Odell Fifty Niner Brett Golden Ale

Odell Fifty Niner Brett Golden Ale, Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado. 10% Alc. by Vol. 100% Bottle conditioned.

Appearance: Hazy, orange-ish hue, no head at all.

Aroma: Fruit, sour, ….not too wild, not too funky, not really much….hmmmm….

Before I get into the taste, I want to say that I was looking forward to trying this for many reasons, one is that I respect and admire Odell a great deal, and try to enjoy every new beer they make. Two is that I've been drinking and serving Harriet's Sour Barrel-aged Divine Oculust quite a bit lately, and am intrigued by something similar from another brewery. A soured, brett-ed up version of a Belgian golden isn't the normal thing. So far, in looks and aromatics, it's lacking in comparison to Harriet's. But, perhaps in taste, it'll come forward…

Taste: big fruit jumps out, swiftly overtaken by complex souring and brett effects. Medium-bodied. Low bitterness. Mild sourness. Peach and apricot, with a twist of the sour. Little bit of spice,

"Brett or Bust! 1859 was the peak of the Colorado Gold Rush. Prospectors and dreamers, later dubbed 59'ers, journeyed across the land with the hopes of striking it rich. In that spirit of adventure, Fifty Niner, a Golden Ale aged on oak staves and bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces, a yeast as wild as the new frontier. The lustrous golden brew shines with hints of lemon zest and pear accentuated by a rich vanilla and almond oak character and a subtle earthy spiced pineapple Brett finish."

Boy, I don't know what to tell you. That's a mouthful and it tries, but it oversells what actually comes out of the bottle. There's some of that in here, but not much, and it lays too low. I wish it was bigger, bolder, more outspoken. This is tasty, and it has character, but it could be a whole lot more than it is. I like what's here, but I keep wanting more, knowing that it's possible.

One thing I know for sure is that I wouldn't spend $14 on this bottle if I knew how unremarkable it was.