Thursday, September 4, 2014

Odell Brewing Co

I was first introduced to this beer at a Friday night session at a café where my friend is the Bar Manager. It was a Friday night session because at that time, they didn't hold a liquor license so used a temporary event license for Friday nights. The café opened a little while ago but recently changed location to a bigger and better venue. For a short period of time I had Friday evening free and so to show support to my friend and a local business I thought I'd check it out on the Fridays. I'd been to the café a few times during the days and was overall very impressed with the place. A chilled atmosphere to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and a book. The café is The Fallow Deer in Teddington.

The first Friday night session I turned up about 8pm after I'd had a quick bite to eat after work and cycled over. I was meeting another friend there but he hadn't made his mind up whether he was going for sure. After a little persuasion he left his house and was on his way. In the mean time I had one of the house speciality cocktails that my friend the bar manager had created himself. It was gorgeous, I could quite easily have had more and more and more but then I would have been way to drunk to function as a regular upright human being. The bloody thing went down so easily it was like it hadn't even touched the sides, I was thirsty for another drink but wanted something more session like so I had a bottle of beer called 'Citra'. It is a beer that I'd had before a little while back and knew that it was perfectly drinkable, it is a great beer in fact one that I'd recommend if you like hoppy IPA style beers which I sometimes do and have recently developed a bit of a taste for. The beer that really blew me away was from a brewer based in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. The Odell Brewing Company to be precise. I'd seen their beers before but had never gotten round to trying in any, now was my chance. The beer in question was the 5 Barrels Pale Ale. After an almost unpleasantly hopped beer to this divine pale ale, it was smooth, full of body and flavour and had a length that went on and on and on. I have since had it a few more times in the bottle.


When I went for a beer in a pub local to my friend in Camberwell, London and noticed it on tap I couldn't resist. Without any consideration I ordered a pint. I should have known that the price tag would have been hefty, a craft beer pub in a pretty trendy part of London serving imported beers from all over. At £4.95 a pint it has to be one of the most expensive pints I have bought in a long time. In all fairness though, it cost me £4 a bottle and the bottle is quite a bit less than a pint so it kind of makes a bit more sense value for money wise. The pub was on the empty side but the people that were in there were very fashionable and young with beards, moustaches and shiny patent leather shoes. One might go as far to call them hipsters, they most certainly were. The pub is a little place in Church St called 'StormBird', I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the beers and would have enjoyed the company more if my mate didn't have his head resting on his arms on the table as if he was about to doze of to sleep. He woke up a bit when his flat mate swung by for a quick beer. If I'm ever in the area again I think I'll check out the pub again, maybe get a half next time though.

Brewery, pub and café links below





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