A mountain range

I built up a tidy little collection of Odell beers over the past few weeks from here and there, all of them new to me. Let me take you through what I found.

Oh hey: here's an interesting starting point. A few weeks back I jibed that when American breweries make beer at 4% ABV they make them thin because they regard that as a compromised beer strength to begin with (my beer in point was Lagunitas Daytime, which isn't thin but tastes terrible, but anyway). I got a chance to try and back up my slur when I noticed the tiny print on Odell Good Behavior reveals it too to be the big four-point-oh. It does look a bit thin, being a pale yellow infused with a sickly haze, and while it's not offensively watery, it does lack substance. This is plainly designed to be quaffable and easy, but I think they have undercooked it somewhat in doing that. There is a generous dusting of the Odell magic, however: a flavour which bounces joyfully between succulent mango, tangy tangerine and sticky marijuana buds. It's all a bit muted, however, like they want it to be bigger and bolder but can't possibly manage it at this strength. Loser talk. On balance, I like it. There are echoes here of Little Fawn, which remains world class and objective best of breed. This isn't a bad take, but still streets away from what British breweries can do at 4% and below.

Next we have Witkist White, a "grapefruit white ale". From that I expected an extra-bitter twist on your standard witbier, but this is pretty much a standard witbier. It's a normal 5% ABV and a medium hazy yellow. The aroma shows off its coriander and orange peel well, but where's the headline grapefruit? I couldn't find it in the flavour either. The citrus that's present isn't bitter but instead has the marmalade tang of a wit, while the herbs add a pleasant savoury balance. And that's your lot. I could very much believe I was drinking something Belgian, so full marks for not taking an established European style in a silly direction, but I could have just had a Hoegaarden and saved myself some food miles. Two mouthfuls in I stopped grumbling, sat back, and just enjoyed a well-made beer.

Also on a Belgian kick is the Odell kriek, Friek. It's a fairly powerful one at 6.9% ABV and is a pleasing clear russet colour in the glass. There's quite a funky, Bretty aroma with only a faint trace of sweet and fizzy cherryade behind it. What was I letting myself in for? First sip brought a rush of contrasting complexities. A punchy sourness scorches across the palate at the beginning, bringing cherries in its wake: sour at first but quickly turning riper and rounding and fading out on a sweetish maraschino note. A modest funkiness permeates this, adding a kind of seasoning which I think helps draw the fruit out. A twist of white pepper seasons it further. I should add that this is the 2015 vintage so it's perhaps an extra testament to the brewers that it hasn't turned completely to vinegar. By the time I poured myself a second glass I had become accustomed to the acidity and was enjoying a lovely, and balanced, funky kriek. 

Moving on up, next it's an "imperial mango IPA" and even from reliable Odell that description fills me with apprehension. Tree Shaker is 8% ABV. It smells innocent enough, of fresh and juicy mandarins, and I will note that it's clear -- what a novelty! The flavour is more tropical; still with significant mandarin but I get a fleshy fruit side too which is course the mango but could equally be pineapple or guava. I wouldn't say it's hop forward, exactly, but it's dry rather than sweet and although it's weighty in a proper double IPA way it's not syrupy. Taken as a whole it's very well done: integrated, nuanced and, dare I say, balanced. One wouldn't have thought that wanging mango puree into a big IPA takes a whole lot of skill, but this is experly done. Fruit-IPA sceptics, take note.

We finish on Fernet Aged Porter, which is a half-truth, being formed from 50% barrel-aged beer and the rest being just straight porter. I guessed I was in for an extreme experience if 100% barrel aged didn't work out. It's also no lightweight at 9.4% ABV. Getting a photo with the head in place was a struggle, the tan-coloured foam fading quickly. The rest of it is a dubious swampy dark-brown colour. The aroma offers a mix of herbs and treacle and the texture is surprisingly light. Something about strong dark beers in a prestige bottle makes me expect rich and sumptuous; this isn't thin but has the easy going mouthfeel of a beer half its strength. That in turn means it isn't extreme or difficult, but also not terribly complex. You get a good buzz of liquorice, some mid-strength black coffee and a twang of soy sauce umami, and that's it. It left me wanting to taste both the straight porter and the Fernet-saturated version that made it up. I think both would be more thrilling than their rather sober progeny. I can't fault this, but I expected a bigger bang, given the specs.

The beers put out by Odell are nothing if not diverse and the quality is pretty consistently high. They're very reasonably priced too, by and large. If you're not already on this particular bandwagon now is a great time to jump aboard.