Phlicker
also know as @PhillyBeerGuy
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2007
- Messages
- 884
Sly Fox 2007 Odyssey Imperial IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.4%
Availability: Brewed Once
Origin: Royersford, Pennsylvania
Price: $7/bomber
Rarity: Well, if you're not from around here, or didn't visit the area from December 2007 to March 2008, you're S.O.L.
Appearance:
Poured into a nonic pint glass. A clear, golden amber color with a huge, rollicking 4-finger head of sticky foam that seems to hold on forever and clings to the side of the glass in all it's hop resin glory.
Smell:
Not too much going on here. Hints of pine resin. Some notes of hops.
Taste:
For a beer that is purported to include 11 hop varietals, I really expected more in the way of flavor. I'm not sure if they all canceled themselves out or if the brewmaster was hesitant to put in too many of any of them for fear of overpowering, but I found the flavor to be rather flat and uninspiring. It's not bad, though; it's quite enjoyable, actually...but for an imperial IPA I was hoping for a bit more punch instead of the slight bitter twinge I do get. This was bottled in December so it's only been sitting for 3 months at the most...I doubt it's had enough time to really "mellow" out. The 8.4% ABV is only apparent in the warming feeling it leaves in the stomach. There is a nice caramel malt flavor which provides a good backbone for the mildly citrusy undertones, and leaves a sticky sweet aftertaste.
Mouthfeel:
Soft and gently carbonated, mildly sticky and coats the mouth well.
Drinkability:
For the strength that this beer has, it's highly drinkable, and I could probably have 2 or 3 bombers without being put off by the bitterness (though the ABV would probably catch up to me by that point). The fact that the hops don't smack you in the face in this beer actually help it's drinkability.
Overall Impression:
A nice, easy-to-drink IPA that falls short of my expectations (something a little more "extreme") and its potential (11 hop varietals!).
3.75/5.00
Odyssey is an Imperial IPA which is brewed with all the different hops used for the IPA Project, an annual series of single-varietal IPAs brewed by Sly Fox and offered once each (on tap only) on the first Friday of every month throughout the year. The 2007 project saw the following varietals used:
- AMARILLO IPA (January)
- CENTENNIAL IPA (July)
- CHINOOK IPA (May)
- FIRST GOLD IPA (June)
- GALENA IPA (February)
- MAGNUM IPA (November)
- NELSON SAUVIN IPA (April)
- PACIFIC JADE IPA (October)
- PHOENIX IPA (March)
- SOUTHERN CROSS IPA (August)
- TARGET IPA (September)
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.4%
Availability: Brewed Once
Origin: Royersford, Pennsylvania
Price: $7/bomber
Rarity: Well, if you're not from around here, or didn't visit the area from December 2007 to March 2008, you're S.O.L.
Appearance:
Poured into a nonic pint glass. A clear, golden amber color with a huge, rollicking 4-finger head of sticky foam that seems to hold on forever and clings to the side of the glass in all it's hop resin glory.
Smell:
Not too much going on here. Hints of pine resin. Some notes of hops.
Taste:
For a beer that is purported to include 11 hop varietals, I really expected more in the way of flavor. I'm not sure if they all canceled themselves out or if the brewmaster was hesitant to put in too many of any of them for fear of overpowering, but I found the flavor to be rather flat and uninspiring. It's not bad, though; it's quite enjoyable, actually...but for an imperial IPA I was hoping for a bit more punch instead of the slight bitter twinge I do get. This was bottled in December so it's only been sitting for 3 months at the most...I doubt it's had enough time to really "mellow" out. The 8.4% ABV is only apparent in the warming feeling it leaves in the stomach. There is a nice caramel malt flavor which provides a good backbone for the mildly citrusy undertones, and leaves a sticky sweet aftertaste.
Mouthfeel:
Soft and gently carbonated, mildly sticky and coats the mouth well.
Drinkability:
For the strength that this beer has, it's highly drinkable, and I could probably have 2 or 3 bombers without being put off by the bitterness (though the ABV would probably catch up to me by that point). The fact that the hops don't smack you in the face in this beer actually help it's drinkability.
Overall Impression:
A nice, easy-to-drink IPA that falls short of my expectations (something a little more "extreme") and its potential (11 hop varietals!).
3.75/5.00
