Odell Brewing Company

The Odell Brewing Company, Colorado, USA.

Probably their most well known beers are these two, the '5 Barrel Pale Ale', and the '90 shilling' Scottish style ale. Both were bought for £2.99 each.
First up was the 90 Schilling, with a 5.3% abv.

A sweet and malty aroma, burnished brown colour, tastes nutty, a lot of caramel, light brown sugar, the light bitterness like some burnt toffee. I quite enjoyed this, it was a pleasant beer all round, simple as that.

I moved onto their 5 barrel pale ale, which is 5.2% abv.

Poured a hazy orange in colour, very attractive indeed. A good marmalade aroma, in the mouth it has a sticky resin quality, a good citrus hop bitterness.

I did wonder if drinking it after the 90 Schilling ale sweetness that it made the bitterness more pronounced than perhaps one might notice normally. Some biscuity malt came through nicely and a fair dose of juicy fruit too.

Overall two very good, very drinkable beers.

Apologies for the hi-ball glass, the kitchen was packed away whilst being gutted and replaced and it was the only glass to hand.

Burns Night beers

Every January 25th is celebrated as Burns Night in Scotland, Robert Burns with traditional food, verse and music. Me, I love haggis but the wife will not entertain the idea and I don't think the kids would try it either. And seeing as I do not drink whiskey I'm left with Scottish beer, ah well, never mind! (I'm actually out tonight so it was last night I sampled these)

Bought in Aldi this week, 2 beers from the Traditional Scottish Ales, a Blonde beer 'Rabbie Burns' 4.2%, and according to the label a 80/- export 4.5% 'William Wallace'. Both 500mls, and £1.49, neither bottle conditioned.

Firstly the Blonde beer, pours nicely carbonated, pale yellow in colour with little bubbly head. Slight citrus aroma with cereal. Biscuit base malts, light zing of lemon, slightly sweet and oily texture. Very little in the way of hop bitterness, and the whole thing ends quite quickly in the mouth. But its inoffensive and easily drinkable.

Next up the William Wallace, the 80/- Export has a reasonable sweetness to the aroma, not much else. A nice amber in colour, medium body, its got a lot of sweet malt, and a little fruit. It has a nice dryness, but none of the peaty or smoky character that you may be expecting with some Scottish shilling beers.

Overall two easy to drink but quite average beers on offer currently in Aldi.