Odell Brewing is located in Ft. Collins, CO and was founded in 1989. They’ve grown slowly and steadily, achieving distribution in 10 states. On my recent trip to Colorado, more posts to follow, I had the fortune to be in Ft. Collins to visit New Belgium Brewing and took the opportunity to visit one of the other classic Ft. Collins brewing institutions, Odell Brewing. I managed to just barely catch my scheduled turn as I’d taken a wrong turn on the way over. Afterwards, I worked my way through several taster trays and decided a bottle of the Celastrina had to come home with me for deeper analysis.

Celastrina is named after a blue butterfly, also known as Hops Blue, that likes to hang around the hops grown in the Colorado mountains. Part of the money earned from the sale of this beer goes towards research on this mysterious little insect.

Appearance: Hazy orange, off-white head with solid retention.

Aroma: Citrus, touch of funk, clove, banana, citrus blossoms, vanilla.

Taste: Touch of sweetness, citrus-y hops with a light hop kick, spicy, floral, lavender.

Overall Impression: There is a bit of oiliness to the mouthfeel. The high effervescence makes for a creamy and bright mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very “bright” tasting beer. The citrus and floral notes all speak to summer sun and flavors. This is a really nice American interpretation of a Belgian classic. The touch of malty sweetness is countered by crisp hops and the whole thing is pulled together with great yeast character. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where Odell distributes, keep an eye our this one.

Availability: Seasonally in areas where Odell is available. Here’s a link to their website’s “beer finder.”

7.5% ABV

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