Down from the Mountain

Let's get back to drinking folks! Tonight I'm going with Odell's Mountain Standard Reserve. Mountain Standard is a highly hopped brown ale, and part of Odell's new expansion.  I have always like Odell's  standard lineup of beers, very solid and well crafted offerings.  They are now expanding the brewery and branching out into some more experimental beers like the Woodcut Series, which I reviewed Woodcut #2 a while back.  Woodcut #3 is on the shelves now, but I'm not quite ready to plop down $25 for a bottle.  On the other hand, Odell does have a new limited release line called the Single Serve Series.  The last time I was at Bubbles I saw the Bourbon Barrel Stout and the Mountain Standard Reserve, both of them going for $15.   That's more my budget right now. 

I went with the Mountain Standard this time around.  The label describes it as:

This is more than a limited edition offering. It’s an enigma in liquid form. At first it looks like a deep mahogany ale, then you take your first sip and notice its distinct hoppy character. We begin with a ridiculous amount of Cascade and Chinook hop varietals from Western Colorado and bring out their flavor with the hop back. Then we double dry hop for even more of that aroma you love. The result is an unforgettable beer from the forgotten time zone.

750 ml corked bottle poured into a tall Hobgoblin tumbler glass. Thick khaki colored head stands a solid two inches that gradually drops down to a dense cap. Sticky lattice of lacing surrounds the glass. Color is a deep and dense reddish mahogany. Very lazy carbonation rises up.

Smell is a thick green hops, floral and a little spicy. Taste is also very hop-centric, but the brown ale malts try to maintain balance. There is a sweet caramel and chocolate finish that comes in after hops subsides. It's like an IPA that finishes like a brown ale. Spicy hop bite on the tongue.

Mouthfeel is a lot thicker than what I was expecting. Very chewy texture, like a melting toffee. Carbonation is mild in the mouthfeel compared to the visible activity. Must be the heavier body keeping the bubbles checked. Very interesting beer that defies category.