Odell 90 Shilling

Brewed by Odell Brewing Company
Style: Scottish Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Serve in English pint, Thistle

Bottle at home from my 60 bottle GBBF 2010 haul ... copper big bubbly off white head ... soft dry woody toffee hop nose ... light over fizz ... toffee malts ... light creamy pale ale malt ... decent enough

ORange pour with a red tint and a white head. Overall a watery malty beer with maple syrup and molasses flavors. Not much hops. Just kinda meh.

Bottles. Brown pour with small off white head. Aroma is slightly smoky, big caramel notes. Flavor has hints of smoke, some faint pine notes, caramel, toast.

Bottle. Pours a clear and dark golden beer with a weak offwhite head. The aroma is malt and sweetness. The flavor is malt, wort and hay. The palate is sweetness. Overall an average beer.

O’Dell brewing has been moving up the ranks as one of my favorite craft brew makers. I know I’ve had 90 Shilling in the past, but I’ve never sat down and analyzed exactly why I like it. The Scottish Ale has gained some momentum in recent years; 90 Shilling is a variation on that. 12 ounce bottle. I’m pouring this into my imperial pint glass. A rigorous pour reveals a beer that is ruby red to light amber in appearance. It’s got a smallish tan head, creamy in appearance, with some decent lacing readily apparant. Judging on appearance alone, this is one good looking beer. You have to do some work to get the aroma of the beer (typically I struggle a little bit in this area, my sinuses just don’t always cooperate). What is there smells of toffee and caramel malt. Some biscuit characteristics as well. Not a lot of what I would normally call hop character. This beer, at least at first smell, appears to be all about the malt profile. The mouthfeel of the beer is almost creamy, with moderate carbonation lending a very pleasant mouthfeel. With this style it’s easy for a beer to get syrupy or viscous; that’s not the case in 90 Shilling. The first taste is pleasant, with biscuit and caramel yielding to pine in the middle followed by sweet gingerbread and a warming finish. Reminds me of autumn, really an enjoyable and drinkable beer. Though those of you who prefer more of an earthy peat flavor in your Scotch Ale may be a bit disappointed. I’m not among them. This is just a nice, easy drinking beer, regardles of style. It’s obvious, at least to me, why O’Dell picked this as their flagship ale. It’s got all the great markings of a good beer, well balanced and very flavorful.

Bottle. Pours cloudy dark amber with a smallish, creamy off white head. Lots of lacing. Smells like ... iced tea with lemon. Very malty, caramel too. But distinctly tea and lemon. Flavor is biscuity malt, caramel, rather earthy. And some more tea. Slightly thick body. Very pretty, fine carbonation.

Bottle. Dark bronze beer with a strong frothy head. The aroma is gently roasted and malty, with a hint of aniseed. The flavour is bitter and thickly florally hopped. Overall a fairly average roasted, bitter, hopped and yeasty beer.

From tap. Pours cloudy dark amber with a small white head. Aroma is fruity, slight peachy. Fruity, caramelish malty and bitter dry. Slight roasted malty and caramelish into fruity and bitter finish.