Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout

Brewed by Odell Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

In the bottle at Phil and Bernie’s holiday stout tasting. Pours black with a dark beige head. Outstanding aroma! It smells like a bottle of maker’s mark whiskey. The body is disappointingly thin. In fact, the body is just too light to support this much bourbon.

2009 bottle. Pours black with a full, tan, frothy head which settles to a lasting, thin layer of froth with some sporadic, frothy lace. The nose is pleasant but not great for the style; notes of dark chocolates and mild coffee overtones, prominent notes of light smoke, bourbon, light oak shavings, toasted caramels, and just hints at tobacco, macadamia nuts, and vanilla. The flavor is much of the same but sweeter than expected; dark chocolates and toasted caramel make the bulk of the backbone with other notes of macadamia nuts, raw oak, light vanilla, a very mild coffee roast, and some molasses in there as well. Palate is moderately full, soft to lively, lightly chewy, and oily. Finishes drying a bit from the oak with more notes of raw oak and toasted caramels, light vanilla and chocolates, and lingering molasses notes. The more I drink of this one, I like the raw oak notes with the caramels and vanilla it produces. However, it is fairly simple for an IS but incredibly drinkable for the 10.5%. I got a bit of the bourbon notes in the nose but in the flavor, it seemed more like just oak aging. Actually a pretty nice offering from Odell but just not a great IS and not one of their better small batch beers.

Woody vanilla, caramel, and whiskey notes with a slight brett sour edge on the aroma. Straight black color. The aromas carry through to the taste though it is mellowed and no hint of sourness. Notes: GABF ’09

Bottle. Really tough to cork this guy. Pours deep brown with a creamy tan head. Sweet caramel dominates the nose along with vanilla and hints of oak. Surprisingly sour along with the strong oak and vanilla. The sweetness is overwhelming. While complex and unique, I can not give this a high mark due to the lack of subtleness.

750mL bottle. Poured dark brown with a deep tan cap of dense head on it.. silky viscosity. The aroma picked up some very sweet bourbon and vanilla notes upfront with dark chocolate, tar, and molasses not far behind (still quite sweet).. light toasted coconut and vanilla paired with black pepper-sprinkled, charred oak on the back. The flavor kept the sweet theme going with an array of chocolates and molasses at the core.. the bourbon gave more of an impression than on the nose, giving both sweetness and near-metallic tartness around, as well as rising vanilla and oak through the finish.. warm, spicy, and slightly smoky for a while after the drink. Medium-plus bodied with more-than-ample carbonation on the palate.. the transitions through the mouth and balance were both a little off.. all in all a solid brew.

Good burbon flavor, slick mouth feel. Not what I expected, a little woody and decent head. Light alcohol burn, not on par with burbon county stout but a good representation of the style.

Pours black/dark brown with a light tan head. Aroma is very nutty overall with notes of wood, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, alcohol, and something a little too leafy or planty. Tastes like bourbon soaked caramel at first with a bit of dark chocolate, almonds, wood, light vanilla, leaves and something a bit "green." Cucumber? Eh, maybe. Finishes with dark chocolate, roast, wood and licorice, not too bitter and still nutty and delicious. Medium to heavy body, highish carbonation for the style, fluffy and creamy texture, not syrupy. A good beer with lots of finesse, but without that slightly vegetal or cucumber-y note, it could have been even better.