Odell Cloud Catcher Milkshake IPA

Odell Cloud Catcher Milkshake IPA.
6.8 % ABV. 47 IBU. Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, CO.

Folks, I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads. For many years, I have entered notes on every beer I've had the good or bad fortune to find, right here in the Nib. If it's in my fridge, it'll be on the Nib. I broke that rule last night when I wanted another beer and there was nothing around that I hadn't written about yet. So, I cracked upon a cucumber sour and I drank it. It was a sour that tasted of cucumber. Rah, rah. I don't regret not taking notes. (Also, it was an A-B "craft" brand, and I don't care about reviewing them.) I almost did the same tonight with a grapefruit hefe weizen shandy.

But this here can I will take notes on. I've had a lot of beer from Odell Brewing of Colorado, and I've had a fair share of "milkshake IPAs". I have not, however, had a milkshake IPA from Odell Brewing. Let's see what that's all about.

Clear, bright golden hue, slimmish white head.

In the nose: Soft, creamy, nondescript. Rather a lot of nothing. Can that be true? Slightly sweet, fruity.

In the mouth: Mild hop bitterness pounces the palate at first. Creamy mouthfeel, smooth and easy-going. Some odd flavors I can't quite pin down. Chocolate?

What's makes a "milkshake" beer? The shake-y, cloudy look? This one lacks it. The vanilla and lactose? I'm not picking up on that much. One thing is for sure, the initial blast of hop bitterness goes missing after the first sip. I still do not know why these things keep getting called India Pale Ales. Or IPAs, since no-one knows what it means, anymore.

Yep, I'm still the cranky old-timer, shaking my fist at cloudy beers. You kids, get your milkshake beers off of my lawn! But, I don't think they're good when they're good, and they're worse when they fail. I like Odell and generally feel that they don't miss, but I'm not liking this one even a little. A dud.

And their can copy is worse than New Belgium's: The infamous Cloud Catcher. Her adventures are storied, as she takes flight every evening, meticulously stockpiling fluffs of Cumulonimbus. She has one mission: to capture the key ingredient to our newest seasonal brew, a deliciously smooth, cloud-infused Milkshake IPA. Hop-forward with notes of creamsicle and peaches, it delivers a citrusy punch alongside its hazy, velvety texture. Just as if the Cloud Catcher caught it herself.

Yuck. Whoever wrote that, I want to trash all of their dream-catchers.