Odell 90 Shilling Ale - Odell Brewing Company

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Odell 90 is a clear auburn hue, with a frothy, light tan head of about 1/2". Topping shrinks a bit to about 1/8", but leaves good lacing. Mild aroma of some toasty malt and light sweetness is evident. Body strives to be medium, yet doesn't quite get there. It does have a fairly smooth feel on the tongue, though. Toasty malt presents itself here, with a touch of caramel also. Some sweetness lingers, and blends in with a nice bit of floral hoppiness. Decent brew, though could have more maltiness and "oomph", for me anyhow... Thnx bditty187!

Prosit!!!

overall: 3.6
appearance: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 3.5

708

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2004 14:30:30 | More by Bierman9

elmocoso

Nebraska

3.48/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a reddish brown with a nice head that recedes leaving a droupy clinging lace on the glass. The head fades to a thin sheet, thicker around the edge of the glass.

The smell is predominatly an open malt; very refreshing. Hints of subtle hops appear with closer examination.

This baby is an easy drinker, very smooth after a rough pour and very malty. Nothing extreme, not even that impressive, just a solid drinker.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2004 22:54:04 | More by elmocoso

BittRnessabounds

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Unknowingly this was my first experience with scottish ales, and i rather enjoyed it. 90 shilling poured a nice deep reddish-orange-brown, almost a cherry wood color. The head was less than bountiful but remained rather well throughout. The smell was nice, a sweet but slightly roasted malt touched with a bit of hops. The taste was much the same a nice balance of malt that was both sweet, and toasted with a bit of hops to keep things on even ground. The mouthfeel is very pleasant with nice carbination with medium body and the light bitterness. Overall this was a very nice beer that introduced me to scottish ales.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2003 03:50:49 | More by BittRnessabounds

Realale

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear medium brown, with a touch of mahogany. Fine slightly off-white 1" head settles slowly leaving nice lacing.

Nose is slightly crackery over bready malt. Some earthy notes, touch caramel, and a touch of chalkiness.

Medium weight in the mouth. Virtually all malt. Crackery is most apparent, but a solid base of breadiness is there.

Low carbonation level gives a very soft mouthfeel and good drinkability. However, I'd expect more palate impact and interest from a 90/-. This drank more like a 60/-.

Bottled on date of 11/6/03.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2003 18:37:14 | More by Realale

Beaver13

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

90 Shilling is a dark reddish amber color with a nice medium head. Its aroma has subtle hints of citrus and caramel. Very nice tasting with hints of fig and a good hoppy finish. It doesn't taste like a normal Scottish Ale. Overall, a very drinkable beer - one of my old reliables.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2003 05:00:46 | More by Beaver13

maxpower

Missouri

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark hazy reddish brown in color with a decent off white head that sticks to my glass. Bready and caramel aromas, starts sweet and creamy with a hint of caramel, medium bodied, nice creamy and round mouthfeel, finishes smooth and clean, another good one from this brewery, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2003 13:33:42 | More by maxpower

ZAP

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is sliding down very quick so I better rate it while I still have a third of a glass left...

pours a orangish/brown...small lace....nose is earthy and herbal...also malty...body is medium...flavor profile leans heavily to the malt....biscuity base....and surprisingly some chocolate notes as well...a touch of spicy hops on the finish..

Very tasty and easy drinking...I don't see it as a Scottish Ale though...tastes more like an amber ale and a very good one at that...I would buy this again....

Thanks to bditty for another dandy...

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2003 04:14:58 | More by ZAP

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to prAna for sending me this. I like getting my hands on 90 Shilling beers, as I am a fan of the style. I didn't think this one was quite as good as Hoster's version but it was decent. Pours a dark amber color with a medium beige head and thin lacing. Earthy malt aroma. Body is fairly rich, with flavors of malt, caramel and a little fruit. Finish is lightly bitter. Overall pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2003 13:08:15 | More by Dogbrick

Quaffer

Nevada

2.5/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: This beer was a lovely, deep copper color. It had a very light tan head that was dense and persisted the entire drink. It left a lot of lace on the glass.

Smell: This beer smelled great at first. It had a big, maltly smell that just made my mouth water. There was some hops aromas as well, though not as much as I would have expected from a beer classified as a pale. Not the typical pale ale smell. After I had a few drinks, however, a certain sour "twang" developed in the aroma that seemed like it just didn't belong. Kind of like an old kitchen dish rag. The more I drank, the stronger it seemed to be. Initially, I had the "smell" rated at a 4.5, but as I drank, I had to lower it.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth and medium bodied. A great pale ale mouthfeel.

Taste: There was an overwhelming odd flavor to this beer that accompanied the sour smell I detected in the aroma. There was a little bit of maltiness to this brew, but not much. I could detect only a little bit of hops bitterness. And this is supposed to be a pale ale?

Overall, this was a disappointing beer. I have liked all the other Odell offerings that I have had. Maybe I got a bad bottle? I will have to give this beer another try.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2003 20:53:10 | More by Quaffer

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Color is on the amber/copper side, under a huge head of foam. Aroma is on the dry side, soft, herbal, slightly floral, vegetal. Hops are minimal, malt is huge and thick. Taste is a little mellow for me, and a bit too sweet. Drinks well, slides easily down the tongue. Full, rich, malty mouthfeel, but a little too low on hops for my taste. A fine micro Scottish, but not for me.

10/19/03 tweaked the numbers some, after realizing that I let personal prefererence interfere witha judgement of a perfectly good expression of this style, yet not among my favorites at that time. I'm still growing, folks...

07/30/09
I totally forgot I reviewed this 6 1/2 years ago.
Here's my notes from last night just for fun:
Odell 90 Shilling

Clear, caramel-brown, nice, if small, beige head.

Sweetness in the nose, big malt, lush and lovely.

Tasting it:...sweet and smooth, fine and mellow...a light, easy-drinking scotch-style ale. Very drinkable. Toffee and caramel tones dominate, sweet and tasty reigns supreme.

I can see this being very popular. On the other hand, it doesn't quite hold enough interest for me. Ah, well.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2003 11:56:13 | More by feloniousmonk

bditty187

Nebraska

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Odell 90 Shilling is a great example of a top-notch American Amber Ale. The beer pours a really healthy looking brownish-rusty-amber. A whitish head of a finger tops off the brew. It doesn’t lace that much but the head never really disappears either. The nose never really develops much depth but subtle toasted malt, floral/pine hops, and a citrus note is detectable. The beer’s flavors are not lacking in the slightest. The malt & hops are balanced which yields a toasty-bittersweet, pine, and citrus zest taste. All of the flavors are laidback, which really works great. The carbonation is mild which enables this beer do go down smooth!

Drink-up folks!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2002 18:59:04 | More by bditty187

beernut7

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This brew comes right off the brewery tap with a deep dark copper color and a foamy thick whitish head. The aroma is malty with a light hint of smoke and heavy spice hops. The body is smooth and supports a dry malt character and a lingering mellow bitterness. Not bad, a little too clean; could use a little more oomph.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2002 17:47:14 | More by beernut7

BeerBob

Nebraska

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

90 Shilling “Colorado Ale” pours a dark red from a 12oz brown bottle. Head is tan and with firm small bubbles that leave lace down the glass sides.

Nose is malt and citrus, palate is malt and bittersweet chocolate with citrus and floral hops.

90 Shilling “Colorado Ale” is a stick to your ribs Ale, thick and luscious.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2002 19:27:44 | More by BeerBob

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Orange-brown in color with a cream colored head that holds up fairly well and leaves some nice Belgian-lace. The aroma is really pleasing with a sweet, maltiness that contains caramel, toffee and a touch of fruitiness. Almost like a combination of Munich and Brown malts, but not quite. Rich, but not aggressive. The body and carbonation level are appropriate. The flavor starts malty and fruity, dries a bit at mid swallow, and then gives a spritz of hop flavor before leading into a lightly bitter dryness. Quite Scottish in nature up to a point, but I find the hop flavor unusual. The choice of hops seems a little odd. Still, a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2002 08:10:02 | More by NeroFiddled

Jordan

California

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

90 Shilling is an excellent amber. A richer and heavier body than most ambers. Brown sugar, pepper and pine create an unusually taste-flavor palate (reminds me of red rocket by bear republic only more subdued). This is good beer, but nothing exceptional about it.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2002 09:07:39 | More by Jordan

Murph

Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice amber color with a decent off white head. Smell is malty and somewhat english hoppy character. Nice malt and hops are present in this ale. Subtler english hops balance out the mellow malt for a very well balanced beer that tastes good. Nice and smooth and very drinkable. Probably the best amber that I have tasted. Very nice.
Thanks to Jaybeerman for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2002 14:09:44 | More by Murph

marc77

California

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

There are a myriad of ambers out there, but this one ranks among the best. To me this defines the style, but improves on it. A pronouced hop bitterness (for an amber) and flavor is perfectly balanced by a mellow but significant caramel malt profile. With an almost "chewy" maltiness and full body to complements the hop profile, 90 Shilling exhibits a rich balance. Lightly earthy hop flavor seems to be combination of Goldings and Willamette. It finishes with a slight toasty caramel sweetness on the back of the tongue. An excellent and highly drinkable amber. It's akin to an ESB minus the fruitiness.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2002 23:35:50 | More by marc77

gwfrankpsu

California

4.85/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is great stuff!! Wonderful flavor, a taste of the west.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2001 11:58:54 | More by gwfrankpsu

Jason

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Presentation: 12 oz brown long neck bottle with a bottling date in the bottom left hand corner of the label. Label has a blurb about the beer.

Appearance: Tawny and tarnish copper hue with a well formed and healthy looking head that does not falter even when down to the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Subdued fruitiness, noticeable citric hop with hints of mint or evergreen in the aroma … sweet toasted biscuit nose also.

Taste: Moderate body with a very smooth mouth feel from a milder carbonation. Right away the hops and malt push each other back and forth for domination though neither gains any more ground that it already has which shows for a balanced beer. Hop bitterness is at a spot on level with a citric and vague minty flavour to boot. The malt profile is just enough to carry the beer all the way through, going from sweet caramel twang to the drying toasted grain character in the end. Hints of citrus rind and toasted husks make up the finish.

Notes: A proud beer that was crafted for maximum drinkability and a superb balance. This is what American Amber ales are all about.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2001 09:21:22 | More by Jason