two the same way. Take the Cutthroat, Black Butte challenge!?!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 04:31:04 | More by gavindailey1983

rodkin

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown, almost black. Nice 1/4" head, reduces to a very thin lacing. It's a nice looking beer.

Smells great. Most obvious smells are coffee and chocolate. It's sweet, with a little bit of graininess.

Taste is similar to the smell, with some hop bitterness. Maybe a hint of citrus. Not too strong, but with a pleasant, very slightly bitter aftertaste.

Nice carbonation, very smooth and creamy, though maybe a bit thinner than I'd like.

Overall a very nice porter, and well worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 23:35:59 | More by rodkin

mdaschaf

Washington

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

Thanks to angelmonster for this one!

A: Pours a dark brown with a small tan colored head on top. Not much retention, but thin lacing forms on most of the glass.

S: A nice combination of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. Slight sweetness.

T: A good bit of slightly bitter chocolate mixed with roasted malt. There is a slight citrus/hop flavor mixed in.

M: Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation. Smooth and on the creamier side.

O: Solid porter. Not overly complex, but well done and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 01:04:25 | More by mdaschaf

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12oz bottle with a date of October 2011 - I assume this is the BB date, so it's a bit old. Oh well. Picked up from my local beer specialist. I love the artwork on the label.

Poured into a Delirium chalice. An exceptionally dark brown hue that looks black as night. Produces an impressive head of creamy light brown foam with great retention; this slowly reduces to a surface layer. Leaves behind evidence of bottle conditioning. Aroma of rich roasted malt with a spicy quality. Hints of burnt grain, coffee, cocoa, brown sugar, aromatic hops and yeast.

Tastes of roasted malt with with a dry, malty bitterness. Notes of burnt grain, dark malt, coffee, dry yeast and subtle stewed hops. A lingering bitter finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with fantastic body. Pretty astringent. Aftertaste of bitter roasted malt.

Excellent - a superb porter. The balance and body are fantastic; the roasted malt flavour and bitterness seem perfectly tuned. Lovely beer - grab one if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 02:30:14 | More by jazzyjeff13

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before June 5, 2012

A: nice head that fades pretty quickly and doesn't leave much lacing.

S: Sweet, milk chocolatey roasted malt.

T: Same chocolate as the nose, but a tiny touch of char and some faint earthy hops on the finish.

M: Medium to full, but a bit fizzy.

O: A solid, somewhat non-robust porter that is remarkably drinkable. The reasonable abv helps.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 03:06:14 | More by greybeardloon

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint. Purchased at Total Wine in Scottsdale, AZ - i think its saying best by 4/28/12.
Pours a nice brown, black deep amber.
Smell is of slightly roasted malts. A bit of coffee...a slight bit of chocolate.
Taste is very good. Really smooth chocolatey roasted malts and nicely balanced with a very small bit of hops. Its a bit overly bitter for me; being a porter, but its still very drinkable and full of flavor. Not my favorite porter, but very good in general.

Odell is really taking this whole beer thing to town...

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:41:17 | More by DrinkSlurm

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Second try, best by 12/21/12 (drank on 11/27/12), from Hyvee in Omaha, NE
Result is that this tastes much better than I remember it, but the aroma is still missing any significant impact.

Pours a 1cm head, light tan in color, fades in average time, leaving significant lacing on sides of glass.

Aroma is still fairly mild, of roasted malt, very faint coffee with cream and chocolate.

Taste is of nicely blended, though slightly understated, roasted barley, milk chocolate, coffee beans, and hop bitterness. The hop bitterness melds particularly well with the roasted malt's associated bitterness. Aftertaste is of mild roasted malts and bitterness.

Beer is still medium bodied, but carbonation is at medium levels, making this move across the palate more easily and enjoyably than I remember previously.

Bottle from Whole Foods in Omaha, NE
Best by 4/4/12 printed on label
Poured into a standard US pint glass

Relative to other American porters, such as GLBC's Edmund Fitzgerald, I found Odell's porter to be somewhat understated and lacking in taste and smell. Perhaps this can be appreciated as a respite from fuller-flavored beers, but I still found it uninspiring.

Pours a 0.75cm head, light tan in color, that fades fairly quickly to a thin cap atop the beer. Leaves little to no lacing. Body is dark brown to black, with dark amber highlights when held to light. Unable to tel if carbonation levels are high due to opacity of body.

Aroma mostly of roasted malt, very faint coffee and chocolate, and only noticed when beer had warmed up substantially. Is this accurate to old-time English porters, as the label suggests? I don't think anyone is alive to know. Overall, fairly uninspiring.

Tasting opens with roasted malt flavors and some sweetness, which by mid-palate has turned more into very mild chocolate and coffee flavors. Back of tongue picks up some enjoyable bitterness, but not much else. Aftertaste of lingering roasted malt and some bitterness. Again, I'm finding this not particularly revelatory.

Medium bodied with a lower level of carbonation makes this easy on the palate, but feels a little stagnant. Resultant mouthfeel is smooth, though a bit turgid. Dry close.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 23:42:49 | More by falloutsnow

KajII

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Nonic Pint glass]

The pour was a murky dark brown with a large (2-3 finger) frothy light brown head that to some extent lasted throughout and produced some really nice spotty lacing.

The aroma was kind of mild of a roasted dark bread malt and an earthy yeast with notes of chocolate, coffee and just a bit of toffee.

The taste was mildly sweet and malty with a slight toffee note in the beginning with a taste progressing into a slight bitter sweet roasty flavor with a noticeable infusion of chocolate and a moderate coffee presence at the end. The flavor lasted only a short while with the chocolate coffee flavor fading fast.

Mouthfeel was just about medium in body and smooth and creamy in texture with a nice soft carbonation.

Overall a slightly passive tasting Porter, with that being said it is still quite delightful to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 15:59:30 | More by KajII

PorterPig

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: dark, dark, and too dark in this bar to see much else. Rich tan head that really lasts. Love what nitro does for this beer.

S: toasty, chocolate malt

T: chocolate milk, very consistent throughout from first taste to the last. Nice bitterness and chocolate notes without coming off as simply a dessert beer. Balanced. Milk chocolate.

M: smooth and smooth

O: Well done porter.

Nitro, gotta love it.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-08-2012 16:26:00 | More by PorterPig