Odell Brewing Company- 5 Barrel Pale Ale: Don’t Make Me Beg
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 9:12PM | by Jason 
One of the benefits of living in the Chicagoland area is that we have access to a plethora of Craft Beers from all across this great country as well as some great foreign brews. The bad thing is that we can’t get them all. So I jump for joy anytime I get the chance to sample and enjoy a brew from a brewery that we can’t get here in the Midwest. Lucky for me, my old man travels quite a bit and if he manages not to drink them all, I usually end up with one or two brews that I haven’t had before. On his last trip he managed to bring me back a couple of brews from a brewery that I have been dying to try. Both brews were from Odell Brewing Company and for this review I will hopefully be enjoying their 5 Barrel Pale Ale.
Odell Brewing Company classifies this brew as an English Pale Ale and their website describes 5 Barrel Pale Ale as, “The distinctive hop character of our 5 Barrel Pale Ale is due to the extraction of essential oils from select hops. We treat 5 Barrel Pale Ale to an infusion of fresh whole hop flowers in the Hop Back and the Fermentor, as well as four hop additions during the kettle boil. We like how this gives the beer a fresh, lively flavor and aroma."
5 Barrel Pale Ale pours a golden/orange color with a tiny ¼” off white head and the aromas vary from hops, citrus, grassy, hint of wheat with a faint orange zest and is 5.2% ABV.
I have to first say that Odell has not only a unique bottle (with a raised Odell crossed leafs) but I’m digging the packaging and label, a mix of subtle & classic design. That aside, let’s get to the important stuff…what’s inside. I’m a big fan of Pale Ales. This is a great Pale Ale. 5 Barrel Pale Ale has a flavor that is a nice mix of hops and pale malts. It starts with a nice hop bite then a splash of citrus and a slight sweet finish of pale malts. 5 Barrel Pale Ale is very drinkable and has an almost perfect level of carbonation. If I could get this here in Illinois I would definitely put this in my daily drinker rotation as it is one damn fine Pale Ale. However, it looks like I’m going to have to sit here depressed that I can’t get my hands on some more…oh cruel world!! As a personal plea, Odell Brewing Company please start distributing to Illinois, PLEASE!!
ABV: 5.2%
Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy A Case
