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On Nov. 18, 1989, Odell Brewing Co. sold its first keg of beer in Fort Collins, Colo. Just one day prior, Boulevard Brewing Co. opened its doors in Kansas City, Mo. and sold a keg of its own. Though the two were 650 miles apart, a lasting friendship began with those first kegs.
Twenty-five years later, founders John McDonald and the Odells (Doug, his wife Wynne, and his sister Corkie) have made lasting names for themselves in the craft beer industry – one that was nearly non-existent when they first entered the business. “I think the way people viewed beer in 1989 was that it was all just American light lager,” Doug explained in an interview with Recommended Daily. “I was a little concerned about deviating from what people were used to in beer. We started with a beer darker in color and hoppier in character.”
Odell and McDonald kept that original character in mind when talk began of brewing a collaboration beer to commemorate 25 years in the business. “John and I met up during Boulevardia and that was the start of the beer,” Doug told Recommended Daily. “We referred to it as an American strong ale and decided on malts, the approximate alcohol by volume and that the IBU was going to be 45. That was the base we would follow and then you could use whatever yeast you want and hop it whatever way you want. We did what we like to do. We chose some interesting flavor and aroma hops to give it that good bright character.
And a good, bright beer it is. Though the two versions of Silver Anniversary Ale vary slightly (Boulevard’s bottled version has a richer malt character, while Odell’s draft-only version is hoppier), they are both a true testament to the breweries’ original roots. “I like it. It came out like I had in mind,” Doug said. “It’s a strong ESB in that it was a little more malty than pale. It’s not as bitter. It’s a little more malt forward. I think we got the balance right between bitterness, hop flavor and the malt backbone.”
That balance can be seen in both the beer and the breweries, which have continued to grow and expand organically. “[Odell Brewing has] done a great job of adding a new brewhouse and evolving as we have,” McDonald told Recommended Daily. “Beer has gotten pretty crazy these days. When we started back in the 80’s, [Silver] would have been a wild beer in 1989. But those beers that we made then would be a pretty straightforward type of beer today.”
Doug agreed. “We had this starting date in common and that type of beer was our inspiration – we wanted to go back to the beginning.”
Silver Anniversary Ale is part of Old Chicago’s Explorer Series, and can be found in all of the Boulevard Brewing and Odell Brewing markets. Check out our events calendar for a Silver tapping near you.
Photo Credits (from top): Boulevard Brewing, Odell Brewing
On Nov. 4, Odell Brewing Co. hosted local non-profit The Growing Project for their first annual Cupcake Cook-Off fundraiser. Dozens of Fort Collins foodies gathered at the brewery to drink some beer, taste some (or 20+) cupcakes, and vote for their favorites. Categories included most unique vegetable-themed cupcake (winner: The Goodness Food Truck) and most creative (winner: The Fort Collins Brewery).
Odell Brewing Co. entered some cupcakes of their own, including a chocolate cupcake baked with brewers malt and a beet cupcake frosted with a Comes & Gose buttercream. Below, some of our favorite recipes from the evening, either paired or prepared with one of our brews.
Pumpkin & ginger beer cupcakes with maple frosting & candied pecans
By Tracy Marcello, Odell Brewing Co.
Makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée or fresh baking pumpkin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Odell Brewing Co. Voltage Ginger Beer (or another ginger beer or pumpkin ale)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 12 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and beer. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely. Spread the cupcakes with the maple frosting and garnish with a candied pecan.
Frosting Ingredients
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Freshly grated ginger, to taste
Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup, ginger and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
Candied Pecan Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pound pecan halves
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large zip-top bag, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt; set aside.In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, water and vanilla extract. Add the pecans to the bowl and stir them into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula, making sure they are all moistened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pecans from the egg white mixture and drop them into the bag with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Once all of the pecans are added, seal the bag, and shake it to coat all of the pecans. Using a clean slotted spoon, remove the pecans from the bag and place onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring them every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Top each cupcake with one pecan, or chop and sprinkle on each cupcake.
Pumpkin chai cupcakes with Quad-C frosting, paired with 90 Shilling
By Malini Bartels, FoCo Cafe
Adapted from comfortablydomestic.com
Makes 24 Cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients
2 1⁄2 C. all-purpose flour
3⁄4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1 tsp. chai masala (black pepper, dry ginger, cassia, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, clove)
2/3 C. unsalted butter, melted
2 C. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2C. granulated sugar
1⁄2 C. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and all spice; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs until well blended.
4. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture, folding with a rubber spatula to mix until just blended.
5. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with batter, being careful not to over fill or the cakes will run over while baking. A large, level kitchen scoop (3 Tbs. capacity) works well for filling the muffin cups.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 17-19 minutes, or until muffins are just set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow cupcakes to cool in their pans for about 4 minutes, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Frost cooled cupcakes with The Only Frosting You’ll Ever Need, or your favorite vanilla Buttercream or creamed cheese frosting recipe. Store cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter for 1 day, or refrigerate for longer storage. Cupcakes are best when served at room temperature.
Frosting Ingredients
I call it “Quad-C” because it’s Cinnamon-Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting!
1⁄2 C. (8 Tbs.) butter
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 1⁄2 C. powdered sugar (or more, depending on desired consistency)
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
1. Cream together cream cheese and infused butter until fluffy.
2. Stir vanilla extract into the creamed mixture.
3. Sift or whisk powdered sugar to aerate.
4. Stir powdered sugar into cream cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time, until well blended.
