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Brew Q&A: Oktoberfest

September 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes a seasonal favorite: Oktoberfest. Odell Brewing Company is looking forward to sharing its version, created by Head Brewer Bill Beymer and the rest of the brewing team. He chatted about the concept and the final product in this month’s Brew Q&A. We can smell the malt and bratwursts already.

Q: What was your role in creating this year’s Oktoberfest?

A: It’s my recipe, but I had some guidance from [Production Manager] Brendan McGivney on developing it. We’ve had demand for it in previous years, but with the new brew house being dialed in we thought it would be a great time to brew it. We wanted to brew a German-style Oktoberfest in our new German brew house.

Q: How does this brew differ from our past Oktoberfest releases?

A: We’ve done it on a small scale, usually 5-6 barrels, every year on the pilot system. But this time we brewed 300 barrels. It’s one of the first beers that we’ve done on the big system that we won’t be bottling. It’s draft only; it’s going to be available for about a month, and then it’s probably going to be gone until next year.

Q: What sets our Oktoberfest apart from others?

A: Normally when we do a beer there is that Odell influence—we put a lot of hops into it. This time we didn’t. We decided to go with a traditional malt-forward beer, so we used German malts for the main backbone. I think one thing people will find with our beers is that they are very balanced. It’s a very smooth, malty beer.

Q: Do you have any food pairing recommendations?

A: A bratwurst would be great with it. Bratwurst and pretzels.

Oktoberfest will be released in the taproom during our Oktoberfest celebration Sunday, Sept. 28. We will also be featuring it at the following events:

Sept. 11: Tap takeover at Black Orchid Lounge in El Paso, TX
Sept. 12: Oktoberfest kick-off party at Chester’s Kitchen in Rochester, MN
Sept. 13: Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Breckenridge, CO
Sept. 19: Oktoberfest celebration at Lowry Beer Garden in Denver, CO
Sept. 27: Tapping at House of Brews in Gilbert, AZ

See a full list of events here.

Want to learn more about your favorite Odell beer? E-mail us a Brew Q&A request!

Game Day 90 Shilling Cupcakes

September 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Football season is among us! At Odell Brewing Co., we celebrate one of our favorite sports with one of our favorite beers. This year, we decided to showcase that beer – 90 Shilling – in a cupcake recipe by Raspberry Eggplant. Behold, chocolate-90 Shilling cupcakes with caramel buttercream and crushed pretzels. One bite will have you reminiscing about football season long after the Broncos take the Super Bowl.

Chocolate-90 Shilling Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream and Crushed Pretzels

Recipe courtesy of Raspberry Eggplant

makes 12 regular size or 36 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the chocolate-beer cupcakes

1 cup flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon good quality cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup 90 Shilling
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the caramel buttercream frosting*

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites
2 sticks butter, room temperature

*Recipe calls for homemade caramel in the frosting, but we substituted a high quality caramel sauce.
For assembly

3/4 cup crushed thin pretzels

Caramel sauce

*****

Directions:

Make the cupcakes

1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with papers and set aside.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

3. Add the beer, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and gently whisk to combine.

4. Divide the batter among the lined cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the caramel buttercream

1. Put 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small, heavy pot. Make an X in the center with your finger and pour in the 2 tablespoons water. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, swirling occasionally. Continue boiling and swirling until the syrup is a medium amber color. Remove from heat, then slowly pour in the cream and mix with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula until the caramel is completely smooth. Add the salt, stir, and set aside until the caramel is completely cool. [This is critical – if the caramel is even slightly warm, it will melt the butter in the frosting and you’ll be left with a mess of liquidy frosting.]

2. Put the remaining sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk the mixture until it reaches 140 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry – the mixture will turn thick and white and all the sugar should be dissolved – this should take about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and, with the whip attachment, mix on high speed (8) until the whites are fluffy and cool, 10-12 minutes.

4. Once the mixture is cool, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing well before adding more and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once all the butter has been added, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and slowly drizzle the cooled caramel down the side of the bowl into the frosting until all of it is incorporated.

5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed (2) for 5-7 minutes – this gets rid of air bubbles, thereby making the frosting smoother and more even when you apply it.

Assemble the cupcakes

Use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip to frost the cupcakes. Top each one with crushed pretzels and drizzle with caramel. If you’re serving them more than 4 hours after assembly, leave off the pretzels until just before serving (otherwise they’ll get soggy).

Enjoy!

**Photo credit: Odell Brewing Co.

Brew Poetry

August 27, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

We love to share our beer with friends. And sometimes, those friends thank us by posting photos of the beer on Instagram, accompanied by short poems expressing their gratitude.

Thus, brewer Kevin Bosley shares these 10 photos and poems from his pals in California. Thanks for the love!

There once was a man named Odell // Whose home brewing was really quite swell // Said his friends, “Doug, you tart!” // “You must follow your heart!” // And thus was the birth of #Odell

Valley is hot // Good beer and good friends brings smiles // Emptiness is loneliness

Drinking warm beer makes me queasy // Here at sir Trevor’s speakeasy // Fear not, there’s a fridge // You silly Aunt Midge // So partake beer Easy and breezy

Third beer // What would Kamiski do? // Backlight!

O Doug Odell // The beer you sell // Is loose on the leaf // And pairs with the beef // O hey here’s Mel!

I’ll go for a ride // On an elephant’s hide // This beer makes my day

Beer beer beer beer beer // Beer beer beer beer beer beer beer // Beer beer beer beer beer

I could go on and on about 90 Shilling // But I doubt you’d want me to // Just gonna say that if you are willing // It’s a pretty good brew

Trevor hates hashtags // I love beer // Bosley thank you // Winding river; sky

The honorable, great St. Lupulin // Sowed seeds of hope where’er he’d been// From grain to glass, when he came to pass // In his hoppy grave, he did grin

The noble man must always think // Of all the tasty beer he’ll drink // With every sip, a new friendship // Is forged in sudsy ink

I’m riding an elephant in life’s beer circus // As CO2 bubbles rise to the surface // This ain’t no Dumbo, it makes me say “Yum!” though // Without beer, these hops would be worthless

Beer River flows, wild and free// Through the forest, beyond the tree// The beacon calls, the loose leaf falls// My ale is now with me

Beyond the Brews

August 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Beyond the brews

Odell Brewing Company’s Wellness Committee extends efforts to promote healthy living through hikes, fun runs and on-site activities

Sometimes, there aren’t enough hours in the day to enjoy all of the activities Colorado has to offer. Lucky for us, we work in a place that serves some of the best craft brews in our state, so it is easy to check that off our list. But when we decide to venture outside of the brewery we rely on the Odell Brewing Company Wellness Committee to lead us in the right direction. And yes, that direction typically still involves a beer.

Since its beginning in 2013, the Wellness Committee has been striving to promote positive living through exercise, healthy eating and overall work-life balance. Committee chair Eli Kolodny said that his interest in the program stemmed from his own personal commitment to health. “I’m a firm believer that your mind follows your body, and the other way around,” he said. “Even if your mind is in peak condition, if you’re not exercising your body there is a break in the chain.”

Kolodny, along with brewery co-founder Corkie Odell and tap room associate Katie Guiffre, plans quarterly “active meet-ups” (that is, local hikes or other excursions) and events like CPR/First Aid training and quarterly fresh produce offerings. He sees the different activities as extensions of the brewery’s message. “It’s important that quality extends beyond the beer we put in the bottle,” he said. “It’s a quality of life for our coworkers.”

This summer, the committee is planning a handful of fourteener hikes for employees to participate in. A small group from the brewery completed Mt. Bierstadt in June, and Guiffre is hoping that others will join in for the next summit. “[We are] getting people who are already doing it into it a little more, and then that rolls over and encourages others to do it as well,” she said.

And though the local employees reap the benefits of each meet-up, Odell Brewing Company also reaches out to those employees who live outside of Fort Collins. “Our out-of-state co-workers can submit requests for larger reimbursements [for fresh fruits and vegetables] so they can benefit from the fresh produce that we get,” Kolodny explained. “We aren’t going to ship them an orange, but if they want to go buy fresh fruit, we will pay for it.”

While working for a craft brewery is awesome in itself, the Wellness Committee has enjoyed boosting the level of health, fun and fitness among its employees, and hopes to continue planning events to encourage healthy living. “It’s a way to keep people engaged outside of what they’re doing [at the brewery],” Guiffre said. “It’s just something else to look forward to.”

Beer reigns

Though the Wellness Committee is all about health, Odell Brewing is still all about beer. That’s why we asked Katie Guiffre to pair Odell brews with some of her favorite summer activities.

What would you drink after…

Participating in a yoga retreat?

A: Friek

Stand up paddleboarding?

A: Loose Leaf

Reaching the peak of a fourteener?

A: St. Lupulin

Riding a bicycle?

A: 5 Barrel or Levity

Whitewater rafting?

A: IPA

Guest Brewer: Daniel Imdieke of Old Chicago

August 13, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

More than 30 years ago, Old Chicago opened its first location in Boulder, Colo. with a simple goal in mind: serve handmade pizza and craft beer to each of its guests. Today, they’re focus has broadened to include more locally-brewed beer than ever before.

Enter Daniel Imdieke, Old Chicago’s new manager of beer operations. Imdieke has spearheaded the effort to include Colorado craft breweries in special tappings and events at each of Old Chicago’s two dozen Colorado locations. And as an avid craft beer lover, Imdieke wanted in on the brewing process. “I’ve been working with it a long time, and I’ve gotten to see how many flavors and styles are out there,” he said. “It’s kind of like this endlessly interesting pursuit, where there are so many flavors and variations and styles and variations of styles; it’s a never-ending exploration.”

Thus, the Old Chicago Explorer Series was born, and Odell Brewing Company was invited to brew a beer for one of the first installments. Imdieke teamed up with brewer Tony Rau to create a Gose – a sour and salty wheat beer originating from Goslar, Germany. “We want to be at the forefront of bringing in new, exciting, exclusive, and fun beers,” Imdieke said of the choice to brew a Gose. “That’s why we’re trying to do this Explorer Series – to get people to try new things.”

Imdieke and Rau spent two days on the pilot system to test the Gose before brewing it on the larger system for Old Chicago. Imdieke is looking forward to using his first brewing experience to teach Old Chicago patrons about craft beer. “We’re going to educate the consumer as they come in with what’s in their glass and why are we pouring these specific beers,” he explained. “It’s really just about having fun and having a place that’s known for craft beer.”

Comes & Gose will be available in all Colorado Old Chicago locations from Aug. 25 through Sept. 13.

S’mores Dip + Cutthroat Porter

August 6, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

They’re ooey, gooey, and have become a staple at any campsite: s’mores. That’s great news for summer weekend treks to the mountains, but we’re often left yearning for the dessert sandwiches after a typical weekday meal as well.

That’s why, in celebration of National S’mores Day Aug. 10, we decided to share this s’mores dip recipe from Elaine at Hungry Brownie. Pair it with our Cutthroat Porter and you’ll feel like you’re fireside at the greatest campsite in Colorado.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 large marshmallows; cut in half
Graham crackers for dipping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a small cast iron skillet, put chocolate chips in an even layer.
Arrange the marshmallows on top of the chocolate.
Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, until marshmallows are lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve with graham crackers for dipping.

– Serves 4-6 in a large cast iron skillet

*Recipe and skillet photo courtesy of Hungry Brownie

Pilot Brew: Peel Out Banana Nut Brown

July 31, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

One of the perks of working for a brewery is getting to make beer. To be clear, I have no experience brewing and never thought it would be something that I’d ever have the opportunity to try. I worked as a teacher prior to becoming the marketing and communication coordinator for Odell Brewing Company earlier this summer. So when pilot system manager Brent Cordle sent out a brewing sign-up sheet, I put my name on the list without second thought. “Maybe I’ll brew in a few months,” I thought.

Then, about two weeks later, I was on the calendar. That meant coming up with ingredients. A plan. A name. Things I had no experience with as a teacher. Or had I?

In 2011, I was a part of the Toyota International Teacher Program—a two-week travel study in Costa Rica for teachers interested in sustainability. We spent time researching sustainable agriculture practices and planting trees; learning about global connectedness and the environment. One of the best parts was spending a few days at EARTH University, a non-profit university in Guacimo. While there, we learned about the fair-trade bananas that were harvested and sent to Whole Foods Markets in the U.S. EARTH University bananas are grown on the campus farm using innovative, environmentally-friendly practices and are Rainforest Alliance Certified and grown carbon neutral. It was a great learning experience.

Now for the second part of the equation: I am a huge fan of banana bread. My mom and I have been making it since I was young, and so I thought it fitting to make a banana bread beer with bananas that I knew had been harvested at EARTH University. Luckily, Brent stepped in to choose a style of beer—a nut brown ale that would add medium body to the brew. He chose the grains and decided to use our house yeast, and brew day was scheduled.

Our five-barrel system is pretty unique. As Brent pointed out, not many breweries have a system for creating small batches of beer. We can pump out around 10 kegs in two weeks, allowing us to constantly brew with our co-workers or collaborate with people in the community. Pilot brews are sometimes interesting, often experimental, and always a hit. So much so, in fact, that the tap room typically runs out of pilots in a week or so.

We started the day by adding hot water to the grist (or milled barley), creating our mash. It looked like a giant bowl of cereal and smelled sweet and grainy. That mash was then pumped into the second vessel (called a lauter tun), which created the wort. The wort was boiled for 90 minutes, during which time we added pelletized hops for a bit of bitterness and flavor. It smelled chocolate-y and delicious and made me really excited to try the finished product.

Once the wort was extracted from the spent grains, we had to shovel those out of the lauter tun to prepare for Lugene, a local farmer who feeds them to his happy cows. That was a little tougher than expected, but it felt good knowing that the grains would not be wasted.

We added yeast to our fermentor and, finally, the wort. The “beer” stayed in the fermentor until three days later when we added our last, most special ingredient.

We used 40 pounds of overly-ripe bananas, donated from Whole Foods Market in Fort Collins. Each banana even had the orange EARTH University sticker; a reminder that our beer was making a small difference in the sustainability world. I hauled them back to the brewery and created a banana puree, which could easily be added to the fermentor. Afterward, my husband and Brent helped steady me on a seemingly 100-foot ladder (not even close) so I could add the banana puree to the top of the tank. It was scary, but I wanted to make sure that I could take part in every aspect of the brewing process.

Ten days later, I was finally able to try the finished product. It tasted crisp and refreshing, with subtle hints of cocoa and banana that lingered afterward. I could not have asked for a better outcome. I aptly named the beer Peel Out, created a tap sticker and crossed my fingers when I heard that it would be available in the tap room the following week. Then I smiled.

“Whew,” I thought. “That was fun.”

Tracy Marcello is the marketing and communication coordinator for Odell Brewing Company. Her Peel Out Banana Nut Brown will be available in the tap room beginning Aug. 4.

The Hops Project

July 23, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

When Odell Brewing Company tap room manager Kailey Schumacher asked brewer and agronomist Scott Dorsch to plant some hops around the brewery, he complied. “I would pretty much walk on hot coals if she asked me.”

Summit Plant Laboratories, Inc. of Fort Collins donated the plantlets to OBC, and Dorsch planted them in June. Currently, there are no hop cones on the plants, but Dorsch hopes to see growth soon. “At full maturity they are an incredible and beautiful plant,” he said. “They should fit in nicely with the incredible and beautiful OBC backyard.”

Humulus Lupulus (hops) are the flowering cones of a perennial vining plant and a cousin of cannabis (sorry, you can’t smoke it) that typically thrives in climates similar to the ones that grapes do, according to the Beer Advocate website. “Hops are the age-old seasoning of the beer; the liquid gargoyles who ward off spoilage from wild bacteria and bringers of balance to sweet malts. They also lend a hand in head retention, help to clear beer (acting as a natural filter) and please the palate by imparting their unique characters and flavors.”

In short, hops make beer taste bitter – in a good way.

Though the hops Dorsch planted will add to the OBC landscape, it is unlikely that such a small amount will be of use to the brewery. “I am not sure these plants (in their current locations) will ever produce enough hop cones for OBC brewing use, even with our pilot system,” Dorsch said. “I see their main value as being aesthetic and educational.”

Still, Dorsch has other plans for harvest time. “One possibility would be to hand harvest some cones at the end of their growing season and use those for potpourri in the office areas,” he said, adding, “or perhaps on someone’s home-brew system.”

We’re looking forward to sharing the wealth. In the meantime, tap room visitors can view the budding hops on the trellis at the front of the brewery and in the backyard.

Guest Brewer: Gayle Goschie of Goschie Farms

July 16, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Our five-barrel pilot system has become more than a staple at Odell Brewing Company; it has become a way for us to extend a warm welcome to friends near and far. In turn, the brews they create are shared in our tap room and at other select events; sometimes, the brew becomes more popular than we could ever imagine (does 5 Barrel Pale Ale ring a bell?).

Earlier this summer, we welcomed Gayle Goschie of Goschie Farms and her nephew Dallas to brew an ale for their anniversary celebration in August. And after 110 years of growing hops in the Willamette Valley, they thought it only natural to brew with their own.

Aptly called 110% Goschie Farms Ale, the Goschie Cascade bitter additions and whole leaf Goschie Fuggle in the whirlpool and hopback will create an interesting and session-able brew for this special event.

Gayle and Dallas brewed with Odell Brewing’s Scott Dorsch, who helped them through each step of the process. “[They] had a wonderful experience brewing their Farms Ale with us on the pilot system,” he said. “They were also excited to find out that 100 percent of the whole leaf hops currently used in 5 Barrel originate from Goschie Farms!”

Goschie Farms grows more than 500 acres of organic hops (the majority of which are sold to Deschutes Brewery), as well as 600+ acres of other crops like wheat and wine grapes. The farm, which is located in Oregon, is a front-runner in the effort to “improve the health of Oregon hops and expand the amount of information available to other growers and beer producers,” according to its website.

110% Goschie Farms Ale will be available in the tap room this August and at the farm’s 110-year celebration Aug. 4.

Want to know more about our guest brewers? Send us an e-mail!

Brew Q&A: Fifty Niner

July 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

To celebrate our deep Colorado roots, we’re paying homage to the gold rush of 1859 with the July 11^th release of our latest Cellar Series beer, Fifty Niner. This Brett Golden Ale is bottle conditioned with 100 percent Brettanomyces—in fact, we used a wild strain of the yeast grown in our lab—and finished in a stainless fermentor filled with oak staves. The process created an ale that is creamy and robust, with hints of vanilla, almond, graham cracker and subtle fruitiness.

Quality Control Manager Eli Kolodny, along with Lab Technician Tony Rau and a plethora of other Odell Brewing folks, put a lot of passion into this project. He chatted with us about the process, in hopes of helping beer enthusiasts better understand what makes this brew a rush of gold on the palette.

Q: What was the inspiration behind Fifty Niner?

A: One of the Woodcut Series beers was aged with Brettanomyces and we really loved the way it turned out, so we wanted to replicate that. This one is the first beer that we’ve 100 percent bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces.

Q: How does the Brett yeast affect the beer?

A: It takes a lot longer in the bottle than our normal conditioning yeast, and it produces almost all of the aroma compounds that you get. All the fruity characteristics and all the fruity aroma compounds are yeast derived. So it’s a defining characteristic of the beer. A lot of our other bottle conditioned beer is just [bottle conditioned] to provide bubbles. This is more about the character of the yeast.

Q: What other unique ingredients did you enjoy working with while brewing Fifty Niner? How did they change the brewing process?

A: We used Belgian Candi sugar and light- and medium-toast oak staves. If you’re a chef, and all you’ve been cooking with is vegetables, but then you throw chicken in there, it’s another whole level of complexity you can develop characteristics with. It’s a completely different color palette.

Want to learn more about your favorite Odell beer? E-mail us a Brew Q & A request!

Independence Day Montage

June 30, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

This year we’re celebrating our independence the best way we know how: sitting around a table with our closest friends, eating barbecue and drinking some of our favorite Odell brews. Yep, it’s time for our annual July 4th Beer Dinner.

In traditional fashion, we decided to create a menu with our Summer Montage Variety Pack – three courses prepared or paired with 90 Shilling, IPA, St. Lupulin and Perle White. We hope your taste buds thank you while you sit back and thank your country. Here’s to our independence!

July 4th Summer Montage Beer Dinner

Serves 4

Appetizer: Spicy shrimp and St. Lupulin ceviche

This “delicate” beer (as described by tap room manager Kailey Schumacher) goes well with equally delicate seafood, spicy foods, and heartier grilled meats, making it the perfect pairing for our meal. Use a quarter of the beer in the ceviche and save the rest to pair with the main course!

Entree: IPA barbecue pork ribs

Pairing: The leftover St. Lupulin

These grilled barbecue ribs are bold and spicy – the perfect combination with an IPA. The sweetness of the sauce pairs well with the bitter hops, and adds a punch of flavor when the ribs are slow-cooked through the afternoon.

Dessert: 90 Shilling Orange Cardamom Caramel Sauce

Pairing: Perle White

To continue our theme, we chose the Perle White IPA paired with a bold, sweet caramel dessert. An herbal and fruit-like hop character in the Perle White mingles with the delicate wheat for a clean crisp finish, and the 90 Shilling amber ale creates an irresistibly smooth and delicious caramel sauce – perfect for dipping.

IPA Lemon Bars

June 25, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Here at Odell Brewing, we’ve decided that nothing goes together quite like hops and lemons. That’s why this IPA Lemon Bar recipe is our go-to for a summer treat. The hops cut the sweetness of the bars in that oh-so-perfect, must-go-back-for-seconds kind of way. Thank you to our friend The Beeroness for allowing us to share this recipe with you. We used our classic IPA – American style, with new varieties of highly aromatic American hops to create a distinctive bitterness profile and an incredible hop character. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
6 tbs unsalted butter
pinch salt
Filling:
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
2 tbs corn starch
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup IPA beer
Powdered sugar for dusting
Yield: 10 to 12 cookies
Directions

In a food processor add the flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt. Process until well combined.
Press into the bottom of a greased 8X8 pan (for a 9×13 pan, double the entire recipe).Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to about room temperature, about 15 minutes (this will help the crust and the filling to stay in two distinct layers.)
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and corn starch. Add in the lemon juice and beer, stir until combined. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Bake until the center has set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before refrigerating. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

*Permission to use recipe granted by Jackie Dodd of The Beeroness.

Brew Q&A: Trellis Garden Ale

June 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

On June 21 Odell Brewing Co. will celebrate the first weekend of summer with the release of its newest Cellar Series beer, Trellis Garden Ale. Trellis is brewed with flowers and herbs from our neighbors at The Gardens on Spring Creek, and one dollar from each bottle sold will benefit their efforts.

We sat down with Pilot System Manager Brent Cordle to taste his latest creation and talk about the inspiration behind the brew.

Q: Walk me through the creative process when first imagining Trellis.

A: I think we just wanted to keep it local. We like working with local ingredients, and [The Gardens on Spring Creek] has been really cool to work with. We’ve done a couple of beer dinners with them, and it was kind of cool to reach out to them and see if we could help fund some of their growing. And it was a cool idea to use their ingredients in a beer.

Q: Since your initial meeting with The Gardens, how has Trellis transformed and become the final product we’ll all enjoy?

A: When I envisioned this beer I thought of it being very floral and herbal because we were using actual flowers from The Gardens. Originally, they were thinking it would be a golden ale—very light, fresh and summery, but I just felt like it needed a little bit more hop character to blend in with the flowers and herbs that we were using. I ended up doing a double pale ale—not quite as bitter as an IPA, but still a lot of hops in there—to blend in with and balance those flowers and herbs.

Q: How did you decide on the ingredients?

A: We went over to [The Gardens] closer to harvest to talk about what would be plentiful and available on a larger scale. They harvested a lot of the flowers and herbs for us, and dried the coriander, some cilantro and some rose petals. We also got pineapple mint from them, which is really cool stuff. They gave us everything they could and we took that and used it in the brew.

Q: What do you taste when drinking this beer?

A: I get a lot of herbs. The rose petals and lavender definitely come through. Nothing is overpowering, which is nice because the goal was not to make potpourri in a glass. It’s kind of a crazy beer to use that many flowers and herbs, but I think it’s very nice. Everything’s there.

Q: We’ve collaborated with The Gardens several times in the past. Why does the brewery continue to build that relationship?

A: Working with unique ingredients in a brew is pretty fun. To be able to combine those and make it blend together and taste good—and not like a candle or a bar of soap—was challenging, but it was a lot of fun. The Gardens really appreciates it, so just being able to see the excitement from them was a lot of fun for us.

Want to learn more about your favorite Odell beer? E-mail [email protected] for a Brew Q & A request!

Loose Leaf Banana Bread

May 19, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Technically, beer is bread, which makes it the perfect addition to most any loaf!

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
1 c. butter softened
4 mashed, ripe bananas
4 eggs, beaten
2 ½ c. flour
1 t. salt
2 t. baking soda
¾ c. Loose Leaf

Directions:

Preheat oven to 360° and grease 2 loaf pans
Mix sugar & butter. Add bananas & eggs. Sift flour, salt & baking soda. Blend flour mix with banana mix. Add Loose Leaf. Do not overmix.
Bake bread for 55 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn out immediately.
Enjoy!

*Yield: 2 loaves

A Jaunt in Time

May 16, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Back in 2012, we threw the most recent rendition of our Small Batch Festival here at Odell. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Small Batch, it was more or less a big ole’ party at the brewery. Akin to your typical backyard afternoon social, but with an extended invitation to the whole neighborhood. As brewers, we supply the brew, and with the goal of offering things that we had squirrelled away a few kegs of here and there. One such brew was “Totes McGoats”, a project that I had the good fortune to work on. It was, to my knowledge, the brewery’s first foray into wine hybrid brewing. We used Riesling grapes from the Western Slope of Colorado, and a blend of staves suspended in a tote added to a wheat based beer. This was the genesis of what would later become Amuste, and returns full circle to you today as Jaunt. The only difference is, we didn’t use a tote, but a stainless fermentor with the staves suspended in it. That, and we played a little with the malt, and stave combination. So it’s not exactly the same, but hey, we are craft brewers after all and as such, are never satisfied. Riesling grape adds a distinct light tree fruit note, as well as a delicate aroma of perfumed honeysuckle and touch of acidity to the finish. The oak staves provide a background balance in the form of light vanilla, almond, and Dr. Pepper-esque characters, with a lingering tannin structure. Sadly we’re not able to bring back Small Batch this year. Hopefully, those of you who were able to attend in 2012 (and those who were not), will get a small taste of what Small Batch was.

– A Quality Guy

“01001001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100 00101110. It’s binary code for, ‘If you can read this, you are my kind of nerd.” (Eli Kolodny is the QA/QC manager for Odell Brewing).

They Say Our Footprint Grew Three Sizes That Day

April 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

The craft brewing industry is a popular place to be these days. Breweries are opening left and right all across the country. Some with the aspiration to be a national brand, some are content with the brewpub life. In between exist breweries like Odell, known as Regional Craft Breweries. We don’t have a desire to be in every state, but we can get restless at home and have a tendency to wander. As such, opening a new state to bring our beer to is a very big deal. So big in fact, we decided to commemorate it by digging back into the recipe book. What we reached for first, was Footprint.

Originally released in 2012, this 9.6% ABV ale has an ingredient added from each state in our distribution network, aka footprint. Internally, we had been talking about opening another state for years, specifically Texas. Since we completed our brewhouse expansion, allowing us to subsequently launch distribution into Texas, we decided what better way to welcome a new family member than with a beer. It’s kinda our thing. The recipe remains largely unchanged, but with a kiss of grapefruit from our new Southern cousin. Not to mention prickly pear, green chiles, wheat, oak, and a slew of other constituent complexities. Join our wanderlust, and search it out starting April 19th.

– A Quality Guy

“01001001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100 00101110. It’s binary code for, ‘If you can read this, you are my kind of nerd.” (Eli Kolodny is the QA/QC manager for Odell Brewing).

Loose Leaf – a label is born

April 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

This week we released our first new year round six pack in almost eight years! Loose Leaf American Session Ale is a light and crisp, yet flavorful and hoppy, easy drinking brew. The name comes from the loose whole flower hops that we use in the hop back and the leaf from our brewery logo, but it’s also a nod to the spirit of just hangin’ loose – which this beer is perfect for.

Here’s a little insight into how we came up with this label. As with all of our 12 oz. offerings, we partnered with the ever talented folks at tbd Advertising out of Bend, OR. We began with a meeting of the minds to discuss what this beer is all about…it’s flavor profile, it’s personality, it’s identity. From there, tbd provided us a few ideas sketched out with hints of inspiration.

Once we settled on a direction, the tbd team polished up the sketch and layout for our final approval.

Then the concept was handed over to Mona Caron, the artist who turns the idea into a work of art mirroring the art we crafted inside the bottle!

Odell Brewing will celebrate the release of Loose Leaf American Session Ale on “Session Beer Day,” Monday April 7th. Join us for samples of the brew, live music by Ginger Whale, and dogs & brats by Uncle Jim’s.

Cheers!

Amanda

Lucky Lugene Cupcakes

March 17, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

If you’re looking for a tasty St. Patrick’s Day dessert, you’re in LUCK! Here’s a recipe for Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout cupcakes with Irish Cream frosting!

Lucky Lugene Cupcakes

1 cup Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout
8 oz. butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar (1 brown)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Preparation: Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake papers.

In a small saucepan, combine the Lugene and butter. Stir over medium heat until butter has melted. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Heat oven to 375°.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk. Add to the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture; mix just until smooth and well blended.

Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full.

Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cupcakes out onto racks to cool completely before frosting.

(Makes about 18 cupcakes)

Irish Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
4 Tbsp Irish Cream liqueur
2-4 drops green food coloring (optional)

Frosting:
In a mixing bowl with electric mixer/beater, beat the butter and vanilla until light. Slowly beat in confectioner’s sugar and about half of the Irish cream. Continue beating on medium speed, adding more Irish cream, a teaspoon or two at a time, enough to make the frosting a good consistency.

Beer Baked

February 6, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout is a dessert in a glass, but it’s also an amazing brew to bake with. Check out this delicious recipe from one of our awesome former co-workers, Mel.

Lugene Brownies

Ingredients:

1 C Lugene Milk Stout

5oz (about 1 cup) Chocolate Chips (a mix of milk & dark is my favorite, but you could really use any kind)

3/4 C Unsalted Butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 C Brown Sugar

1 C Flour

1/2 C Cocoa powder

2 Eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Open a bottle of Lugene and measure out one cup. This is perfect because it leaves you with a few oz left to drink while baking! Set the beer aside to flatten a bit. Fill a pot about a quarter of the way full with water and place over medium heat. Cut the butter up into 1/2 tablespoon chunks. In a glass bowl that fits nicely on top of your pot, mix the butter and chocolate chips together until fully melted. Carefully remove the bowl from the top of the pot using oven mits. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat in the sugar. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Temper the eggs into the batter. Mix in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Gently stir in the cup of Lugene. After the beer in fully incorporated, I like to beat the batter with my hand mixer on medium-high to activate the carbonation of the beer for about a minute. This makes for a lighter cake-like appearance, but still has the taste and texture of a brownie. Whisk in the flour. Pour batter into a lightly greased baking pan and bake for around 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean :)

Game Day Montage

January 26, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

We’re getting ready for the Big Game, and the Winter-Spring Montage variety pack has some great pairings for our favorite game day foods!

90 Shilling | Chili (scroll down for recipe): 90 Shilling is a medium bodied amber ale with a roasty malt backbone balanced by a subtle earthy hop character. The beer pairs well with rich sauces or roasted meats, and is the perfect complement to a hearty cup of chili.

IPA | Hot Wings: Our IPA has a complex malt base and an even more complex hop profile. The citrus floral nose gives way to a bright grapefruit hop finish that’s not overly bitter. This hoppy delight not only cuts the heat of the spicy wing sauce, but also balances the rich bleu blue cheese.

Runoff Red IPA | Green Chile, Bacon, and Goat Cheese burgers: Runoff boasts a full and slightly sweet caramel malt backbone and a subtle pine and citrus hop flavor. The crisp hop finish balances the rich goat cheese and subtle chile spice, and the malty sweetness plays nicely with the bacon.

Wolf Picker Experimental Pale Ale | Nachos: Wolf Picker is an American Style Pale Ale with an intense and complex aroma filled with notes of lemon, fresh basil and tropical fruit. This fruity hop character clears the heat, and the crisp finish is both palate cleansing and refreshing.

Five Bean Cutthroat Chili:

1 lb. Ground Beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, diced

1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans

1 can Garbanzo beans

1 can Great Northern beans

1 can Black beans

1 can Pinto beans

¼ cup Chili Powder

1 ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1Tbsp Cumin

1 bottle of Cutthroat Porter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: Start browning the ground beef over medium-high heat and add onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, and garlic. Drain the meat/veggies, and pour into a 5 quart pot. Add tomato and drained cans of beans, and seasonings. Pour the Cutthroat Porter over the meat and beans and stir well (if you like a soupier chili, you can add another ½ beer or ½ cup of water). Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 – 60 min. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Beer and Bacon…for Dessert!

January 21, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Vanilla bean ice cream with Rasher Bacon and 90 Shilling orange cardamom caramel sauce

Rasher Bacon: The Rasher bacon was made with a pork loin roast with additional belly fat added to the cut. This is the closest way to get it in the US as we butcher the pig differently. Typical Rasher bacon has the loin and some of the belly fat cut with it.

I cured it with 64 oz cold water with 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tsp pickling salt. I left it in the brine for 48 hours. I bet a little more time in the brine would have salted it up a little more.

90 Shilling Orange Cardamom Caramel Sauce

One 12oz bottle of 90 Shilling

4 cardamom pods (optional)

Zest of 1/2 orange in large strips (optional)

2 Tbs butter

1 1/2 c brown sugar

1 c heavy cream

Pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

Cook beer and spices over medium heat for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Add butter and sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft ball stage (drop some in cold water and if it forms a ball it’s done) DO NOT stir unless it is about to boil over! Carefully stir in cream and cook for about 5-6 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, add salt and vanilla and remove spices.

Pour over vanilla bean ice cream and serve with a slice of bacon!

Wolf Pickin’ Hops

January 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

It’s no secret we love hops around here. We often work closely with hop farmers in the Pacific NW and Colorado, anxiously awaiting new experimental hop varieties that we can bring home to play with. This weekend we’ll release our latest hop crazy Roots Release creation, Wolf Picker.

Named in honor of the hop growing community and the harvesting equipment many use, Wolf Picker is an American Style Pale Ale brewed with two experimental hop varieties. The malt profile produces a light golden straw hue and a clean crisp finish that allows the hopback and dry hopping additions to shine. Wolf Picker features ADHA (American Dwarf Hop Association) #881 and HBC (Hop Breeding Company) #366, which give it an intensely complex hop character and aroma filled with notes of lemon, fresh basil and tropical fruit.

This spring, we will once again partner with several hop growers to showcase several new yet-to-be-named varieties for the annual Craft Brewers Conference. We’ll have up to nine different experimental hop beers on tap throughout the conference week!

Want to see a Wolf Picker in action? Check out this video from our friends at Colorado State University, and swing by the Tap Room on January 11th & 12th as we celebrate the tapping this latest Roots Release brew.

Hop to Sip – The Story of a Beer from Hunter Thompson on Vimeo.

Wolf Picker will be available on draft and in the Winter-Spring Montage Variety Pack beginning January 13th!

Odell Outreach 2013 Review

December 18, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

As 2103 comes to a close, here’s a little recap of our charitable efforts!

Charity of the Month program: Our charitable committee selects 2 great organizations for our charities of the month. Each organization receives a grant and the opportunity to share more about what they do in our Tap Room. We also select another organization that receives our guests’ generous tips. Here’s a recap of this year’s recipients…

January Tips: ELTC Circles

Hand Up Inc. (Fort Collins)
Ensight Skills Center Inc. (Fort Collins)

February Tips: Urban Peak Colorado Springs

Generation United/United Way (Fort Collins)
Greenhouse Scholars (Boulder)

March Tips: Cattleman’s Land Trust

Legacy Land Trust (Northern Colorado)
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Foundation (Fort Collins)

April Tips: S.T.R.I.D.E. Learning Center

May Tips: Growing Project

Gardens On Spring Creek (Fort Collins)
Rocky Mountain Farmers’ Union Charitable and Education Foundation (Denver)

June Tips: Project Self-Sufficiency

Women’s Wilderness Institute (Boulder)
Hands of the Carpenter (Lakewood)

July Tips: Volunteers of America

Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (Fort Collins)
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (Fort Collins)

August Tips: Juvenile Diabetes

The Lift of Northern Colorado (Fort Collins)
Wray Rehabilitation and Activities Center (Wray)

September Tips: Sustainable Living Association

High Park Restoration Coalition (Fort Collins)
Earthlinks (Denver)

October Tips: Colorado Water Trust

Save the Poudre (Fort Collins)
NFRIA-WSERC (Gunnison)

November Tips: Food Bank for Larimer County (turkey dinners!)

Sproutin Up (Fort Collins)
Feeding Colorado (Denver)

December Tips: Project Self-Sufficiency (holiday gifts)

BASE Camp (Fort Collins)
Family Attachment Center (Colorado Springs)

As you can see, they were diverse and we worked hard to represent all three of our giving parameters, Human Services (specifically at-risk youth and the elderly), Education and Sustainability.

Our tip jar program is highly successful due to the amazing generosity of our guests. We are able to allocate $2,400 on average at the end of each month to the designated charity on the jar.

Volunteer…

Odell Outreach has been a great practice for us in engaging our co-workers and fans in some of the community work that we do outside the brewery. In the spring we take part in and invite our fans to join us for, National Volunteer Month. We have had great success partnering with the United Way and their partner agencies to make sure that our efforts will not be in vain. We had a group go out to a local historical landmark, the old water works for yard work and general “sprucing up.” We had a second group go out to the new facility for the Center for Family Outreach and paint the indoors to make it more inviting. It was a great day and the kids even made us lunch!

We also help engage with Make A Difference Day in the fall. This year we partnered with La Familia (The Family Center) to make their fall harvest celebration a success. We had another group head over to the Northern Colorado Aids Project helping them make their facility more inviting and less clinical.

This year our co-worker Team Build was done in tandem with one of the biggest projects we have taken part in this year, The House That Beer Built. HTBB is a project that we put together with our local Habitat for Humanity chapter and engaged our industry colleagues to join us in helping to rebuild a home for a family that was victim to the High Park Fire. 8 of our local breweries came together to raise the $100,000 that it takes to build a Habitat house and to fill the sweat-equity hours. We were able to get the family into their home this week (before the holidays!!) and celebrate their dedication. We are still about $13,000 shy of our $100,000 goal and are looking forward to an event at the Moot House this coming January to raise the balance. This incredible collaboration speaks to our wonderful, inclusive industry and our collective dedication to our community!

Events…

Throughout the year we donate thousands of gallons of beer and loads of merchandise to help ensure the success of fundraising events for hundreds of non-profits in our distribution area. Fort Collins Read Aloud served our beer after The Dead Celeb race right before Halloween, Trees Water People served our beer at their annual Stove Party, and we were the featured beer for Turning Point’s Zombie Crawl again this year just to name a few. We look forward to being the beer sponsor for the Book Trust’s Books On Tape event in the Agave Room on January 23^rd, 2014.

We also host events here at the brewery for local non-profits. Some are fundraisers, some are staff and volunteer appreciation nights and some are educational, like our monthly NCRES meetings, the 3^rd Tuesday of each month. We just held a fundraiser for Save the Poudre and the FoCo Café was here last week to generate and celebrate donations to their cause on Colorado Gives Day. We celebrated Winter Bike to Work day with free pints for riders, a raffle for the Bike Library and live music.

New in 2013…

This year we tried a couple new programs that generated great results! The first was a collaborative effort created by one of our hop providers in the Willamette Valley. They provided us product, hops and malt, and we turned into a delicious brew and donated the profits (to the tune of $5,000!) to Ales for ALS!

We were also approached by a research associate from CSU who works with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program on campus. He presented to us a beautiful little butterfly named the “Hops Blue” or “Celastrina,” that happens to make its habitat on wild hops that grow in riparian areas unique to Colorado. We crafted a delicious Saison to compliment this fun story and committed $1 from each bottle sold. We were able to raise $12,000 for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and celebrated with them 2 weeks ago on Giving Tuesday!

Happy holidays to all, cheers to 2014 and all that we can accomplish together!

– Karla

PS: If you are interested in learning more about Odell Outreach or would like to volunteer with us, please visit our philanthropy page or join our Facebook group.

Karla is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from CSU 10 years ago and made Fort Collins her home. She has been given the extraordinary opportunity to work at making it a better place through her employment as Community Outreach Coordinator at Odell Brewing Company.

Same great beer; new name!

December 13, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Red Ale becomes Runoff Red IPA

This January, our beloved seasonal hoppy red ale will return with an updated name and label. The recipe will stay the same, but we wanted to give the beer its own unique identity and story, similar to our other seasonal offerings…thus, Runoff was born. The name is a nod to the late winter and early spring snow in Colorado which becomes the springtime runoff that’s so important to our local ecology and our beer making. The label art also depicts this shoulder season and the transition from winter to spring with a snowy peak and plain melting into to a crisp Colorado stream and a beautiful aplenglow color that mirrors the color of the beer. We also updated the style of the beer to more accurately describe its hoppy character. Brewed with hearty malts and dry-hopped with copious amounts of American hops, Runoff Red IPA has a complex malt backbone with a floral fruity nose and a kick of grapefruit and pine hop flavor. It’s almost as surprising as the season itself!

Thanksgiving Montage

November 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

This season, you can find a beer-ful Thanksgiving inside one box! The Fall-Winter Montage offers up the quintessential variety for your holiday cooking and pairing needs!

Cook!

90 Shilling-Brined Roasted Turkey

1 8-12 lb. turkey
1 ½ tablespoons black peppercorns
8 cups of water
6 bay leaves
1 ½ cups Kosher or sea salt
2 onions (quartered or wedged)
½ cup allspice berries
1 cup brown sugar
3 bottles of 90 Shilling
2 cups of ice
1 ½ cups chicken broth

In a large pot, add the water, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, and one onion. Bring to just barely boiling and remove from heat. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then cool completely.

Add the ice and 90 Shilling and stir. Make sure the liquid is cooled to room temperatures so as not to cook the turkey.

Add the turkey to the brine (breast side down), and cover to keep it submerged. Refrigerate overnight (16-24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 350° and place oven rack on the bottom shelf. Lift the turkey out of the brine and pick off any remaining peppercorns, allspice berries and bay leaves and pat dry.

Transfer the turkey to a large roasting pan (breast side up). Scatter the remaining onion pieces in the pan and add the broth (you can stuff the bird how you like…onions, lemons, celery, etc.).

Roast the turkey for about 3 hours or until the meat thermometer reads 165°. Transfer the turkey to a platter/board and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

IPA Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. potatos (Russet or Yukon Gold) peeled and cubed (1″ pieces)
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bottle (12oz.) of Odell IPA (room temp)
1/3 cup of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter

Put potatoes in a pot of cold water with 1/2 bottle of IPA and add salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.

Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden. Add cream, butter and remaining IPA and cook until warm.

Mash in potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pair!

Savory – Slightly hoppier than the classic Saison, Wellspring Dry-Hopped Saison is crisp with notes of lemon pepper, subtle banana and clove with an earthy and slightly spicy hop finish. This Roots Relese brew pairs well with savory holiday dishes like roasted turkey and herbed stuffing.

Sweet – Isolation Ale is a sweet caramel malty ale that is balanced by a subtle crisp hop finish. The cake-like & caramel malt flavour compliment traditional fall desserts like spice cake or pumpkin pie.

Click here to find the Fall-Winter Montage, and have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Constructing Community

August 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

In January, Corkie Odell and I met with the lovely executive director of Northern Colorado’s Habitat for Humanity, Kristin Candella, to see how Odell Brewing could partner with them in 2013. It quickly became apparent to Corkie and I just how wonderful the impact a Habitat build is to our greater Fort Collins neighborhood. With a limited budget and resources, we puzzled over how we could make the most powerful impact in our community through a Habitat project. And then it struck us- the craft beer industry offers a unique opportunity of inclusion. Inclusion of our industry peers, inclusion of our fans (which we all happen to share), and inclusion of the amazing, supportive communities that have given us our success. It only made sense that we reach out to our skillful assemblage of dedicated, passionate brewers here in Fort Collins and get the other breweries on board to help us craft a home and hope for a deserving Northern Colorado family.

Kristin and her cohorts at Habitat seemed thrilled by the idea (I hope that’s still true ;) and with precision, helped us create a project plan, gather our peers and get everyone on board. Collectively we decided to use the platform of Community Funded crowd funding to draw on craft beer believers everywhere to help us fund the project and get the “bricks and sticks” planned and paid for.

My clever co-worker, Amanda, named the project the “House That Beer Built,” and it gained a face when our creative, Reagan, designed its logo. Then we were bestowed our family. After the horrors of last summer’s fires and the amazing support of the breweries in fire recovery efforts, we were fortunate to receive a family who lost their home in Rist Canyon to the High Park Fire. Candace Andrasik is a single mom of 3 lovely kiddos and a huge part of her canyon community. She is the pre-school administrator for Stove Prairie School, and Habitat received piles of endorsement letters from the people whose lives she has touched. We were all thrilled to be honored with the task of ensuring that the Andrasiks not only were able to rebuild their house, but that they are able to move into a home, built on the property that they know and love, built with the passion and collaborative spirit of the craft brewing industry and all of our incredible fans!

Each brewery that joined this extraordinary project, Black Bottle Brewery, Coopersmith’s, C.B. & Potts, Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins Brewery, New Belgium Brewing, Pateros Creek Brewing and, Odell Brewing, made commitments to serve a specialty brew in our tap rooms and proceeds would support the build. Everyone went above and beyond to provide rewards on Community Funded and Equinox even hosted a dunk tank during New West Fest! Visitors were able to purchase balls to dunk brewery co-workers from all 8 breweries (into freezing cold “Dunkel” of course!) and they raised almost $800 (and had a blast!)! Way back in June after brewers from all of our wonderful Fort Collins breweries had come together to brew collaborative beers in a project called “Collusion,” Black Bottle Brewery donated all Collusion sales to the House That Beer Built to the tune of more than $3,500.00! We have seen unbelievable support from other folks related to our industry as well; GoWest T-shirt Company has donated all of the House That Beer Built shirts that we are selling in our tap rooms and giving as a reward for a $30 donation on the Community Funded site. Lightening Labels donated stickers of the project logo and we found ourselves in full swing launching the CF page on July 1^st.

Today, August 21, 2013, we have reached almost $68,000 of our $100,000 goal to get this house built! We are entering the home stretch, in fact, Habitat has tapped the dollars that we have put in, scraped, begged for and raised and started construction! The Andrasiks’ foundation is poured and Monday, representatives from all of the breweries will be onsite for the wall raising. We are moving forward; but we still need your help! In addition to the $10,000 donation we sent over to the project a few weeks ago, we would like to inspire, beseech and wrangle a donation from each of our fans in the form of $5, $10, $20, whatever you can spare. Please check out the Community Funded page and get some delicious craft beer, some locally roasted Mugs coffee beans, Mouco Cheese, or more and we’ll match your donation up to $5,000.00! We are certain that we can hit that $100,000.00 mark in the next 12 days, but we need your help! We need the help of your friends, and your grandma, and your kid’s teacher and tax specialist. Tell everybody, and make sure that you tell them the more people they tell, the less help it will take from them!

It’s also “go time!” Please help us do the dirty work! If you would like to dedicate some time to helping your local craft brewers and the Andrasiks actually build this house, please visit Habitat’s volunteer page!

Cheers,

Karla

Karla is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from CSU 10 years ago and made Fort Collins her home. She has been given the extraordinary opportunity to work at making it a better place through her employment as Community Outreach Coordinator at Odell Brewing Company.

Hot Diggity Dog!

July 23, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Summertime cook-outs just wouldn’t be complete without hot dogs. Here’s a few of our favorite beer and dog combos!

All American Dog and 90 Shilling – two classics combine for a taste that will take you back the to the ball game.

Chicago Style Dog and St. Lupulin – The crisp and slightly citrus hop character pairs well with the tart pickles and helps cut the heat of the peppers.

Chili Cheese Dog and Cutthroat Porter – Cutthroat Porter has a roasty rich character that complements the hearty savory chili flavors.

New York Style and 5 Barrel Pale Ale – The balanced hop character of this English style pale ale blends well with sour kraut and sweet onions.

The House That Beer Built

July 2, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

This summer, eight local craft breweries — Black Bottle Brewery, C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery, Coopersmith’s Pub & Brewing, Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins Brewery, Odell Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, and Pateros Creek Brewing have come together to sponsor and build a Habitat for Humanity home in Fort Collins, the House That Beer Built (HTBB). They have come together to celebrate their collaborative brewing environment and shared community commitment and need your help in raising money to raise the walls on a new home!

Our goal is to raise $100,000 to build a home for the Andrasik Family, the HTBB Partner Family, who lost their home last summer in the High Park Fire.We will be rebuilding on the same land in Rist Canyon, helping to rebuild the future of this family. The Andrasik Family is excited for this opportunity and to meet you, their neighbors, as you rebuild beside them.The Andrasik Family is not given their new home.

Every Habitat partner family pays back a zero-interest mortgage and puts in 300-500 hours of sweat equity on their home before moving in. Habitat sets your neighbors up for successful futures by providing affordable housing to hard-working, local families and individuals. We encourage you to craft a home and hope alongside your favorite breweries!

The breweries will break ground on their House That Beer Built home in August 2013, in partnership with a local family and finish so the family will be home for the holidays. Every dollar given through the Community Funded initiative will be used for “bricks and sticks” for the construction of the home. Each brewery will contribute sales from designated House That Beer Built kegs starting in August and have offered individualized brewery-based rewards to help fund this home.

Ales for ALS

June 26, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

We here at Odell Brewing recently brewed a double IPA named Ale for ALS to suport research for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis disease or ALS. This disease is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease named after the great New York Yankees 1st baseman, Lou Gehrig. Lou played for the Yankees in the late 1920’s and 1930’s.

Lou died from this disease in 1941 after a 3 year fight. In 1939, after playing in over 2,000 consecutive games, Lou voluntarily took himself out of the lineup because of his increasing disability. He never played in another game.

Here is where I have a personal story to tell. My grandfather, Arthur Fletcher, was 3rd base coach for the Yankees from 1927 to 1945. My mother, Betty Fletcher Odell told me a story years ago that her Father, Arthur, relayed to her in 1938 when she was 18 years old. He said ” I am worried about Lou. He is not himself”

There was nothing to be done then to help Lou Gehrig and not much to be done now to combat this disease. We at Odell Brewing are pleased to do what we can to fund research designed to conquer this debilitating disease. When you enjoy our Ale for ALS, you are helping too.

– Douglas Fletcher Odell

Please Excuse our Mess!

May 20, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

We’re growing, and that’s a good thing! Please excuse our construction mess as we work on our new cellar, brewhouse, and additional tap room space. Keep up with our progress on Pinterest!

Peachy Keen!

April 5, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

The Western Slope of Colorado is the source of many a bountiful harvest. The unique geography and soil provide for the perfect fruit growing seasons. If you’re from Colorado you know the year isn’t complete until you have a Palisade Peach. Palisade is a tiny town in the heart of the Western Slope’s agricultural scene. They love peaches. We love hops. When they come together it’s a beautiful thing. Tree Shaker is our attempt to bring a little of that Colorado love to our loyal fans. We dropped some Rakau hops that were chosen from New Zealand into the whirlpool, which naturally lend a peach character to the beer. With Amarillo and Crystal hops bringing a touch of citrus to the nose, this beer introduces a bit of peach jam from a 6,000 pound peach addition that is quickly cleared by an assertive bitterness that one would expect from an Imperial IPA. The perfect companion for a warm Colorado spring day.

Odell Brewing will celebrate the release of Tree Shaker this Saturday, April 6th with a party in the Tap Room. Guests can try the brew and enjoy live music by Hectic Hobo as well as tasty eats from Common Link.

– A Quality Guy

“01001001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100 00101110. It’s binary code for, ‘If you can read this, you are my kind of nerd.” (Eli Kolodny is the QA/QC manager for Odell Brewing).

The Ladies of Colorado Craft Beer

March 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

The first all-female-brewed collaboration beer in Colorado, brewed for Colorado Craft Beer Week, will be tapped at The Mayor of Old Town Saturday March 23rd (TIME TBD) .

Ellegance is a delicious Belgian-style brown ale brewed with Simpson’s Golden Promise malt and specialty malts and a blend of hops including Nelson Sauvin, Motueka and Centennial. All fermented with a Belgian yeast. Elegant and highly quaffable, the 5% ABV beer features a creamy beige head, a glorious tea/garnet color, aromas of fruit and hops, flavors of toast and light caramel, hints of spice and a refreshing, lingering hop bite on its finale.

The project was headed up by Wynkoop’s Bess Dougherty, along with Natalie Lesko of Funkwerks, Sydney Skilken of Denver’s TRVE Brewing, Linsey Cornish of Odell Brewing, Reva Golden from Twisted Pine, Ashleigh Carter of Prost Brewing and Melissa Antone and Sara Ferber from Avery Brewing. The Denver branch of Brewers Supply Group donated the base malt for this one-time-only, super-limited-release beer.

What’s Our Secret Ingredient?

February 28, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Around here, play isn’t a distraction from brewing—it’s an important part of everything we do because it inspires collaboration and creativity. It’s what we put into all our beer. And what we hope you get out of it. What’s your secret ingredient? Show us on Facebook.

Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout Cake

February 26, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

It’s good to have friends…especially friends who bake. Our friend Michael recently shared this amazing cake with our crew. Here’s the recipe…enjoy!

Cake Ingredients

4 ounces Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate, chopped**
2 1/4 cups organic all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) butter (bring it to room temperature ahead of time)
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs, separated
12-oz. bottle Odell Brewing Company’s “ Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout” (plus one extra bottle)
2/3 cup freshly brewed strong coffee

PREHEAT OVEN to 350F and adjust racks so there’s room directly in the middle rack for 2 cake pans.

PREPARE two 9” cake pans by coating bottom and sides with melted butter (or spray oil if you prefer), then coating bottom and side with flour. Cut an 8.5” round of parchment paper and place in the bottom. If it won’t stay flat, spray the bottom of the pan again before putting the parchment in to help hold it flat.

MELT 3 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, either over a double boiler or very carefully in a microwave. I do it in the microwave at 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between each nuking. Don’t microwave it until it’s completely smooth, you’ll want a few chunks left that will melt with some stirring.

WHISK together in a small bowl 2 ¼ C flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Set aside.

CREAM 14 tablespoons of butter and 1 ¼ C of sugar. While the butter and sugar are creaming, separate 3 large eggs (or 4 small eggs) setting the egg whites off to the side for now. Cream the butter and sugar until it is very light in color. Scrape bowl often during mixing (after you’ve turned the mixer off, of course).

OPEN both bottles of Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout. Pour one into a pint glass and enjoy for yourself. Set the other bottle aside.

BREW a small cup of really strong coffee. I used the left over coffee from the morning and boiled it down to about a cup. Don’t use left over coffee from three days ago. That’s just disgusting. If you prefer, make espresso and water it down a touch. Make a little bit extra if you really like coffee. It’ll come in handy later when putting the cakes together.

ADD egg yolks, one at a time, to well-creamed butter & sugar. Mix until well combined, scraping once or twice during addition to make sure it all mixes well.

POUR in 1 12-oz. bottle of Lugene VERY SLOWLY while mixer is going on low-speed. If you pour it in too fast, the egg/butter/sugar mixture will start to separate. Not to mention it’ll splash Lugene all over the place. Which is bad. SCRAPE sides of mixing bowl down. VERY SLOWLY pour in ⅔ C of coffee, scraping bowl. See note about pouring in the Lugene.

ADD dry ingredients in 3 batches to butter/sugar/beer/coffee/goodness mixture, scraping bowl as needed.

CLEAN out the mixing bowl by transferring the butter/sugar/beer/coffee/goodness mixture to another bowl (or if you’re using a hand mixer, just clean the mixer and move on to a different mixing bowl). Using the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs whites until white (about 1 minute or so, depending on how fast you’re mixing) and slowly sprinkle in the remaining 3 TBS. of sugar. Continue whisking until the egg whites are stiff. They should hold peaks.

FOLD in ⅓ of egg whites into butter/sugar/beer/coffee/goodness mixture gently folding from the bottom and scraping sides of bowl. Be gentle, as the egg whites are what give the cake it’s light and airy nature. Add remaining ⅔ egg whites in two batches, gently folding until combined.

POUR batter into the two prepared cake pans, place in oven and check after 25-30 minutes. To check if they’re done, the tops should be firm (no jiggling when you open the oven door) and a toothpick/small knife/chainsaw should come out clean after inserted in the middle.

COOL the cakes – in the pans – on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Separate the cakes from the sides of the pans with a butter knife and then invert onto a plate, re-inverting back onto the wire rack to cool for another 1.5 hours. After cooled, either wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temp and keep for up to 1 day. Or prepare (see below).

Frosting Ingredients

1 pound Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (minimum 60% cacao), chips or chopped**
2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2-3 tablespoons of sugar (optional)

NOTE: Don’t start to prepare the frosting until you are ready to prepare the cakes. The frosting will harden if left sitting for too long (like an hour or two) but can be reheated to melt it back down.

CHOP chocolate and place in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

POUR 2 C whipping cream into pot and mix in 1 tsp (or more, to your liking) espresso powder and place over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. DO NOT let the cream boil. You just want to get it simmering because once it boils, it will boil over and make a really big mess. Then you have to start over with a new pint of cream. Which isn’t cheap.

POUR simmered cream mixture over chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two.

STIR the chocolate mixture until smooth.

ADD the sugar if you care to. The frosting is pretty chocolate-y. If you want to sweeten the bitter chocolate taste a bit, sprinkle the sugar in while mixing, making sure it all dissolves completely.

PLACE the frosting in the refrigerator for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring often (every 15 minutes or so). Or, to speed things up, throw it in the freezer for about 35 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes.

**If you can get really good chocolate, do it. It will only make things better, but if not, Ghirardelli is readily available and actually a pretty decent cooking/baking chocolate.

PREPARING THE CAKES FOR EATING

Once the frosting is ready and the cakes are cooled, trim the cakes (if necessary) to make the tops flat.

PLACE one cake layer on a cake dish or cardboard round (Wholefoods will sell you a cake round and cake box for $2.00, other bakeries might do the same).

***OPTIONAL: Drizzle some of the remaining coffee from above on each of the cake rounds. This helps keep them moist and also adds more coffee flavor. If you’re really crazy, drizzle 4-6 oz. of Lugene over each cake round.

SPREAD enough frosting to coat the top of this layer, spreading with an off-set spatula (8” or comparable) to smooth.

PLACE second cake round on top of first layer. Pour enough frosting to just barely coat the top and sides, spreading thin to just barely coat it. This is called the “crumb coat”. Throw the cake (on the cardboard stand) into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

PULL cake from freezer and finish frosting the cake. The reason for doing the crumb coat is so that when you frost the outside, the crumb is kind of frozen in the “crumb coat” and doesn’t mess up the final frosting, so you get a nice, clean, smooth frosting.

I find holding the cake in one hand (I’m right-handed, so I hold it in my left) and frost while gently rotating to the cake is the easiest way. If you have a rotating cake stand, then that is way cooler than holding it.

Let the cake sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When cutting, use a hot knife and clean the blade in between each slice to make sure each slice is clean looking. You just spent probably 3-4 hours (and $30+) on this cake. Make that thing look like the gem that it is.

If you want to go all out, make up some raspberry coulis and drizzle that on the plate before serving. People love that kind of thing. Well, I do, anyway.

PAIRING

Obviously, open those other two Lugene Chocolate Milk Stouts you have in the fridge. Or a nice Bordeaux. Or Chateauneuf de Pâpe. Or coffee. Raspberries go really well with this, too. As would a Frambozen or similar.

QUESTIONS

Hit me up onTwitter @weepapa.

Finally, Amuste is born!

February 8, 2013/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

After spending so much time working on the beer, it’s a bit overwhelming to hold this bottle in my hand. Hear me out on this, but I imagine it’s a bit like seeing your first child born. You know the baby is coming, you go to all these doctor visits, breathing classes, read up on countless books, take advice from friends and family. You start to feel like you have some sort of innate knowledge of what to expect. Then when it actually happens, your mind gets turned to mush and your heart melts. Everything you thought you know gets blown out of the water. You fail to care if you’re living a cliche, because your life is forever changed by the beauty and simplicity of it all.

There is a little bit of ourselves in every beer we make. We are a family here, and it isn’t much of a stretch to say that we think of the beers we make as our children. It is my sincere hope that you, constant blog reader, enjoy in whatever way works for you this latest addition to our ever growing family. Chocolate and roast greet you on the nose, with hints of juicy grape, cherry, and plums. The body is down right curvaceous, and slips into the tannic nature of the barrels as the dry wine finish lingers just long enough to keep you thirsty. Letting the beer warm rewards you with more of the nougat and almond nature of the barrels. Amuste will pair well with strong peppered meat, and nutty cheeses. Experiment with pairings as a red wine substitute. Amuste is 9.3% ABV and will be available within our 10 state distribution network. For those around Fort Collins, a release party is on for tomorrow in the Tap Room from 4-6pm.

– A Quality Guy

“01001001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100 00101110. It’s binary code for, ‘If you can read this, you are my kind of nerd.” (Eli Kolodny is the QA/QC manager for Odell Brewing).

The Farmer and Odell

December 7, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

If you’ve been to the brewery, chances are you’ve seen the old beat-up Chevy that hauls away our spent grain. That truck belongs to our friend and farmer, Lugene. Ever wonder what happens to that spent grain once it leaves? Well our co-worker, Emily followed Lugene one day after he picked up a load…

SPENT GRAINS = LOCAL MILK

Ever wonder what we do with all those grains and hops after it is used to make delicious beer? We load it into a truck and pass it on….

Ever since 1994, Lugene Sas, owner of Taft Hill Dairy, has been feeding his “girls” our leftovers.

Lugene comes to the brewery twice a day and hauls away our spent grains and hops to his small local dairy just a few miles north of the brewery.

Once back at the farm, the grain and hop mixture is dumped from the truck into a pit, picked up with a tractor and then a measured amount is dumped into a large feed truck.

There, the grains and hops are mixed with organic alfalfa hay, organic grass hay and silage to form a complete feed.

Holy happy cows! A mix of Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein and Brown Swiss, these momma cows are hungry and happy to have their feed.

As I shot photos, Lugene walked along greeting them gently and telling me their names (yes, the ladies all have names, not just numbers).

After feeding the matrons, we took some warm milk to the younger cows and watched them enjoy.

As it dripped from their happy faces, I couldn’t help but get milk-thirsty.

And if you are a milk drinker and you’ve never had raw milk, you’ve got to get your hands on a mason jar of this rare delicious nectar.

Taft Hill Dairy produces only raw milk so patrons of the dairy must participate in a milk-share program in order to enjoy. In a milk-share program, consumers purchase a share of a cow, thus establishing partial ownership of the animal and the right to drink its milk. (Google “raw milk Colorado” if this sounds confusing).

Spending a few hours at Taft Hill Dairy gave me an even greater appreciation for the impact our business has on the lives around us.

While repurposing our grains may not save the world, it matters. Every decision we make at OBC is with a conscience, a purpose and a desire to better ourselves, our environment and our community.

Lugene could not be more grateful and gracious about his role in our circle of beer. He LOVES our beer – 90 Shilling is his go-to favorite, but he also gets pretty excited about our seasonal and pilot brews. And he can usually be seen sporting an Odell shirt or hat, or both. Even though Lugene does not work at the brewery, he is definitely a part of the OBC family.

Cheers,

Emily

Emily has been with Odell Brewing Company since 2009 and loves serving beer, tasting beer, talking about beer and occasionally even brewing beer. She also enjoys expensive cheeses, laughing until she cries, and capturing the beauty of this life through the lens of her camera.

Friek Brine Smoked Turkey

November 19, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

1 Turkey

1 750 mL Friek from Odell Brewing

4 Tablespoons of Sea Salt or Kosher Salt

2 Tablespoons mixed peppercorns

1 Tablespoon allspice berries

6 Bay leaves

4 Cups cold water

BBQ

15 lbs of Charcoal, with 5 pounds reserve, if necessary

5 lbs of Apple Wood Chunks

Several Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

Rinse the turkey off and towel dry. In a large saucepan over a medium-high heat the Friek Ale to a simmer. In a mortar and pestle bruise the peppercorns and allspice and add to simmering ale. Add the salt and stir to dissolve, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves and simmer some more. Shut off heat and continue to stir, adding the water to cool slightly. Arrange the turkey in a large plastic bag and store in a glass, (non-reactive), bowl or pan and pour the cooled brine over the meat. Turn the meat once to completely coat with brine, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours or more. Turn the meat over once after 6 hours in the brine.

I use a large converted oil drum BBQ with a chimney vent. For a kettle BBQ you should use a smaller turkey. Make a pile of charcoal on the left side of the BBQ, nearest the bottom vent and arrange the grill racks on the opposite side. Insert the metal probe for the digital thermometer so that it is suspended over the area where the meat will be smoking. Place a large heavy-duty aluminum hotel pan filled with water directly under the grill racks. Light the coals and get them plenty hot. Meantime, put the wood chunks on to soak, along with the rosemary sprigs.

When the coals are good and white spread them out flat, rearranging any black coals on top of the white ones. Add about 1/2 of the wood chunks to the coals being careful not to put the fire out! Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the wood chunks. Blow on the coals to get the smoke going, close the lid and open up the flue and chimney vent. When the temperature inside of the BBQ reaches 200 degrees F, open the top and arrange the turkey pieces on the grill rack. Close the top and start the smoking process. Do not open the top unless absolutely necessary for at least 45 minutes. Add more fresh coals and the other half of the wood after 45 minutes of smoking.

Turn the turkey pieces over to get smoked on both sides. You should only have to smoke the turkey about 45 to 55 minutes more. Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. About 155 to 160 degrees F for the breasts, and 145 to 150 degrees F for all the other pieces should do the trick. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and tent with heavy duty foil for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with a homemade cranberry sauce.

The Tap Room team goes to Breckenridge

November 9, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

A couple of weeks ago, our fearless Tap Room team celebrated their efforts with a mountain retreat. While there, they had one Ah-Mazing Beer Dinner. Here are some of the tasty dishes that came from this creative bunch:

Meddler appetizers

Meddler Mussels

Carmelize shallots and smoked ham (could use penetta bacon)-5 minutes
Add garlic, fresh thyme-4 minutes
Add meddler, mussels
Stem 3 to 5 minutes until mussels open, discard closed ones
Pull out mussels after they open up, cover to keep warm
Add butter and fresh parsely
Simmer and reduce for 3 minutes, use as broth and ladel over mussels
Serve with sweet bread

Cheese pairings-smelling and tasting Meddler with each style

La Tur which is an Italian mixed milk cheese (cow, sheep and goat).
Piave. Italian, aged, cows milk.
Manchego, Spanish, aged, sheeps milk.
Seaside smoked cheddar, cows milk.
Bleu D’Avergne French, cow blue on a slice of fresh fig.

IPA soup and salad

IPA carrot, curry cheddar soup

Mild cheddar 1 lbs (more to taste or to thicken)
Extra Sharp cheddar 2 lbs
1 large red pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons yellow curry
Salt and pepper to taste
3 large carrots
½ gallon heavy cream
1 large onion
4 bulbs garlic
1 shallot

IPA and mango vinegrette with butter lettuce and bitter greens

Salad
1. Green and Red butter lettuce; purchase pre washed next time
2. Rainbow chard
3. Carrots
4. We added toasted pine nuts; do not over toast or a little to strong
Vinegrette
1. Extra virgin olive oil
2. White wine vinegar
3. Odell IPA
4. Shallot
5. Garlic
6. Salt and pepper
7. Roasted fresh mango

Cutthroat Porter main course

New York Strip with porter mushroom sauce served over sticky, coconut rice

1. NY strip, 2

2. Cutthroat porter, 2 12oz bottles

3. Leaks diced, 1

4. Garlic diced, 2 cloves

5. Fresh ginger diced, 1 TB spoon

6. Chanterelle and shitake mushrooms sliced, 3 of each

7. White rice, 1 cup

8. Brown sugar, 2 TB spoon

9. Coconut water, 1/3 cup

10. Olive oil

11. Butter

12. Flour

13. Salt, to taste

14. Pepper, to taste

15. White pepper corn, to taste

Serves two.

Season steaks and sear in a large saute pan then set aside. In the same pan add olive oil and saute leaks, garlic, and ginger. Add Cutthroat porter reduce in half and simmer,add brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste stirring regularly. Saute mushrooms until soft and add to sauce . If the sauce is not your desired thickness make a roux with butter and flour adding slowly. Add rice to boiling water and a third cup of coconut water cook until tender. Grill steaks to desired temp. Plate rice, steak and lightly cover with sauce.

90 Shilling Dessert

Vanilla bean ice cream with rasher bacon and caramel

Rasher Bacon.
1. The Rasher bacon was made with a pork loin roast with additional belly fat added to the cut. This is the closest way to get it in the US as we butcher the pig differently. Typical Rasher bacon has the loin and some of the belly fat cut with it.
2. I cured it with 64 oz cold water with 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tspn pickling salt. I left it in the brine for 48 hours. I bet a little more time in the brine would have salted it up a little more.
3. 90 Shilling Orange Cardamom Caramel Sauce
  1. One 12oz bottle of 90
  2. 4 cardamom pods (optional)
  3. zest of 1/2 orange in large strips (optional)
  4. 2 Tbs butter
  5. 1 1/2 c brown sugar
  6. 1 c heavy cream
  7. pinch salt
  8. 1 tsp vanilla
  9. Cook beer and spices over medium heat for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Add butter and sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft ball stage (drop some in cold water and if it forms a ball it’s done) DO NOT stir unless it is about to boil over! Carefully stir in cream and cook for about 5-6 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, add salt and vanilla and remove spices.

Warm fuzzies in the Cold Wind

October 26, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

It feels like summer slipped away from a lot of us in the plume of smoke from the High Park Fire, and we are reminded of the damage when we make our way into the canyons that were ravaged by one of the hottest fires ever to hit Northern Colorado. It was amazing to watch the community come together through fundraisers and land reparation efforts. We were so privileged to be a part of some like our progressive dinner Ashes to Ales , where Jax Fishhouse, Chef Happy, Wholefoods and almost 30 other supporters helped us to raise almost $3,500 for the NoCo Rebuilding Network.

We saved our July tip jar for the volunteer fire departments in both the Rist and Poudre canyons, raising over $2,500. Before the weather turned this fall, half of our fabulous co-workers made it deep into the Poudre Canyon to dig holes that would become the home for 550 Ponderosa Pines and local shrubs! Just over 30 of us donned augers, shovels and fencing and prepped the Narrows campgrounds for National Forest Day in mid-September. Poudre Wilderness Volunteers provided our skilled guides, they were ready with tools and hard-hats and helped to keep us on-task! Our second half was rained out at the end of September, and sadly for our third attempt as well. We may have to look at Spring to get the rest of our crew outside, but no shortage of things to do!

Just because the weather has shifted, don’t be fooled into thinking you have to hunker down inside! Join Odell Outreach for the United Way’s “Make a Difference Day” and help us to turn a volleyball court into a garden to grow healthy food for underprivileged community members (The Growing Project) and winterize the Alzheimer’s Association office grounds. Please visit our Odell Outreach Group page for details and to get signed up. These events will be complete with after-good-deed celebrations and some take-home goodies for our fabulous volunteers!

And don’t forget to visit our tap room! Every taster tray that you purchase is a gift for our distribution area in the form of beer for events, gifts for auction items, cash donations (Charities of the Month and Small Grants), etc.
Charities of the Month:
September:
• Foundation on Aging (Larimer County)
• Valley to Valley Senior care Center (Salida)
October:
• Athletes in Tandem (Fort Collins)
• Visually Impaired and Blind Skiers (Colorado Springs)
November:
• The Chill Foundation (Denver)
• Higher Ground Youth Challenge (Denver)
December:
• Feeding Our Community Ourselves (FoCo Café, Fort Collins)
• So All May Eat (SAME Café, Denver)
We also donate our tip jars, this month we are giving all of our tips to the Food Bank for Larimer County to purchase Thanksgiving meals for families in need. Next month we’ll represent Catholic Charities Northern providing holiday wish-list fulfillment for families that aren’t able to provide for them on their own. They touch the lives of both Christian and non-ecumenical clients.
We hosted our first ever Awesome Toss ‘Em Cornhole Tournament for Turning Point this August. It was a great event enjoyed by all 250 players and fans in our East parking lot! We helped Turning Point raise $6,400! The summer also brought us an elegant beer pairing dinner at Gardens On Spring Creek’s Garden of Eatin’ when we had the opportunity to match our innovative brews with delicious pairings from Chef Justin from the Canyon Chophouse raising money for the “Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek.” Now as the weather changes, we are seeing a shift in charitable activities from fundraising concerts and golf tournaments to galas and holiday celebrations…

We just enjoyed 2 Odell tables at the “Brainiac Bowl,” one of the year’s most fun fun-draisers! It is a great event including dinner, Odell brews and trivia benefiting the brand new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. We didn’t win, but tested our brain-power and I’m convinced both tables got smarter as 90 Shillings, IPAs and 5 Barrels were consumed! It definitely made us more excited to be a part of the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery’s grand opening! Odell Brewing Company is proud to be a part of the museum’s Founder’s Circle. Please join us on Saturday, November 10th in helping to fill the museum with the Front Range’s most curious!

Get your tickets for an amazing collaboration this Saturday for Fort Collins’ best and “most local” farm to fork dinner “Bounty and Brews” benefitting BeLocal. Keep an eye on our calendar to make sure you don’t miss some of the season’s best parties and ways to give back to our community!
Please check out our charitable page on our website and sign up to get involved with our volunteer efforts on our Odell Outreach Facebook page. We work hard to better our community and celebrate OBC style!

Cheers!

– Karla

Karla is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from CSU 10 years ago and made Fort Collins her home. She has been given the extraordinary opportunity to work at making it a better place through her employment as Community Outreach Coordinator at Odell Brewing Company.

A New Hope (or “The streets will run red with the juice of our grapes”)

October 16, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

They say it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine. After two years of research and development, I can honestly say that the opposite holds just as true. Right in the middle of the two is a beautiful Venn diagram of deliciousness. Odell Brewing Company is very fortunate to have been founded in a progressive agricultural haven. We have access to a wide array of farm and ranch products within the state itself. Below is the movement of some very special Colorado grown free run grape juice into a wine press, and the subsequent pressing of said juice. Expect more updates as things progress into the realm of amazingness.

– A Quality Guy

Kansas, Kickball, and Odell Brewing

October 4, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

One night, over beers with our distributor (O’Malley Beverage) in Lawrence KS, we started talking UnBottled fun…specifically kickball. O’Malley’s craft brand manager, Matt Shaddid, mentioned that he was in a kickball league in town. He also mentioned what a great following the league had. For years, Lawrence has been one of our best markets in the state of Kansas, and the first city in Kansas where we saw Odell IPA really take off at bars like Dempsey’s, Quinton’s, The Burger Stand and Harbour Lights.

We think that’s because we have some kindred spirits in Lawrence, a city that is very similar to our hometown Fort Collins with very similar people drinking great beer! We thought we should get the Wildman Attack Force (Kaw Valley 2012 Kickball Champs) to Fort Collins for a game and an opportunity to raise some money for their favorite local charity…if they won.

So, Team Wildman made the trek to Fort Collins last week where we met up for beers and introductions at a local Fort Collins craft beer bar, Tap and Handle. We did our best to keep Team Wildman out past their bedtimes in the hopes of gaining some type of advantage. The next morning we met up and quickly found out why Team Wildman was Kaw Valley Champs. We were defeated by a score of 22-4. A good time was had by all, and Team Wildman returned home to Lawrence with their winnings for the Lymphoma Foundation.

Cheers,

– JRC

John Campbell is the Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri Sales Rep for Odell Brewing

Woodcut No. 6 has the hops!

October 1, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

This week we will release our sixth Woodcut brew, an oak-aged American ale featuring Mosaic hops. It’s the first dry hopped offering we’ve ever done in the series, and is the result of over a year of collaboration between the Mosaic hop farmers and our team.

It all started back in 2010. We shared some Woodcut 4 with Jason Perrault (a 4^th generation Yakima Valley hop farmer), and he loved it. He and Brad Carpenter (his family began growing hops in the valley in 1868) then shared some experimental hops with us, and we loved them!

We began experimenting with the hops, known only as “HBC 369” at the time. They offered a very unique flavor and aroma…much more fruity, sweet, and tropical as compared to the traditional piney, spicy, earthy aromatic hops used in most IPA’s. We decided to invite Jason and Brad out to the brewery to brew Woodcut No. 6 with us. At that point, they had decided on “Mosaic” as the name of this remarkable new hop.

Our brewers included both Mosaic and another yet-to-be-named experimental variety in the kettle and Hopback, but the beer was dry hopped with 100% Mosaic hops. As with all of our Woodcut offerings, we aged the beer in virgin American oak barrels for several months.

The final blend combines the intricate and delicate tropical fruit sweetness of the Mosaic hop with the traditional vanilla and toasted oak flavors from the barrels.

We’ll celebrate the release of Woodcut No. 6 this Saturday in the Tap Room and will be pouring it at The Great American Beer Festival, October 11th – 13th.

Cheers,

Brent

Brent Cordle is the Barrel Aging/Pilot System Manager for Odell Brewing

Mountain Standard – a Contradiction in a Glass

September 21, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Fall is a time of great balance. It’s cool enough to ride to work in pants, but not so cold you need a down jacket. The afternoons are warm and inviting, but not so hot you seek refuge indoors. It’s great time to be out and about in Colorado. It’s that balance of the season that we consistently strive to bring into our brewhouse. Never is that more apparent than in Mountain Standard, our Double Black IPA. With such an aggressive style by nature, it is a challenge to maintain a level of harmony within the beer. Colorado grown whole flower hops lend a unique spicy roundness to the aroma. The beer radiates a deep copper reminiscent of first light, with cherry and chocolate in the nose. A creamy mouthfeel yields to an assertive bitterness that folds back into roasted chocolate. Like fall it’s only around for a short time, so get out there and enjoy it!

– A Quality Guy

Melding the Meddler

September 7, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Alex Kayne

Seen as a just another arrow in the cure all quiver for bad brewing practices, blending has gotten a bad rap. This is most unfortunate, as blending was oft the saving grace for many a small brewer and vintner alike. There is a roundness to beer, a balance that we as brewers and beer drinkers alike yearn for. Some beers can achieve this right out of the fermentor, but certain styles demand a softer touch. After over a year of barrel aging, we finally have hammered out the kinks in our attempt at a traditional Oud Bruin. Burgundy hued, with sweet caramel up front that fades to clean tartness. Hints of dark fruits linger well after the initial sip, supported by the cinnamon and coconut tannic structure. It’s like a trip to the Flemish region of Belgium, without the hassle from the TSA.

– A Quality Guy

Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches in beer…

August 27, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

Harvest season doesn’t officially get into full gear in Colorado, until the peaches arrive. What could be better than biting into a fresh Colorado grown peach? Why, drinking a beer made with one, of course. One is never good enough so we added over 1800 lbs of peaches to this 7.4% ABV pilsner malt based brew. That’s a full peach in every growler, and it shows. The aroma is one of the fall orchard, and you can almost taste the skin with every sip. Join us by celebrating the peach harvest, one pint at a time.

– A Quality Guy

Brewed with 1800 pounds of Palisade peaches including Red Haven and JH Hale varieties, Haven and Hale Peach Ale is a crisp brew with a light golden color and a heavenly fresh peach aroma. Each sip offers a subtle peach flavor that lingers on the palate just long enough then slowly fades for a wickedly delicious finish. Slightly sweet, but also tart, Haven and Hale delights both sinners and saints.

Odell Outreach HOPpenings

July 20, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

It’s event season!

The brewery has been hoppin’ this spring and early summer hosting a number of events that have touched our community. Feeding the Families, Happy Heart Farms’ charitable non- profit raised over $3,000 at the end of April to purchase shares for families in need of access to healthy food. We hosted a pitch-a-thon forMatterhorn, our free local literary publication to glean material for their end-of summer edition. Save the Poudre was here in mid-May and they raised a few thousand dollars and we were able to serve a hundred of their fans.

We hosted our Small Batch Festival again this year, celebrating our love of craft beer and innovative technique. We saw the opportunity to share our passion with Fort Collins and through an in-house vote of applicants, chose to donate our proceeds to the brand new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery (opens November 10th!). It must be the science and creativity in our craft that connects us to the museum! We celebrated with them in mid-July to let them know we raised $10,000!

The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery visited us again in June for an evening fundraiser in our tap room. It was a wonderful event and fun to see our community getting excited for the opening of this state-of-the-art facility.

We were also given the opportunity to host the finish of Ride the Rockies this year. For those of you unfamiliar with this spectacular ride, it is a magnificent showcase of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and bicycling camaraderie. There were over 2,000 riders this year and we celebrated their feat with music and beer. The Denver Post is hugely philanthropic throughout the course of this ride, donating funds to local non-profits along the route.

Fort Collins received extra benefits as we got to host week long parking, the funds of which raised $2,700 for LAUNCH Community Through Skateboarding, $1,000 to the Fort Collins Bike Library for providing parking and bike security, the Denver Post Community/Ride the Rockies $5,000 grant for Project Self-Sufficiency and the Child Advocacy Center earned over $6,000 through tips and beer sale proceeds here at Odell Brewing! The vibe was amazing and you could truly feel the satisfaction in the accomplishments of the riders!

In July we invited our community to reach out to the victims of the High Park Fire! On Sunday, July 8th, we hosted Ashes to Ales, a Farm to Fork dinner, with some amazing contributors! Tickets were $60 and generated $3300 for the NoCo Rebuilding Network.The following Monday, we hosted the firefighters, National Guard and forestry personnel that helped to fight the fire. Four of our local comrades helped us keep this “open house” going throughout the week, Pateros Creek on Tuesday, Funkwerks
on Wednesday, Fort Collins Brewing on Thursday and New Belgium Brewing on Friday!Our Charity of the Month program continues to thrive and we are witness to our guests gaining pertinent knowledge about the organizations that we represent:

May 2012 –

TIPS: Beer for Brains

• Gardens on Spring Creek (Fort Collins)

• Loveland Youth Gardeners (Loveland)

June 2012 –

Tips: Meals on Wheels Bicycle delivery

• The Jacob Center (Fort Collins)

• Metro CareRing (Denver)

July 2012 –

TIPS: Poudre Fire Authority and Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

• Education and Life Training Center (Fort Collins)

• New Era Colorado Foundation (Denver)

For more information on our charitable giving program, please see our Philanthropy Page!

Until next time,

– Karla

Karla Baise is the Community Outreach Coordinator for Odell Brewing Company.

Todd’s Ride the Rockies Journal: Final

June 21, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

2012 Ride the Rockies recap and “Unbottled” rider of the tour

One of my favorite things about Ride the Rockies this year was that the brewery had the opportunity to host the finish. This was our second year sponsoring RTR and I think we’ll continue to sponsor the tour, given the great experience we had connecting with riders and Colorado communities. I certainly hope to continue to ride it each year as it was about as much fun as I’ve ever had in the space of six days. The tour, however, will not end in Fort Collins each year, so I savored the rare opportunity to cruise to a familiar finish line, seeing so many of my friends and co-workers cheering us on was a great feeling. I was quite proud of myself for a little idea I had to appropriate a Tour de France tradition; during the last stage, with the places already set, riders sip Champaign during the final stretch on the Champs Élysées. For our group, I felt beer was more appropriate, but not just any beer. We stopped about a ¼ mile from the finish line, popped a bottle of our new collaboration brew, Pond Hopper, and poured seven glasses for the seven riders that were in our group on the last day, we rolled down Lincoln Ave and sailed across the finish line enjoying the aromas of the Double Extra Pale Ale.

Leading up to the suds quaffing finish, the final day of the ride could not have been more enjoyable; we started in Estes Park and cruised down Devils Gulch Road beside Monument Creek before dropping into Big Thomson canyon, which took us all the way into Loveland. We dropped a couple thousand feet of elevation which meant the ride was a simple cruise on a morning that was not to hot and not too cool. I hate to veer into clichéd territory here, but feel as if I have no choice, the birds were singing, the sun was shining, the smell of the pine trees was intoxicating and the pleasure of riding through the canyon was the perfect cap to this year’s tour. In what had to be the least important consequence of the High Park fire the ride final portion of this year’s ride had to be diverted from the original path that would have taken us through Masonville and around Horsetooth Reservoir. Instead of the rolling hills and canyons that route would have provided we simply rode into Loveland and took a left and headed north to Fort Collins. This made the final day, which already was the easiest of the tour, even less taxing. Fewer miles, fewer hills, and a tailwind that made the last stretch a breeze (pun intended). All that was left was to celebrate, and celebrate we did, both my co-workers at Odell Brewing and the RTR staff did a wonderful job at the finish line, it was a great party, Unbottled indeed.

Speaking of Unbottled, one thing I tried to do over the course of the ride was to exude the OBC Unbottled spirit whether it was while pushing up tough climbs or gliding down the back side of a pass, the Unbottled attitude can be infectious, but as much as it pains me to say it, I was not the Unbottled rider of the tour. I thought I would be, I mean, I’m a fun kind of guy, but then I met and started riding with Josh Carnes, and he put me to shame. I met and chatted with dozens and dozens of people over the course of the week, but Josh met and chatted with hundreds. Leading sing alongs to James Brown and the Beatles up the passes and being the personal cheerleader for every rider that looked like they might be struggling a bit, the Windsor-Severance firefighter’s enthusiasm for fun was contagious all week long. If that wasn’t enough, Josh was also the designated “Green Rider” for this year’s tour, as he has been since 2010. He’s been tasked by his friends at Zero Hero to find a rider each day of the tour that goes out of his or her was to green the tour. Whether that’s picking up trash at an aid station or on the road, directing people as to which refuse is recyclable vs. which is compostable or any other action being taken by riders to lighten the RTR environmental footprint. After each day’s ride, on the evening’s entertainment stage, he presents a green jersey to that day’s deserving recipient. It also probably helps that he rides the coolest bike on the tour, a Panda Legacy. Panda bikes are handmade in Fort Collins with Bamboo frames, they co-sponsor the “green rider” initiative with Zero Hero, in fact to two sustainable Fort Collins based companies are not only close in vision, but also physically close, as they now share and office. The green Rider is a great program and the green rider himself, Josh Carnes is also my Unbottled rider of the tour.

Odds and ends:

Toughest Climb: Day 3 – Independence Pass

Easiest Climb: Day 1 – Black Mesa

Toughest portion to push through: Also day 3 – the last 7 miles up hill and into the wind toward Leadville

Best Summit: Day 5 – Trail Ridge Road – Rocky Mountain National Park

Best Downhill: Day 2 – coming down McClure Pass toward Carbondale

Most fun stretch: Day 6 – Estes Park to Loveland

Least fun Stretch: Day 4 – 13 miles of unpaved, uneven road after summiting Ute Pass

Unbottled Moment of the Tour: Day 2 – Stripping down and jumping in the Crystal River with friends Josh and Katie

Best Food deal: Flippin’ Flapjacks each morning at the first aid station, ally you can eat pancakes and sausage, $5.

Best host community: Granby. Best park, best music, what else do you need?

That’s it, thanks for reading. I hope to see you next year. Cheers!

– Todd

Todd’s Ride the Rockies Journal: Part 4

June 13, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by Bret Glassett

So far I have endeavored to make these postings something other than a travelogue, not that there’s anything wrong with a travelogue I just did not want to take the tack of merely saying, in order, what has happened over the course of the trip. I wouldn’t like to write it, and I’m sure you wouldn’t like to read. However, we’ve had 2 big days in a row on the trip and I’m now readily to recount a few triumphs and register a few complaints. I hope mu curmudgeonly side doesn’t come out to much, although I suppose if it did I could blame it on this
I’ve just pulled into Granby Colorado after a 95-mile day that started in Leadville. Happily we lost a few thousand feet of elevation, but that doesn’t mean it was easy, I’ll get to that in a moment. Today’s ride follows what I think will prove to be the most grueling of the tour, an 83 mile affair with an elevation gain of nearly 6,000 feet to the top of Independence Pass.
We started out is sunny Carbondale and had an absolutely beautiful ride up the Roaring Fork Valley, through Aspen and then, up that damned pass. I have to say that my two riding companions Katie and Josh were great help in adding Levity to what could have been a purely draining climb. I also have to say that even before our climb we encountered what was the first portion of the route that was horrible. I’ll preface this by saying that the RTR staff is and has done and amazing job on the ride and the logistics to organizing a ride like this must be staggering. I can understand when we are routed through some bad spots there may be no better option; but bad spots are bad spots and I’m still going to tell you about them. For about two miles before we started the steep climbs we were directed onto a “dirt path” but in reality it was much more like sand. This of course would be fine for a mountain bike or any bike with fat tires, but for a ride that consists of 2,500 people, 2,450 of whom are on skinny tires, this was a really tough surface to ride on. We were sinking inches into the loose soil, back tires were spinning out; I’m surprised there weren’t more crashes. I’m no pavement snob either, we rode on an unpaved road later in the day for much longer than 2 miles and it was just fine. Also, the RTR staff did a great job at alerting riders of the surface change and had help posted everywhere just in case anything went wrong, I can’t fault them, I’m just saying it sucked.
As for the pass, it was tough, it was draining, it was really rewarding. Getting yourself up to 12,100 feet on the “Top of the Rockies” trail was a reward that felt all the sweeter since the hill was a big one to conquer. Surprisingly, I’m developing a taste for climbing, yeah it hurts a little bit, but only a little and when you’re done it is an amazing feeling. Not only that, but after you summit there’s always a big downhill ride and there’s not much out there that’s more fun than screaming down the hill on your bike at 50mph. The toughest part of the day wasn’t the summit of Independence; surprisingly, it was the last 7 miles to Leadville. It was uphill and into a stiff wind, by the time I reached the old mining town I only had sleep on my mind. So if you’ll excuse a brief aside, I’d like to address Leadville directly:

I’m sorry Leadville. I like you; you’re a great little town. I wish I had wanted to see more of you, but I wasn’t in a place where I could appreciate you for all the things you have going for yourself. I know I left pretty suddenly in to morning, without saying much of a goodbye, but I really had to go. I hope we can still see each other from time to time, no hard feelings? Oh, I will be pretty busy with work coming up, so I might not be able to comeback for a while, you understand right?

Thanks, I feel better now. The ride to Granby today was easier, because the climbs weren’t as steep or as long and we were able to loose some elevation in total, which is nice for a 95 mile ride. Let me stress that easier is just a relative term, we did have two significant passes to clear: Freemont at 11,000 ft or so and Ute Pass which clocks in at 9,600 ft. After clearing Ute pass, which offered panoramic vistas in all directions, we started heading down the hill towards Granby. The only complaint today again involved a stretch of unpaved road, this time about 13 miles. Since I’ve already allocated too much of this post to complaining about how, when I’m in the remote Colorado Rockies I can’t always have pristine asphalt surfaces, I’ll just say that it wasn’t great and leave it at that.
Two long and rewarding days down, I’m really looking forward to riding through Rocky Mountain National Park and over Trail Ridge Road on Thursday, it’s a route I’ve done many times by car and it’ll be a privilege to ride it by bike. For now I’m kicking back with a Pedal Push Pale Ale and really enjoying friendly little town of Granby, the cute little town nestled in the heart of the continental divide. (Sorry Leadville)

Todd Ewing is the Odell Brewing Company representative in Minnesota. He is starting to be really optimistic that he’ll be able to finish Ride the Rockies strong, quite frankly he is bordering on cocky and needs to be taken down a peg. Tweet at him: @OdellMN

Todd’s Ride the Rockies Journal: Part 3

June 13, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by reelmotion

I like riding my bike. It’s a hobby I’ve been pursuing for about 10 years now, but it should be said that the amount that I like bike riding and the amount that people I know think I like riding my bike are two very different things. I am, mostly, just a casual rider. I’m the kind of guy that receives subtle condescension when he asks mechanics at the bike shop a novice question, the kind of guy that can patch a flat but wouldn’t want to try to repair a broken chain. (Not that I’m superstitious, but all the same, let’s hope that doesn’t doom me to a broken chain on Trail Ridge Road) Many people however are under the impression that I’m a really intense rider, I think the misconception stems from a month long ride I did 8 years ago.

In 2004, after I got out of college, a couple friends and I rode our bikes from Fort Collins to Boston. It was a great trip and a wonderful way to see the country. If you ever have the opportunity to take a good chunk of time off from your real world responsibilities I cannot recommend a long bike tour highly enough. You’ll see things you’d never see by car and you’ll meet a highly varied group of characters that you wouldn’t be likely to come in contact with otherwise. The trip remains one of my fondest memories and one that helped to shape my view of the country.
Fond memories not withstanding, if you had been there to see our tour from Colorado to Massachusetts you would not ever mistake me for a biking expert, the sheer amount of bad choices I made are staggering in hindsight. Additionally, it wasn’t that hard, we only had a couple really long days; we stopped frequently including a couple days when we did not ride at all. Lastly, since that trip almost a decade ago, I have not done a bike ride that took more than a day, not one. I am sure now when folks hear that yes I did a cross country trip (once I’ll remind them) and also participated in Ride the Rockies (also only once) it will only cement mistaken belief that I am “really into cycling” By the way, I ever start referring to my self as a “cyclist” in these posts please find me and beat me about the head and shoulders with my own helmet; it’s as bad a bartenders insisting on being call mixologists. Anyway, the reason I say all this by way of introduction is because I want you to know that what I say next is not the result of my peak athletic shape, bicycle acumen or anything of the kind.

So far, this ride has been easy. I know. I’m as surprised as anyone. The credit is due to the incredible Ride the Rockies team; I realize that they’ve been at this for a while, so they should know what they’re doing, but the amount of support riders have on this tour has been absolutely fantastic. Each portion of the ride has aid stations for food and water, each located perfectly in spots that are not only ideal for a break milage wise but also that offer beautiful views. There are constant patrols by support vehicles for riders with mechanical problems or who might be too weary to travel on. There are numerous medical riders; I see several everyday, if a participant has the bad luck to go down help is never far away. RTR has made the first two ride days as easy as they could possibly be. Not to mention the logistics at each host community has got to be incredibly tough to manage two sights in every town, one base camp for riders, usually a school, a festival area usually a short distance away, shuttles for riders’ bags and more. Luckily though, the very friendly, Elizabeth Norris, the RTR Community Relations manager is handling it with aplomb.
I should also stop to say that the host communities have been great, Gunnison, Hotchkiss and now Carbondale. Working with the local community groups to bring our beers to a mix of riders and area residents eager to share a pint with their guests has been great. I’ve loved pouring Pedal Push for both those intimately acquainted with our brewery and those secluded mountain folk that have never heard of Odell Brewing.
So it’s fair to say that I’m having a great time and it hasn’t been too tough yet; of course the first two days have been short-ish and Tuesday is going to be a bear. Carbondale to Leadville, about 90 miles – ALL UPHILL. So I’ll let you know how that goes… Cheers!

Todd Ewing is the Odell Brewing Company representative in Minnesota. He is cautiously optimistic that he’ll be able to finish Ride the Rockies strong, but is not taking anything for granted. Tweet at him: @OdellMN

Todd’s Ride the Rockies Journal: Part 2

June 13, 2012/0 Comments/in Uncategorised /by reelmotion

It’s finally here! Ride the Rockies is upon us, and the start in Gunnison could not be better as far as I concerned. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Gunnison Valley, growing up on the western slope I spent many summer days riding the Gunnison River through Black Canyon, my folks went to college at Western State and when I was still was stationed in Colorado, Gunnison and Crested Butte were among my favorite towns in which to spend time. The low-key vibe in Gunnison is hardly rare in Colorado mountain towns, but because it’s not really a resort town (Crested Butte is a half hour up the road and you have to go just outside of town for fishing and whitewater) it has a lived in comfort that many of the more well known Colorado mountain towns tend to lack.

Since I have such an affinity for Gunny, I wanted to roll into town a little early to relax and catch up with some friends and of course enjoy a beer or two. I arrived in Gunnison Friday night, and the ordeal of getting to the start of the ride may almost equal the hill climbs. I left Minnesota very early Thursday morning, and drove straight through to Fort Collins, my traveling companion, my dog Regina was agreeable enough, but not the greatest conversationalist. Thus the thirteen and a half hour drive felt very long indeed, I would now have to judge it as my absolute limit for traveling by car. I might be able to stomach a longer haul if I was not the only driver, but for me, sitting for 12 or more hours is what the CIA might call euphemistically a, “Stress Position.” After I arrived in Colorado, I was able to catch up with some friends, including a few folks from Minnesota that were coincidentally in Fort Collins. Friday was an additional 5 hours from Fort Collins to Gunnison, once I rolled into town though, I was able to immediately forget about my intense dislike of extended windshield time. My first stop was the Gunnison Brewery, the local brewpub and one of my favorite places to enjoy a beer in town. The Gunnison Brewery also has a Minnesota connection; one of their brewing alumni is now brewing at Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth. As per usual the Gunnison Brewery provided a springboard for a great evening of catching up with Odell co-workers, old friends and meeting new ones, well worth the effort to arrive early.

The weather Saturday could not have been better; the 2012 Ride the Rockies kick off was exactly what you’d want it to be. The registration was easy and the party downtown was fantastic. 80 degrees, an ice-cold beer, (those with discerning taste were of course enjoying our own Pedal Push, the pilot batch beer we brewed exclusively for this year’s ride.) and 2,000 riders meeting each other swapping stories and making predictions for the week made for a great evening in the mountains. Of course the abundance of great food and music didn’t hurt much either. The only challenge was to not indulge too much, since after all, a big bike ride on Sunday was looming, I can say that I was just on the edge of imprudence, adjusting to the higher altitude is necessary for not only for climbing the passes.
So now the hard part begins, Sunday’s ride will take us from Gunnison to Hotchkiss, a great little town at the southern base of Mt Sopris. We’ll head past Blue Mesa Reservoir through the Black Canyon and then north to our destination. It’s about an 80-mile ride with a small (relatively) elevation gain. I fear that I’m not going to be quite ready, but this should be mild ride compared to what is to come over the course of the week; it will no doubt prove a good intro day for the tour. Check in this space over the week to find out how it goes. Cheers!

Todd Ewing is the Odell Brewing Company representative in Minnesota. He is extremely worried that living at low altitude and have no hills to climb during training has left him ill prepared for 6 days of climbing mountain passes. Tweet at him: @OdellMN

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