Todd’s Ride the Rockies Journal: Part 1

Hello and welcome to My Odell Brewing – Ride the Rockies journal. In what is likely to be several meandering, self-indulgent entries I hope to give you, dear reader, a little insight into why so many people are keen to ride 450 some odd miles up 12,000 ft mountain passes, why I chose to ride and why ridiculous things like this are a big part of Odell Brewing’s UnBottled philosophy.

RTR is a Colorado tradition dating back to 1986, when 1,500 riders took part in a ride from Grand Junction to Denver, Today the registration limit has been upped slightly to 2,000. Riders are chosen each year from a pool of 4,000-5,000 hopefuls; those not chosen by lottery to ride in one year have twice the chance to be chosen the following year. This sort of “make up” weighted lottery system must have seemed cold comfort to some not chosen to ride and in recent years another week long tour of Colorado has popped up, it starts each year in the day after RTR and from the RTR end point. Some committed cyclists will even ride both tours back to back. This I must say, seems like showing off to me, but this kind of devotion to play is not uncommon for many, and these are our people.

While as a Colorado native I’m tempted to assert that this kind of aggressive outdoor attitude is something that comes from living is such a beautiful state, one with the gorgeous weather and even better vistas, the truth is that people like this come from everywhere; indeed RTR attracts riders from every state. Hopefully we’ll hear from many of them over the course of these posts.

So there are a few thousand people that think 7 or so hours a day on a bike sounds like a fine idea, but what does that have to do with Odell Brewing Company? For that matter, what is UnBottled? At OBC we love beer, it’s our first passion. We love brewing our own takes on classic styles like 5 Barrel Pale Ale and our IPA. We also love innovation, brewing beers that don’t fit any specific style, like Footprint and Deconstruction. As much as we love beer in any context (I often enjoy a small beer with breakfast), it can’t be the only we do; so what do we do when we’re not brewing great beer? The short answer is: Play. That’s Unbottled; because not only is play awesome, it makes beer better. There are two things that playing does to make our beer love blossom even bigger. First, when you play hard you earn your malty reward. Whether it’s after a day on the river, a big bike ride, a challenging trail you just hiked, or maybe just a particularly competitive game of kickball, beer just tastes better when your rewarding yourself for a good ball kicked. Second, it’s the people we share our beers with, family, friends, co-workers; these are our jogging buddies, tennis partners, and volleyball teammates. Beer is better when shared than when drunk alone, and a 90 Shilling is much better when celebrating a softball win or a good day on the course.

 

Why do 5,000 people enter a lottery to get into RTR? Anyone could take a week and go ride a far as they’d like through Colorado or anywhere else for that matter. It’s not just the ride but also the camaraderie of a couple thousand other like-minded folks. Yes the ride will be tough and beautiful, but it will be each evening after the ride probably over a celebratory brew, that existing friendships will be strengthened and new friendships will be forged. It’s the shared experience the makes RTR the great event that it is. So OBC will be there, we’ll share our beers (the best way to carbo load if you ask me) including Pedal Push, our Pilot batch brewed especially for RTR. I’ll be there too, and though there’s no doubt I’ll be saddle sore and exhausted, I’ll be looking to enjoy a few beers every night with my new friends.

Are you riding this year? Do you have questions about the tour? E-mail me at [email protected] I’d love to talk with you. Follow me on twitter: @OdellMN for updates during the ride.

– Todd

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.

Pond Hopping

Our collaboration efforts with Thornbridge Brewery of Bakewell, UK began with a visit to their brewery by Doug in 2008. He was intrigued by what he had heard about UK Craft Breweries beginning to brew unique styles, and using hops other than the traditional English varieties. Thornbridge was and is clearly going in this direction.

This visit was followed by a collaboration brew by Doug and the Thornbridge brewers in the summer of 2010 at their brewery. The beer was a take on the Odell Red recipe, brewed with all English malts, and using English hop varieties with the most intense flavor and aromatic qualities. The result, Colorado Red, was quite popular and was awarded the bronze medal at the 2010 Peterborough UK beer festival in the strong ale category.

The reciprocal collaboration brew took place at Odell Brewing on February 24th. Caolan Vaughan, the head brewer and production manager at Thornbridge traveled to Fort Collins to brew a Double Extra Pale Ale with us. The beer is packaged in a cork and cage 750 ml bottle, and will be made available in both the United Kingdom, and the Odell distribution area in
the United States.

 

Ponder Hopper – Thornbridge Bridge Brewing Collaboration Beer from Odell Brewing on Vimeo.

Shenanigans baby – yeah!

Trial and error = #EpicWIN

We like to have fun experimenting on our Pilot Brewing playground… Like, a lot. So much so that we consider play one of our secret ingredients. Enter Shenanigans, a beer that was never meant to be. We were working on a Woodcut project, and a few barrels weren’t exactly what we were looking for. They were still awfully yummy, so we inoculated them with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It was about that time when things went deliciously wrong. Pineapple juice married with spicy phenols emerge first from the glass. Followed by the full malt body of a 9.1% crimson ale, and rounding out the tail end the oak tannins battle for supremacy with the tart finish provided by just a dash of lactobacillus. Try a bottle for yourself and savor the complexity and subtle nuances of our brewery shenanigans. (Join us Saturday, March 24th for the Tap Room Release Party!)

– A Quality Guy

Emersum Oyster Stout (our collaboration with Jax Fish House)

Emersum OysterIf there is one thing we love more than craft beer, it’s crafting a beer with new friends. Last month, we paired up with the fine folks of Jax Fish House to create a special brew in honor of their new Emersum Oysters and Oyster Month (March). Naturally, we decided to make an oyster stout. Jax provided their proprietary mollusks for the beer, and everyone had a blast brewing. The beer is a classic dark stout brewed with generous amounts of roast. We added shucked oysters to the mash in the lauter tun and let them soak with all of the delicious sugars of the wort for a bit. Once we got the wort from the mash/oyster mixture, we boiled our wort for about 90 minutes. We then added unshucked oysters to the kettle and boiled them to extract as much as possible. Once that was complete, the wort went to a fermenting vessel for conditioning. Check out this great video of our brew day!

 

We’ll help kick off Oyster Month and the new brew with a celebration in the Tap Room on Thursday, March 1st. Guests can enjoy samples of the beer as well as complimentary Emersum oysters (while supplies last). Jax will also be selling some additional tasty dishes. Emersum Oyster Stout will be limitedly available on draft at the brewery and all three Jax locations (Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver).

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An Ode to our Pilot Brew System

Did you know we cranked out over 75 different brews on our five barrel Pilot Brewing System this year? To honor our hard-working steed, an Ode to our Pilot Brew System (and check out the cool word cloud featuring some of these brews)…

An Ode to our Pilot Brew System
Part kitchen, part lab, part playground it’s true
Our Pilot Brew System is where all can come brew
We use it to craft our new recipe creations
We use it to brew experimental libations
We use it for teaching and tour narrations
We use it quite often for collaborations
Yes our Pilot Brew System is our heart and our soul
Crafting Five Barrel Batches of love is the goal
So won’t you please join us for a pint glass or two
Of a deliciously hand crafted unique Pilot Brew

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We Love Beer & Food (our recent co-worker beer dinner)

A couple of weeks ago, our tap room co-worker Ryan, a culinary mastermind, graciously offered to cook for us. Over two nights, we gathered to dine on the locally sourced cuisine paired with a variety of Odell Brewing beers. Denver Off The Wagon beer writer extraordinaire, Jess Hunter, joined us the first evening, and described the night beautifully. Check out her full story.

Ryan was also kind enough to share his recipes. Enjoy!

Seared scallop with orange mango butter sauce paired with Hiverrano New American Wild Ale:Scallop

Juice 2/3 mango to 1/3 orange, blend, and strain using a sifter.

Add about a half cup of white wine

Add 1/4 cup of water

Salt to taste

Warm liquid on stove top

When warm add 1 to 1 and a half TBS of flower whisking it in until sauce is thick.

Remove from heat

Add softened butter slowly while whisking constantly until sauce taste rich yet still tart and fruitful.

Sear scallop

Top with sauce and fine chopped chives.

MoucoHoney glazed apple bruschetta paired with Myrcenary Double IPA:

Cut Golden delicious apples into thin slices

Cut baguette into small diagonal half inch thick slices

Zest one orange

Mix honey with just a little orange juice

Cut MouCo Camembert cheese or brie into 1/4 inch thick slices

Spread apples on bake tray and brush them with honey mixture

Set oven at 350 put apples in for about 3-4 minutes

Put bread in oven about 3 minutes

Place apples on top of bread and cheese on top of apples bake until cheese is soft and just a little melted

Top with small pinch of orange zest

Colorado rack of lamb, wild rice, with Cutthroat porter Demi-glace sauce, shiitake mushrooms and a fresh vegetable medley paired with Bourbon Barrel Stout:Lamb

Demi-Glace:

Roast about seven beef bones, two cut in half onions and three carrots on a greased pan in the oven at 350 for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours

Remove from oven and put ingredients in a stock pot

Put Bake try on stove top burner and de-glace with Cutthroat porter

Let simmer on pan for 5 minutes while scraping the bottom of pan to get all the nice gristle to rise

Pour into stock pan

Add Cutthroat porter to stock pan until vegetables are covered simmer for 3 – 4 hours stirring every so often. If liquid drops past vegetables just add more beer or some beef stock

Pour through strainer into another stock pot let simmer and reduce for 2 – 3 hours or until slightly thick

Cool in fridge

After cooled remove fat that rose to the top with ladle

Rack of lamb:

Finley dice fresh rosemary

Spread fresh rosemary, pepper, and sea salt on both sides of lamb

Sear to about 100 and cool

Wild rice:

Saute about two scallions

Mix scallions with water before adding rice

Salt to taste

Cook covered until soft

Put racks in oven until they temp at 140 let rest 5 minutes

Warm butter untill just nutty, add brown sugar. Saute onion, yellow squash and green squash until soft

Saute diced mushrooms

Reduce demi glace in saute pan until thick

Cut rack place on top of rice, spoon sauce on lamb, place diced shiitake on lamb, and place vegetables on side of dish

Intermezzo:

1/4 Gallon Easy Street Wheat

1/8 Gallon water

1/4 cup sugar

3 lemons

Put Easy Street and water into a pot and bring to a slight roll. Add three lemons worth of zest and one and a half juiced lemons. Let this cook until carbonation is gone. When carbonation is gone add sugar to taste. Strain liquid into baking tray and put in freezer combing with a fork about every two hours to form crystals.

FriekDessertSheep Ricotta cheesecake with hazelnut crust and a pomegranate raspberry tart sauce with Friek:

Good luck finding sheep ricotta, so any cheesecake you make will do

4 Pomegranates

1/2 bag organic raspberry’s

1/8 cup sugar

Put all pomegranate seeds and juice into a blender with raspberry’s and blend them smooth. Strain juice through sifter into a pot. Warm sauce and add sugar whisking constantly until sugar is melted. Cool sauce.

A Beer Lovin’ Thanksgiving

Last week, we gave thanks for 22 years with a special brewery Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition now six years in the making. This year’s celebration was enhanced by a beer and food pairing vote and a multitude of recipes featuring beer as an ingredient. Needless to say, it was an amazing feast that included eclectic dishes like mashed potatoes made with wort soaked green chilies, vanilla scented brussel sprouts, Mountain Standard Reserve 09’sweet potatoes, and pumpkin beer-a-misu.

Mountain Standard Double IPA was the big winner as the best pairing with the traditional Thanksgiving menu items, and Bourbon Barrel Stout was the winning pick for desserts!

 

Below are just a few recipes from our meal to get you into the Thanksgiving spirit. Happy cooking!

Sweet Potatoes with Isolation Ale, Maple and Bacon (Adapted from: Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Food Blogg on CraftBeer.com)BeFunky_null_3.jpg 

Yield: Makes 8-10 servings

6 large sweet potatoes or yams

1 lb maple smoked bacon

2 tablespoon butter

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

6 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 1/2 bottles Odell Brewing Isolation Ale

6 tablespoons maple syrup

Peel potatoes and boil until soft. Drain and reserve in pot. Broil (or fry) bacon strips until crispy. Reserve three slices, and chop remaining slices. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add sliced onions and brown sugar; stir occasionally, until the onions caramelize and turn a deep golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Add beer and cook 2 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and bacon, and cook 3-4 minutes. Mash boiled potatoes and add in onion mixture. Stir well and garnish with remaining bacon.

Friek Bottle 2015Friekin’ Cranberry Sauce!

12 oz bag cranberries

1 cup Odell Brewing Friek (use the rest to toast you guests!)

6 oz raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup rough chopped walnuts

Blend half of the raspberries at grate in blender with 1/2 cup of the Friek. Gently boil everything but the walnuts in a pan for about 10 minutes, add walnuts, boil 5 more minutes, remove from heat, let cool- chill to serve.

Pumpkin Beeramisu (Adapted from: Super-Simple Pumpkin Tiramisu – Bon Apetit Nov. 2006)IMG_0707-001

This needs to set up overnight, so start one day ahead.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese

1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg)

2 (3-ounce) packages halved ladyfingers

1/4 cup Odell Brewing Mountain Standard Double Black IPA (enjoy the rest while cooking!)

2 ounces crushed amaretti cookies

Beat whipping cream and sugar until peaks form. Add mascarpone cheese, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice; beat just until filling is smooth. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 1 package ladyfingers, overlapping and crowding to fit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum. Spread half of filling over ladyfingers. Repeat with second package ladyfingers, remaining 2 tablespoons rum, and remaining filling. Smooth. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Chill overnight. To unmold, run knife around inside edge of pan. Release pan sides; sprinkle with amaretti cookies.

PieBourbon Barrel Stout Pecan Pie

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups pecan halves

3 tablespoons Odell Brewing Bourbon Barrel Stout (save the rest to enjoy with a slice of the pie!)

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread pecans out on a baking sheet and toast in oven for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Let them cool completely before adding to mixture. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, cooled pecans, and Bourbon Barrel Stout, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Brew School – CSU brews with Doug Odell

On October 29th, the Colorado State University Brewing Science and Technology class along with Professor Jack Avens joined Doug Odell in brewing this semester’s class beer. The class, part of the university’s department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, is now in its seventh year. This is the fifth year the students (all over 21) have brewed with Odell Brewing. “Three Sheets,” a Belgian Tripel, will be tapped on Thursday, November 17th. The brewery will host a celebration for the class on November 17th from 4-6pm. Guests can try the class brew and enjoy live acoustic funk music by Futaba.

Odell Outreach Organizes to Uplift

Earlier this year Corkie Odell and Community Outreach Coordinator, Karla Baise participated in a United Way bus tour of four of their affiliate agencies. Touched by their visits and inspired by the altruistic nature of our community allowing the expansion of Northern Catholic Charities Mission, they returned to the brewery motivated to help. With the help of NCC Volunteer Coordinator, Keith Colton, they devised a plan to rejuvenate the older side of the Mission to better match the new construction.

In two days, with their work force cut in half, Team Odell managed to tackle more of the update than expected, putting a fresh coat of paint on almost twice the square footage that was anticipated and preparing the daily afternoon meal for the Mission’s clients.

The positivity over the two days at the Mission was tangible and Ryan King said, “It was fulfilling to know that you made a difference in someone’s life. It definitely made me appreciate what I have more. It’s cool that the brewery promotes our participation in outreach like this.”

Last year the brewery participated in their first brewery-wide community call-to-action, partnering with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers. Again in a two-day stint, the company split in half to conquer the reparation of a Northern section of creek-bed that has been experiencing decades of man-made erosion. “It is so exhilarating to get together as a group outside the brewery walls; it’s even better when we leave something great in our wake. It’s powerful to have our sales team painting a wall with our packaging crew or the owners planting willow-canes next to our tap room associates. It reiterates the culture of family that the Odells have created and continue to nurture, and strengthens our passion translated: ‘We brew, we share, we play!’ We anticipate these team-builds to be an annual event,’ says Odell Community Outreach Coordinator Karla Baise.

Keith Colton, volunteer coordinator for Catholic Charities Larimer Region – The Mission, had this to say about the work day, “Wow, what a crew. I wish I could detail for you, in brief, all of the little things you all did so well. Really it was the teamwork, communication, drive, effort, energy and heart that really was impressive, but it was so much more than that. I suppose if I were to say anything I would say that what really showed, more than any of the logistical teamwork stuff, is that it seems like your staff really gets it, I mean REALLY gets it. The bottom line is that your crew is visibly distinct in working for social change instead of simply engaging in charity work.”

Hop Trippin’!

In early August, I had the pleasure of joining 12 of my brewery co-workers (all from our incredible production team) on our annual “hop trip.” What began, a few years ago, as a weekend investigating the western slope of Colorado and its locally grown hops and fruit, has now become a yearly retreat where we visit our farming friends and bond with each other.

We loaded up our tents and bags (and a whole lot of beer), and headed west through the Rocky Mountains into Palisade, CO. Our first stop was Hippie Chicks Organic Hops. The farm, dubbed a “friend and family supported agriculture project” is now in its 2nd harvest. Run by our friend Julie and her lovely hippie chick friends, the organic hop farm boasts Cascade and Chinook varieties that we will use in our Mountain Standard Double IPA. After greetings and hugs, we immediately went to check out the crops. They were a few weeks away from harvest, and already the hops looked incredible!

This place was awesome! Beautiful landscape, lush hop cones, and cute hippie chick farmers. Seriously, what’s not to love? After a quick beer, the hippie chicks took us all for a “cocktail float” down the Colorado River to cool off before dinner. We rendezvoused at the farm for some barbeque and football before heading to the Peach Street Distillery for a night cap. We ended the night under the stars, sleeping between the bines.

I’m not going to lie. The next morning was a little rough. The rooster had us up bright and early, and we had to clear out for a wedding. So we packed up and did what any brewery crew would do; headed straight to a winery. We checked out a few more wineries and vineyards before making our way to Big B’s / Delicious Orchards in Paonia, CO.

Big B’s boasts a beautiful orchard, storefront, restaurant and camping. Last year, they provided the peaches we used in our Avant Peche, and we used their cherries in our Friek. We took a load off and enjoyed some live music and their local Cider.

While in Paonia, we also visited Rising Sun Hop Farms. The farm has about five acres of hops including Cascade, Chinook, and Nugget hops. Wandering around a hot hop farm had us all thirsty, so it was time for a beer. We decided to check out Revolution Brewing in downtown Paonia. The small brewery, located in an old house, was a real treat. We especially enjoyed their Pale Ale!

After a quick bite (and some Space Station debate), we returned to Big B’s for a campfire, some witty banter, and another night under the stars.

As a company committed to supporting our community, we work to source raw materials from local suppliers like Hippie Chick Hop Farms and Big B’s/Delicious Orchards, both independently owned Colorado businesses like us. The trip provided us a great opportunity to inspect our hops and fruit, and also allowed us to enjoy the great outdoors of Colorado and spend some quality leisure time with our co-workers outside of the brewery.

My 90 Shilling Brew with Caledonian Brewery in Scotland

Last July, I was invited to travel to Edinburgh, Scotland to brew our recipe of 90 Shilling at the classic Scottish brewery, Caledonian. On September 5th and 6th, we brewed 1200 firkins worth of 90 Shilling to be served at many of the JD Wetherspoons pubs in the UK for their fall real ale festival which runs for 3 weeks starting October 5th. I was one of 5 US craft brewers invited to brew in UK breweries for the festival.

Our day started out milling the grain and mashing into one of Caledonian’s two mash tuns. After the mash rest, the wort was transferred by gravity to their 3 brewkettles where hops were added and the brew was boiled. After the boil, we ran the wort by gravity to the hopback where it was then pumped to an open fermentation tank so common in classic UK breweries. We used the same ingredients as we do in Colorado but used the Caledonian house ale yeast for a Scottish twist to an American version of this classic Scotish style.

I had to leave Scotland before the beer was ready but here are some tasting notes sent to me by Shakey Steven, their operations manager:

“In terms of the 90 Shilling, it has just entered my top 10. Aroma – Fruit, raisin, gentle hop. More mellow than alcoholic, very pleasing. Flavour – Spicy , roast, coffee and chocolate. Finish – Malty, rich and smooth with a decent level of bitterness and less caramel than I would have expected. Overall a quite stunningly complex beer and well worth your time being here and I’m sure the drinkers over here are looking forward to next week.

Doug Odell

South American Beer Adventures

The Great South Beer Cup, Buenos Aires, May 10-15, 2011

A few months ago, I was invited by Martin Boan, owner of a malting facility and also a company which conducts classes for aspiring brewers, to judge and speak at the inaugural South Beer Cup, the first South America wide craft beer conference and competition. There were 3 other North Americans participating. They were Jay Brooks, a beer writer, Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete’s Wicked Ale, and Stephen Beaumont, a beer writer from Canada.

On Tuesday night, there was a beer, food, and chocolate tasting for about 50 people at a bar with a good selection of Argentinean craft beer. On Wednesday and Thursday, about 20 judges judged about 300 beers from 80 breweries in 20 categories. The beers were from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Columbia. All in all, the quality was some good, and some not so good. Frequent problems were phenols, bacteria, lack of hop flavor and aroma in hoppy styles, and astringency. Surprisingly, oxidation was quite rare.

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, there were receptions at brewpubs for brewers, judges, and other hangers on. The conference was on Friday and Saturday. There were about 200 attendees. I only went to the opening remarks and a presentation of the history and status of craft brewing in Argentina because the whole day was in Spanish. The first craft brewery in Argentina opened in 1991, and now there are 82 in a country of 39 million people. Combined, they produce about 50,000 barrels per year, or 0.26% of total beer sales. In many ways, they are about 15-20 years behind the US craft beer industry.

Friday night there was a reception at an old beer hall built by Quilmes (a large light lager brewer) in the 1920s. The place is no longer a beer hall and has been bought by the city of Buenos Aires to be made into a brewing museum. It is a very ornate structure, both inside and out and was perfect for a number of Argentinean breweries to serve their beers. It was open to the public and had about 400 people in attendance.

On Saturday morning, Pete spoke about how he and his partner started Pete’s. They were always a marketing company first and that is how they went about planning their business. Jay spoke of the importance of marketing and specific things craft brewers should do to promote their beer and themselves. Stephen spoke about craft brewing industries in about 8 up and coming craft beer markets around the world. I gave a modified version of our sustainability presentation and tried to stress that any level of attempt of sustainability is better than none. A lot of these breweries are short on capital and trying to make their breweries work. In our beginning, we didn’t think much about our environmental impact because we were concentrating on establishing our business and being profitable. A surprising number of people came up to me afterward to ask questions or to tell me some of the things they are doing, and would like to do in the future.

I also gave a short bit about the past, present, and possible future of US craft brewing All 4 of us emphasized that way more can be accomplished if craft brewers work together to promote the industry, rather than going at it alone.

Saturday night was the awards ceremony. It was open to the public and featured many beers to taste, and great food. There were probably 300 people there. I took down a case of Friek, a case of Myrcenary, and 4 bottles of Avant Peche. People loved them, especially the Myrcenary. The ceremony itself was great. Not only were brewers really excited to win awards, they were truly excited for each other as well.

Throughout the week, brewers came up to me and told me how important it was to have the 4 of us from North America there. They thought our presence helped to legitimize South American craft brewing, and that we brought knowledge and experience they really need and appreciate. It really is a good feeling to help passionate and dedicated beer lovers establish themselves and their craft brewing industry in South America.

Sunday was a free day and a number of us went to an asado for a late lunch. An asado is a restaurant specializing in grilled and roasted meat. I have never been to a place like it. It probable seated about 600 people with 100 or so people waiting at any given time. They had 2 fire pits, 3 very large grills, and one wood fired oven. If you like grilled and roasted beef ribs, filet mignon, pork, tripe, lamb, goat, chicken, sausages, or rabbit, this is the place for you.


On Monday May 16th I flew to Montevideo Uruguay because it was the same price to stop there for a day as it was to continue to Sao Paulo Brazil where I did more beer related things. I just wanted to see the city but while at the conference I met a Uruguayan brewer who invited me to visit his brewery. As it turns out, it was only 4 blocks from my hotel. Cerveceria Davok is a very small, shoestring budget brewery. All the people have other jobs, and brew only 5, 2 barrel batches every Friday. The equipment is even more basic than a good homebrew set up, but their beers were surprisingly good. They won 3 medals at the South Beer Cup.

All in all, this was a wonderful event. It was great to get to know some South American craft brewers and learn they are as passionate about brewing as any craft brewer out there. It was fun to taste their beer, and see the sights of Buenos Aires.

You can learn more about the Great South Beer cup at www.southbeercup.com.

Until next time,
Doug

Our Dedication to Constant Quality Improvement

We took an innovative leap forward in amplifying the quality of our beers here at Odell by making the switch from filtration to centrifugation without the aid of filtration or clarification aids like diatomaceous earth (DE) for all of our previously filtered beers. For those unfamiliar with centrifugation and why we believe it to be a superior method to beer clarification, here is a little explanation for you: Unlike filtration which relies on DE to strip out yeast, hop and protein particulate from the beer, a centrifuge relies on centrifugal force for beer clarification. A centrifuge works by spinning the beer at very high speeds thereby creating high G forces which removes the heaviest particles (i.e. yeast and hops) from the beer. Since the beer is never passed through a filter media the essential hop oils and fine proteins that contribute to improved hop flavor and aroma, as well as improved body and mouthfeel, are not stripped from the beer. The centrifuge process is therefore much gentler on the beer and results in the following significant quality improvements.

Lower dissolved oxygen pickup in the finished beer and increased shelf stability. Dissolved oxygen is the number one staling component in craft beer and the primary cause of oxidized flavors in the beer you buy at your local on or off premise accounts. By significantly reducing, and nearly eliminating, our dissolved oxygen pickup, our beer will taste as fresh as possible throughout our ten markets.

Increased brightness in hop flavors and aromas in hop forward beers. We are no longer stripping the essential hop oils out of the beer, so you will find our 5 Barrel Pale Ale, IPA, Red Ale, and St. Lupulin to have a brighter hop flavor and aroma similar to we taste in the fermenters here at the brewery. We have only centrifuged Myrcenary from its inception and we can assure you that you will continue to experience Myrcenary’s beautiful hop character in the future.

Improved mouthfeel and body in our malt forward offerings. Similar to our hop forward beers and filtration stripping essential hop oils from the beer, the body of a malt forward beer is stripped of the rich malt characters during filtration. By centrifuging 90 Shilling you will notice that beautiful Caramel malt character across your tongue, and with Cutthroat Porter your palate will notice an improved richness to the roast, coffee and chocolate notes.

When you purchase your next Odell beer you may also notice a light layer of protein sedimentation in our bottles, that when agitated immediately dissolves back into solution. This protein haze is made up of the small fine proteins that help improve hop flavors and aromas, as well as mouthfeel and body. By keeping these proteins in our beers they may have a slightly hazier appearance then they have in the past, but as a craft brewer dedicated to keeping the craft in craft beer, we believe a dedication to constant quality improvement is always the most important part of being a craft brewer!

Cheers!

Odell Friek: A Brief History

Many of you have been enjoying our latest single serve offering Friek and we wanted to provide you with a little more history behind this special project that began over 3 years ago.

Doug Odell has always been committed to supporting homebrewers and has participated in the GABF Pro-Am competition since its inception in 2006. Working with the local Fort Collins homebrew club, The Liquid Poets, Doug worked with local homebrewer Eric Menchen who won the Best of Show in their clubs 2006 competition with his Kriek. Given the time constraints on producing this Kriek Ale for the GABF deadline, Doug and Eric instead brewed a batch of Eric’s Kriek here at the brewery with Colorado grown tart and sweet cherries so it had proper time to age and develop.

Still new to Sour Beers and without the proper facilities to house this beer at the brewery, the brew was relocated to Niwot where Eric kept a watchful eye on the fermentation over the following year. The beer was then brought back up to the brewery where it aged in an isolated part of the brewery in oak barrels for the next 5 months. After the aging time much of Eric’s Kriek was kegged for the taproom and Eric, with a small amount remaining in barrels to continue souring.

Inspired by the process of brewing Eric’s Kriek, Doug and Director of Productions Brendan McGivney, brewed their interpretation of a Kriek style Sour Ale in the summer of 2008. For this beer they brought together the knowledge of Brendan’s recent trip to Belgian and Doug’s inspiration from his project with Eric in writing their recipe for their Kriek. They began playing around with different cherry sources and varieties, and for the first time used Brettanomycees in the process. A small amount of Doug and Eric’s Kriek was added to inoculate the new barrels with the resident bacteria.

Later that year during the Raspberry harvest Doug and Brendan added freshly picked Fort Collins Raspberries, thereby creating the concept for Friek as it came to be. During this time Doug and Eric’s beer was souring nicely and Doug decided it was time to blend some of his recent batch he brewed with Brendan with the remaining beer from Doug and Eric’s brew. This beer was kegged for our tasting room and for the Vail Big Beers Belgians and Barleywines festival.

This process of brewing small batches of Doug and Brendan’s Kriek on the pilot brewhouse continued and as more oak barrels began to fill with this delicious sour ale, it was decided that we would attempt to do a full scale production batch for public release. Like Brendan and Doug’s first collaboration on this project, fresh handpicked raspberries were added at the end of aging to give it the complex fruit characteristic that plays so well with the unique combination of House Ale yeast, Brettanomycees and bacteria that Doug and Brendan chose to use.

We hope you are enjoying this unique hand crafted ale as much as we are and we are looking forward to continuing this project in the future. The next batch of Friek has been aging in oak and souring for quite some time now, so if you missed out the first time around don’t worry it will be back…we just need to be patient and wait for the yeast, wild yeast and bacteria to do their thing!

Cheers!

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2010 Colorado Hop Trip!

IMG_1558This past weekend, in preparation for our upcoming release of Mountain Standard Reserve ’10, A Double Black IPA, we filled a couple Subarus with brewers, beer and camping gear, and set off on a little trip through the hop growing regions of Palisade, Montrose, and Paonia Colorado. With these small artisan farmers growing high quality Organic Hops right here in Colorado, we could not pass up the opportunity to meet the growers, visit their fields, and enjoy some beers with the fine folks who work to produce the ingredients we use to craft our beer. We stopped by a farm we have selected hops from before; Glenn Fuller’s Rising Sun Organic Farms, www.coloradoorganichops.com to see his mature Cascades. We made our way to Montrose to meet with Randy at San Juan Hop Farms, www.sanjuanhopfarms.com, and were very impressed by his beautiful Chinooks. Lastly, we visited the new kid on the block… or rather a new school teacher on the block… Hippie Chicks Organic Hop Farm in Palisade. Julie, with the help of her volunteer Hippie Chicks, is in her first year and is already off to a beautiful start. We were so impressed with her operation that we decided to set up our sleeping bags right in her field and wake up amidst the hops to Palisade’s “Million Dollar Breeze.” We are really looking forward to working with Julie and the Hippie Chicks’ hops in our beers. Check out their story and photos of their “girls” (read: hops) at:

http://hippiechicksorganichops.tumblr.com

And… If you ever find yourself in Palisade, make sure to check out the delicious offerings at Palisade Brewing Co. and Peach Street Distillers… Those Palisade Peaches aren’t bad either. So, after spending the weekend walking through Glenn, Randy, and Julie’s fields of high quality, mature hops we selected beautiful Chinook and Cascade varieties that we contracted from each grower for this and next year. We will be using these hops in our upcoming Mountain Standard Reserve ’10, Double Black IPA. Our motivation with our Mountain Standard Reserve offering is to brew an inspiring beer that uses ingredients from Colorado craft farmers, whenever supplies and quality permit, as well as to support these local craft farmers and ensure the sustainability of hop farms throughout Colorado’s western slope. We had a lot of fun picking these hops and having a beer with these growers, we hop(e) you enjoy our upcoming Double Black IPA which will use these special hops!

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Saboteur: Brett Barrel Brown Ale

Odell Brewing Co. Saboteur Brett Barrel Brown Ale is like no other brettanomyces beer, it’s warming alcohol, smooth oak, roasted caramel malts, and refreshing pineapple nose are simply “Good.”

Good That s pretty much what this beer is. Oh, define it? Hm… well that’s tough because the Brits had all the resources to make this beer, that is if they would have only been willing to embrace the “crazy” Belgian techniques of the day when Big Brown Ales were substituted for meals by the Queen’s people. Instead, we as American Craft Brewers here in Northern Colorado, now get the chance to brew a style defying beer that embraces both our English brewing heritage as well as our Belgian-esque creativity…because, after-all, we can only brew “English-Style” beers for so long before we turn our back on tradition. As for the beer…well, it fills your nose with a bright fresh pineapple character and light peppery notes contributed from the brettanomyces yeast we add to both the fermentor and American Oak Barrels. Over time this pineapple character will continue to grow and evolve, providing a slightly dryer finished product and a more complex dried fruit character. The malt contributes rich caramel and toffee flavors with a soft warming alcohol character that exists harmoniously with the pineapple. Saboteur benefits from our Brewers’ careful selection of oak barrels with which we age a percentage of Saboteur before carefully blending the proper amount of barrel-aged beer back to provide a soft, vanilla mouthfeel which complements the slightly bitter roasted caramel malts. Add raisin, toffee and a slightly sour finish and you have defined “Good.” After buying a bottle of this beer, stop by your local butcher for a 1/2 pound of Buffalo Corned Beef and then by your local baker for a loaf of Marbled Rye, return home and enjoy a glass of Saboteur with a Reuben on your back patio as the evening draws to a close and the spring sun sets over the foothills.

ABV: 10.0 %
IBU: Doesn’t really matter because it is slightly soured

A “Cheesy” Valentines Day With Friends And Odell Beers

Valentines Day is often considered a cheesy “Holiday” manufactured by the Hallmark company. A time when, although you like craft beer more, you settle for a cleverly named red wine at an expensive restaurant. And most likely, you probably forgot to make reservations to that restaurant. But worry not my fellow intrepid beer aficionado, for with the help of craft chef Krystal Angelo and the hand crafted beers of Odell Brewing Co, I am here to provide you with an even Cheesier way to spend Valentines day with your loved one and/or friends… Fondue!

For these recipes we used 5 different Odell Beers, and paired it with 7 different Odell Beers, making for a very enjoyable and adventurous night of gastro-revelry. We used Easy Street Wheat, Levity, IPA, Red Ale, and Cutthroat Porter to help create the desired flavors in the foods and in addition to those beers we enjoyed 5 Barrel Pale Ale and 90 Shilling with the meal throughout the evening. One of the great things about Fondue is that it places an importance on the event and the experience, rather then just simply “eating.” You have a natural opportunity to talk about the food you are eating, or beer you are drinking throughout the meal, which is the very essence of hosting a craft beer dinner at home. And throughout the evening you really get to learn more about the beer you are drinking as you talk about the flavors you experience.

We structured the meal with three courses: a cheese fondue appetizer, broth main course and chocolate fondue dessert. Although we were plenty full after the cheese course we journeyed on and as you should know by now you always have room for Cutthroat Porter Chocolate Fondue covered anything for dessert!

Before you begin your dinner, make sure that you have prepared all of the foods-cut and rinse all the vegetables, tear the bread, and cut and prepare the meats (marinate if necessary). Also make sure that you have prepared all of your dipping sauces (if using any) as they need at least 30 minutes to chill.

First Course: Red Cheese Fonduefondue-1320505-640x480

6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

4 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded

4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese

1.5 Tablespoon flour

8 oz OBC Red ale, at room temperature

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Serve with: Bread chunks (French, pumpernickel, rye, sourdough or any other delicious variety), baby carrots, celery, Granny Smith and Pink Lady apple slices, canned new potatoes, pickles (dill and/or gherkin), and artichoke hearts.

Directions: In a bowl combine Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Cheddar and flour; mix well to coat cheese with flour. Set aside. In a large saucepan bring beer to a simmer over medium heat then add garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cheese-flour mixture by handfuls to saucepan, stirring constantly after each addition with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until cheese is melted. Stir in dry mustard, mixing well. Transfer to fondue pot and serve immediately with crudites and bread.

Note: The cheese is shredded and tossed with flour to aid in thickening and to improve the viscosity of the fondue. The fondue should be the consistency of warm honey when completed.

The cheese fondue should be held at a temperature warm enough to keep the fondue smooth and liquid but not so hot as to allow any burning. If this temperature is held until the fondue is finished there will be a thin crust of toasted (not burnt) cheese at the bottom of the fondue pot. This is called la religieuse (French for the nun or the religious one). It has the texture of a thin cracker and is always lifted out and eaten; it is considered a delicacy.

Tasting Notes: If you like cheese that has a slight munich malt character and mild citrus from the Red Ale hops then you will love this! By far the best combination of the night was the Tart Green Apples dipped in the cheese and paired with a 5 Barrel Pale Ale, the flavor profile was simply brilliant.

Second Course: Levity Court Bullion Broth Levity

2 Cups warm water

2 Cups vegetable broth

1 bottle OBC Levity amber ale

3 Tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 Tablespoon finely chopped celery

1 Tablespoon chopped carrot

2 Tablespoon Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoon garlic powder

Cocktail Sauce

1 Cup ketchup

2 Tablespoon extra hot horseradish (or more for your liking)

Mix ingredients and chill for 30 minutes or longer.

Tarragon Dipping Sauce

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

1/4 sour cream

2 Tablespoons shallots

2 Tablespoons Tarragon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

dash red pepper

Mix ingredients and chill for 30 minutes or longer.

Also, we used store bought Plum sauce for one of our dipping sauces, so do not think that you have to do it all yourself; save some time and money by taking advantage of your American right to buy anything you want, whenever you want it.

Serve with: Vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini; fresh ravioli; NY Strip streak, cut against the grain into bite sized pieces; OBC IPA marinated bratwurst, sliced; OBC EZ Street Wheat marinated shrimp; and chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces.

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook vegetables in broth first by boiling for 5 minutes. Transfer broth and vegetables to a fondue pot on 370F to 400F. Let vegetables cook a few minutes more or until desired doneness, remove from broth.

Note: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, and/or shellfish may increase your risk for food borne illness. A few rules of thumb when fonduing… cook your poultry for approximately 2 minutes, cook your seafood for approximately 2-3 minutes, cook your fish for approximately 30-60 seconds, and for rare meat cook for approximately 15-20 seconds, for medium 25-30 seconds, and well done for 40-60 seconds.

Tasting Notes: We were very impressed by the fresh hop character that came through in the IPA marinated bratwurst. Hopheads will surely enjoy this, while those sometimes put off by the more bitter character of IPA be warned. I found the honey malt character of the levity to provide a beautiful malty sweetness in the broth that transfered subtly into most of the un-marinated offerings, especially the broccoli. The Levity broth worked well with the bright hoppy IPA and Red Ale as a pairing.

Third Course: Cutthroat Chocolate Fonduechocolate-1325589-638x324

3/4 Cup heavy whipping cream

4 bittersweet chocolate bars (3.5 oz each), chopped

2 Tablespoons OBC Cutthroat Porter

Directions: In a sauce pan, add 1/2 cup of the whipping cream until simmering. Turn off heat and add chocolate, letting stand in cream for 3-5 minutes to soften. Then whisk the chocolate until smooth, and add the beer. Transfer to fondue pot and add 1 Tablespoon of cream at a time if chocolate becomes too thick.

Serve with: Strawberries, bananas, pound cake cut into bite sized chunks, marshmallows, graham crackers, Oreos, brownies, pretzels, cheesecake bites, cream cheese balls rolled in chopped walnuts, and anything else you would like to dip into warm, gooey, bittersweet Cutthroat Porter melted chocolate!

Tasting Notes: Your second stomach will love you for all the chocolate you just took in. Decadence is a wonderful thing! When you add a 5 Barrel, IPA or Red Ale as a pairing you will be even happier, as the rich chocolate plays in beautiful contrast to the bright and hoppy beers. The Cutthroat Porter in the chocolate lends a soft roastiness to the fondue, and is especially noticeable on the Pound Cake, Marshmellows or my favorite the cream cheese balls rolled in Walnuts.

We Fondid, and loved it! Now is that cheesy enough for you?

Cheers!

 

 

A Southern Style India Barleywine and Gumbo ‘At Home Beer Dinner’

I am sure many of you fellow craft beer lovers have watched the recent video from the Brewers Association regarding ‘At Home Craft Beer Tasting.’ I could not agree more with what can be gained by having friends over and tasting unique craft beers, especially when paired with delicious craft foods. The new experiences had while savoring craft beer with friends during an ‘at home beer dinner’ are what inspired us to do these in the first place. The write-ups associated with each one we are hosting are to help inspire all of you, whether full Cicerones or just recent graduates into the inspired world of craft beer, with new ideas to try in your home with your friends and our passionately brewed offerings. Most importantly for us here at Odell Brewing is the fun of savoring and dining with friends. For this meal we stripped away any possibility of the “pretentia” that could be associated with craft beer dinners and served up a big ol’ pot of Gumbo paired with our India Barleywine, followed by an old family recipe for Peanut Butta Pie paired with our Bourban Barrel Stout. As always I have provided background for our inspired pairings along with the full recipes, including preparation notes and pairing notes, and some visual imagery. So find the largest stockpot you can (or borrow a kettle from a friend that homebrews) and invite your friends and family over for a pre-holiday pairing of Odell Brewing Co. India Barleywine and Gumbo!

The holidays are a great time to enjoy craft beer by hosting a craft beer tasting or beer dinner in your home. It is a time rich with seasonal or limited releases us brewers spend all year dreaming up and finally are able to brew and share with all of you; I guess you could say its our gift to all of you for your support of the brewing arts. Craft chefs also can use the holiday season to showoff their skills for friends and family, and the unique beers we are brewing provide many new and exciting pairing options. This meal was inspired by some Southern Style cooking to help keep us warm here on the unusually cold front range of Colorado as a pairing for two of our Single Serve release; India Barleywine and Bourbon Barrel Stout. We bucked convention and prepared a pot full of true southern Gumbo with pan-fried cornbread and a deliciously simple Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad followed by some Peanut Butta Pie.

The Beers:

India Barleywine: Blends the warming alcohol character of Barleywines with the fresh hop character found in American India Pale Ales. A hopping schedule that begins with a whole leaf mash hop and ends with a dry hopping in the fermentor just before packaging, provides a most unique nose of varied citrus-orange, tangerine, pineapple-with cantaloupe, mango and a mild pine. A first taste will reveal a slightly sour grapefruit character, contributed from the hop profile, along with mild citrus, pine and an earthy or woody character. The esters from our house yeast work to compliment the strong citrus profile and also add to the dry finish which results in a hoppy beer without a lingering bitterness. Although hopheads will want to drink this beer fresh, Barleywine aficionados will want to age this beer so as to bring out the dried fruit characteristics which subtly linger in the background. This anomaly of style, whether fresh or aged, pairs well with big flavors and even bigger personalities.

Boubon Barrel Stout: Aged four months in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels, blends the characteristics of a great single barrel Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey with an American Craft Brewers take on an English Imperial Stout. It provides the taster’s nose with a snifter full of Kentucky Bourbon upfront, and sweet molasses and a light milk chocolate on the back. As one sips this Imperial Stout they will taste the warming Kentucky Bourbon, imparted both from the barrel aging process and the higher alcohol content associated with Imperial Stouts, as well as subtle notes of bittersweet chocolate. One will also notice a smooth vanilla flavor, resulting from the oak barrels, which rounds out the Stout by providing a softer mouth feel-comparable to the slight buttery notes found in some Red Wines. The defining Roast and Chocolate Malts of this beer leave a slight sour note on the palette, which perfectly balances the perceived sweetness of the vanilla. This Bourbon Barrel Stout pairs well with rich holiday meals, chocolate inspired desserts, and intellectual conversations held fireside in leather-overstuffed chairs.

The Menu:

Bonesaw Gumbo

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 yellow onions
2 bell peppers
4 ribs celery
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
2 lbs cooked shrimp
2 lbs andouille sausage
1 1/2 lbs shredded cooked chicken
1 bunch chopped scallions
2/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 cans okra with juice
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
Worcestershire to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Preparation Notes: Chop onions, peppers, celery and garlic place in pot with bay leaves,
seasonings, okra and tomatoes. In a sauce pan, brown andouille sausage
and remove. In the same sauce pan, make rue – heat oil and gradually
stir in flour and cook over medium heat until it’s the color of a dark
copper penny. Stir rue into vegetables. Add chicken stock, sausage, and
chicken. Bring to boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Add shrimp, Worcestershire
and cayenne pepper and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice,
and garnish with chopped scallions and Italian parsley.

Pairing Notes: Ryan “Bonesaw” King and his wife Amanda King have provided us one of the great gumbo recipes, and it pairs beautifully with the rich and hoppy India Barleywine. The delicate flavors of a well prepared gumbo, accented by fragrant Italian Parsley, work to unlock the complex citrus character of the India Barleywine. Additionally the malty sweetness and warming alcohol compliment the southern spice in this meal. India Pale Ales are often paired with spicy entrees, but this India Barleywine has the malt backbone to hold up to the spice in southern style cooking, and this meal does a great job of showcasing the unique malts used in this beer.

Southern Pan-fried Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 organic cage free eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for pan
1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation Notes: Preheat oven to 425. Put oil or shortening in a 10-inch oven safe fry pan and place in the oven to preheat while making batter. Combing cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. In another bowl whisk together milk, eggs, and butter. Combine and mix until batter is incorporated. Remove the pan from the oven carefully and coat with oil. Pour in the batter and bake for 20-28 mins. check center with a toothpick.

Uncl’ GeetGots DunLap Peanut Butta Pie

3 oz of cream cheese
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of crunchy peanut butter
8 oz of cool whip
1 graham cracker crust

Preparation Notes: Add cream cheese, sugar, pb, and mix all together. Then fold in the cool whip. Pour into crust. Let sit in fridge for 3 hours.

Pairing Notes: Wade Keith was right in calling this southern style rich and creamy Peanut Butta Pie; Uncl’ GeetGots Dunlap Peanut Butta Pie, ’cause your belly will ‘Dunlap’ over your britches when you are through eating it. An exceptional pairing with an Odell Bourban Barrel Stout, the richness of both the Pie and the Stout compliment each other and provide a decadent finish to the nights meal. When pairing beer with food one can try to compliment or contrast the flavors in each, and if you desire a complimentary dessert for a warming stout Uncl’ GeetGot’s Pie serves as an educational tool for the palette. The pie accentuates the light chocolate flavors in the beer and further softens the tannic mouthfeel provided by the oak barrel aging. A truly delicious pairing on a evening!

And at nights end…

…We sat with bellies full and livers satisfied thanks to the great southern hospitality of our friends and fellow Odell coworkers, Ryan, Amanda, Wade, his wife Gretchen and my partner Krystal. The idea for pairing a Spicy Southern Gumbo with our India Barleywine came without knowing for sure if it would provide a great craft beer and food pairing or just a great evening with friends, but after my second helping of Bonesaw Gumbo and just a little more IBW in my glass I can say with certainty that this is an excellent craft beer and food pairing. As Craft Brewers we do not follow the ‘rules’ when we brew so why should you have to when you pair our beers with your food. Have a great holiday season, invite your friends and family over for a little Gumbo and India Barleywine followed by some Bourbon Barrel Stout and Peanut Butta Pie, and enjoy our hand made gift of passionately brewed craft beer paired with your homemade cuisine!

For more Craft Beer Pairings at Home tips and ideas check out the Brewers Associations new video:

http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beer-and-food/host-a-tasting/at-home

Cheers!

Joe Mohrfeld

 

A Note on Bottle Conditioning

All of our 750 ml corked and caged bottle beers are 100% bottle conditioned. This means we add fresh, active yeast to the bottles along with some unfermented sugars to allow the beers to go through a secondary fermentation within the bottle. The beer is flat when bottled and over a period of several weeks the yeast ferments the sugars producing carbon dioxide within the bottle, giving the finished beer it.

IPA “Hop On” Chicken

Ingredients:IPA

Odell IPA – 12oz bottle
Boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts – 4
Dijon Mustard – 3 tbsp.
Brown Sugar – 3 tbsp.
Olive Oil – 3 tbsp.
Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp.
Hot Sauce – 1 tsp.
Kosher Salt – 1 tsp.
Ground Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp.

Directions:

Pour over chicken
Marinate in fridge for 8 hours
Grill or bake chicken as desired

Easy Street Wheat Halibut

 

Ingredients:Easy
Easy Street Wheat – 12oz bottle
Halibut Steaks – 4
Soy Sauce – 1 cup
Vegetable Oil – 1/4 cup
White Onion – 1/4 cup finely chopped
Sugar – 2 tbsp.
White Vinegar – 2 tbsp.
Dry Mustard – 1 tsp.
Ground Ginger – 1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp.
Limes – juice of 2

Directions:
Marinate fish for 2-3 hours and grill as desired

90 Shilling Rib Eye Marinade

Ingredients:90 RibEye
90 Shilling – 6oz half of bottle
Rib Eye Steaks – 2 16oz
Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp.
Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp.
Kosher Salt – 1/2 tsp.
Ground Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp.
Minced Garlic – 1/2 tsp.

Directions:
Mix together ingredients pour over meat.

5 Barrel Pale Ale Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:5BBL
5 Barrel Pale Ale – 12oz bottle
Pork Tenderloin – 2
Minced Garlic – 2 tsp.
Soy Sauce – 1/2 cup
Worcestershire – 1 Tbsp.
Coarse Mustard – 1 Tbsp.
Cider Vinegar – 3 Tbsp.
Hot Sauce – 1 tsp.
Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients, marinade pork in refrigerator overnight, then grill or bake as desired.

Isolation Ale Spice Cake

This copper colored winter warmer is brewed with imported premium malts from England. Isolation Ale has a rich and slightly sweet malt flavor that is complimented by a subtle spice hop finish, and pours a creamy head like frost on a pumpkin. Check out our recipe for Isolation

 

Isolation Spice Cake:Iso-Spice-Cake-Blog-Pic

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Isolation Ale
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, allspice baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with beer and mix well to combine. Fold in the chopped nuts.
3. Pour into a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

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Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

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