Setting the Standard

 

Brewer-Odell Brewing Company

Beer- Mountain Standard

Style- Black IPA

ABV- 9.50%

Description – Odell’s Mountain Standard pours a pitch black color with a foamy dark tan head that remains long and leaves a hefty lacing on the glass.  The aroma is dominated by piney hops with roasted chocolate malts also on display, but making for an interesting aroma combination that is extremely inviting.  The taste follows the nose with bitter hops attacking the palate first before the roasted malts wash over the palate to sooth the hop bite and leave a pleasant caramel and chocolate taste behind .  This is an unbelievably smooth IPA and makes for easy comparisons to a perfect blend of a porter and an imperial IPA.  The creamy body and moderate carbonation makes this beer not only easy drinking, but a very enjoyable drinking experience.  Overall one of the best black IPA’s available on the market today.

Food pairing – The combination of creamy, roasted malts, and hoppy bitterness makes for a few interesting combinations with dishes.  The immediate thought when treating yourself to this wonderful beer is that this would be great with many desserts.  The creamy body and roasted malts make one immediately think of pairing it with ice cream, crème brule, or other cream based desserts.  However, this is a fantastic beer to pair with roasted red meats, try pairing Mountain Standard with a hearty T-bone steak and the roasted malts will grab on the meat and never let go while the hops will add a bite and cleanse the palate perfectly in 

between each bite.

The Final Word – Mountain Standard sets the bar extremely high for the black IPA style.  The popularity in this style has been slowly growing over the years with many breweries trying their hand at it with very mixed results.  The roasted malts combined with the aggressive hopping can make for a less than desiring combination when not done in the correct balance.  However, Odell has found the balance and has created a truly remarkable beer, which is not surprising when considering how skilled the brewery is with all of their IPA’s.  Fans of IPA’s will absolutely love this beer, but also fans of creamy porters and stouts may also find something very enjoyable in Mountain Standard.  Where ever you fall on the beer spectrum this beer has something for you and is certainly worth a try!

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Where can I get it? -  Mountain Standard is available yearly from September thru December.  Odell beer can be found in: AZ, CO, ID, KS, MN, MO, NE, NM, SD, and WY