Olvalde Farm Spiced Ode to a Russian Shipwright

Full Disclosure Department: Last night, I didn't get home from work until about 4 A.M. Just one of those nights. I normally don't start my drinking with a reviewing beer, so I have something I don't intend to take notes on as my first "get relaxing" brew that early in the A.M., when most people are asleep. Then, I started on my first reviewing beer, the Mikkeller Funky E, the last one I posted. After that I was ready to tackle a big bottle, so I went for the Olvalde Farms Spiced Ode, a spiced version of Ode to A Russian Shipwright. If things were right with the world, this brewery would get a whole lot more recognition and respect. Currently, the beer world is going ga-ga over a handful of tiny breweries in Vermont, of all places. And I'm sure to many Minnesota is one of those "of all places", but if ever a tiny one-man operation deserved wider recognition, I think it is Joe Pond and Olvalde Farms. They've only made three basic beers, with a few variations, but I feel that those are so excellent that they should receive much more fame than they do.

Anyway, I was deep into this bottle well after 5 A.M., and sometimes I just let it go. For me, profanity is something you hold onto when you need it most. I detest hearing it in everyday situations, casually dropped out as if it were nothing. But, you may notice, I still censored myself, a little. So, here are the early morning ramblings on the topic of Spiced Ode, from Olvalde Farms:


Spiced Ode. Olvalde Farms . Ale brewed with spruce tips with spices added, lightly hopped, unfiltered, refermented in the bottle. Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company, Rollingstone, Minnesota.

Dark brown body, intense carbonation, slimmed head, dark toned.

Aroma: spruce and pine hit first, followed by pine needle and lemon, …mmm, sprucey. Brisk carbonation. Sweetness turns to dry on the quick. Medium body, not to full, not too flush, just right, easy drinking, despite the ABV. Spicy stuff, herbal stuff, leafy, all that goodness. Doesn't contain enough deep, dark maltiness. The spruce is taking it all over.

I like this, though it's creeping into the territory of a bit too much. A unique creation. Delicious.