Friday 6th of December 2013 12:59:37 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

In my opinion, Odell's is probably the best of the larger craft breweries in Colorado. If you like hoppy beers, try the IPA. Other fantastic beers consist of 5 Barrell and "Town Pump" which is only available at the brewery and at the Town Pump pub (oldest bar in Ft Collins). This brewery is still locally and family owned and despite the large distribution area hasn't sold out to commercialism like some of the other breweries in the area.

Wednesday 18th of July 2012 01:39:06 PM

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Just a warning; this review is going to be slightly dated. I haven't been to the location since they did their facelift. So I will review it as it was a few years back when I went.

This location is one of my favorites up on FoCo. But I'd honestly probably tell you that about any of them in FoCo. They are all just really nice. This place when visited had a large taproom and plenty of seating. A nice airy feel about the place with a nice flow and feel too it. I won’t go any further about the atmosphere since it is no longer as i describe.

They had all of their year round beers on tap plus a few only served on premises. We had the sampler of course which I think at the time had 8 beers. All of them were outstanding beers. Even the ones which styles I don't prefer. My favorite or theirs is their IPA. Very hoppy is all I can say about it. Then when I had gone they also had a sour cherry beer. I can't remember the name of it but is was excellent. Sold also in champagne bottles in house. I took the tour with wife and friends and like all tours, the tour guide was well informed on the process of their brewery explaining everything and also going into detail of their 5 barrel system they use for pilot brews, The 5 Barrel Pale Ale was an employee’s beer they brewed back in the day that when served up was so popular they added it to their main line.

The service was standard. Just a bartender behind the bar getting what you wanted. I think he was the only one working in the taproom at the time. It was a random day and time we went so it wasn't too busy at all.

Sunday 9th of October 2011 09:42:11 PM

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We arrived at Odell on a Saturday afternoon. As an American Homebrewer Association member I received a free flight of beers and chose the Pilot Tray which included six beers, two of which were Nitro beers. We also tried a Co-Pilot Tray of six beers for $8. Their Bourbon Barrel Stout was my favorite. They have a great tasting room with inside and outside seating. There is no table service other than folks picking up empty glasses. There is no food service or non-alcoholic drinks available other than a cooler of water along one of the walls. There was a food truck outside selling food and sodas.

Tuesday 20th of July 2010 12:05:17 PM

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I'd just finished at New Belgium when I walked over to Odell. I wandered in and started talking to a group of guys from Kansas City who go on RV trips to breweries and write a blog about it, and apparently Odell had busted out the good stuff for them. I got to taste beers that I think normally may not be available for sampling or purchase except in 750ml bottles, including 2 of their Woodcut series (some of which I did purchase and took home and intend to share with some very lucky friends some day soon).

So my experience may have been unusual but I had a fantastic time there. I had both their normal flight and their higher-end flight that included a fantastic Imperial Pilsner, a DIPA/barleywine hybrid, and an unusual English-style brown ale that was dosed with Brett and then aged in oak barrels. Amazing. I wish I lived closer so I could experience what they come up with next.

Service was friendly but unobtrusive. I just stood happily at the end of the bar drinking my samples but there was always someone there to help me when I needed something. IIRC prices for draft beer were good but I do remember a bit of sticker shock for some of the big bottles I picked out to take with me. I think they're worth it though.

Sunday 11th of October 2009 10:46:22 PM

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after driving by the cluster chug of new belgium, o'dell's was a welcome pint. the specialty sampler was wild, including a crazy kreik, ruby red and effervescent as well as a nice, black nitro english stout. the real treat for me was a clean pint of the 90 shilling. excellent staff handling a swarm of drinkers with ease surrounded by some of the best artwork i've seen in a brewery. see new belg. and coopersmith's if you must, but spend some quality time at o'dell's for sure.

Monday 24th of August 2009 02:20:41 PM

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A great stop for Fort Collins. A nice looking tasting room with cool canvases of the labels on the walls looking mighty sharp. Staff was friendly and informative, both in the tasting room and during the tour.

My wife and I tried both the regular tray and the pilot tray, enjoying them all. I love the porter and find the hoppy stuff well done. The nitro versions of the porter and IPA didn't wow me, and the Mystery Beer (a Belgian Golden) was my least favorite, but generally, I'd encourage anyone to drink Odells, and certainly visit the brewery if in the neighborhood.

We were given chips that were good for discounted merch, if over a certain dollar amount (I think $10), or to be donated back to charity, which rotates.

Sunday 22nd of February 2009 05:44:07 PM

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Great beer great atmosphere a very, very friendly staff.

This brewery knows what it takes to make good beer. The year round offerings are great, the seasonal are so so and the specials are awesome.

Best beer is the IPA, puts all others to shame in the region and possibly the country.
The 90 shilling is a local favorite.
The house flavor is really nice and goes great with a majority of the brews in town.

BY FAR FORT COLLINS' FAVORITE BREWERY!

Sunday 1st of February 2009 11:35:11 AM

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odell's has a nice tasting room. the service was quick and polite. it was too crowded for my taste but we sat outside. if the weather's not good seating is surely an issue. i bought some merch so i got the discount on the sampler, which is nice. i was disappointed with the pilot tray. i didn't care for three of the four brews. they were well crafted but just didn't appeal to me. it also stinks that the pilot is 4 beers and the standard is 6. i certainly prefer their beer to nbb & buy their ipa every once and a while. i wish i would have selected the other sampler.

Tuesday 25th of November 2008 09:33:47 PM

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Another amazing stop on the Fort Collins brew tour. Bring a bike and you might be able to make it to all of them in a day, assuming you have a high tolerance. Odell Brewing has all of the standard genres of English style beers, and sometimes a few seasonal specialties, all of which I thoroughly enjoy. Somehow it's still considered New Belgium's little brother, but this is my favorite beer in the Fort. Go there!

Friday 21st of November 2008 04:18:05 PM

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5 barrel pale is one of my favorite beers so I was really looking forward to our visit. We ended up getting a couple of sampler trays and tried a variety of beers.

A nitrogen pushed IPA that was excellent and an imperial pilsner that was light and smooth but something like 8% abv.

I was kind of disappointed by the atmosphere. The building is nice but the tasting room had the feel of a Golden Corral. It was quite busy the day we visited. You came in the door waited in line while you passed through the gift shop area. You ordered and payed at a register then moved down the line to pick up your trays as they were being dispensed assembly line style. You then had to find a place to sit. No one was clearing tables so you had to clear your own table of empties from the previous users.

I did love the beer and will continue to purchase and drink.

Wednesday 13th of August 2008 06:54:37 PM

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Another fun micro/regional brewery.

They have two types of samplers. We had the traditional one. It costs $4 BUT, $1 goes to a charity (the charity is displayed on the wall and I'm told it changes weekly) and the other 3 can either be donated to the charity or as a $3 discount on merchandise. So, like their neighbor New Belgium, they don't make any money off the samplers.

My wife loves the 90 Shilling. It is also another staple of the Mid-West beer list. The Cutthroat Porter is by far my favorite porter as of yet. Dark, chocolaty, smooth and almost no bitterness. Amazing finish and amazing balance to that porter. If you get a chance you must try it.

Sunday 20th of April 2008 12:30:20 PM

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At Odell’s, the tasting room has tall table seating and a walk up counter (no seating) to select your sample tray or pint/growler brews. As described below, you can have the Classic Tray (standards) or the Pilot Tray (seasonals) or both. When you pay for it, you get a token you can use for a merchandise discount or donate it to charity. I opted for the 4 specialty brews on the Pilot Tray plus a taste of the standard Cutthroat Porter. I enjoyed them all; even the Vikings’ Malt Liquor. The Nitro offerings, IPA and Cutthroat Porter were particularly noteworthy. The outside patio was very popular when we visited with everyone enjoying the sunny spring weather. We lucked out an got a parking space in the small lot out front.

Sunday 9th of March 2008 03:06:57 PM

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Odells is right around the corner from the better known New Belgium but that does not make it a lesser product. Each of the local breweries here in FC have their own identity and personality which is wonderful for the beer consumer.

Odells is a nice size brewery that is growing and trying to keep within its philosophy that smaller batch beer has something to say for itself rather than overloading the beer drinker. The have a constant menu of beers that are available for tasting along with a pilot tray that changes about every month. As other reviewers have mentioned, they are very active in the community with a a way for the customers to support local charities while enjoying their fine products. They had a great small batch variety beerfest last May on their property and I am waiting for the dates for this spring. Nice affair with beer and food at very reasonable costs. Live music made for an afternoon of why Colorado is close to paradise. Music is usually available one day a week at the tasting room. Tours are a couple of hours each day. Staff is very knowledgeable along with degee of friendliness that they are known for. Pretty nice to live here in FC where there are an abundance of breweries and brewpubs that compete with one another but at the same time support each other and get along fairly well. Give Odells a try and you will not be disappointed. Only issue ever is with parking since their front lot is limited, but I see now that they are encouraging parking on the dirt lot right behind the brewery. Well, there has to be some room for improvement.

Sunday 30th of December 2007 09:49:57 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

A great place. Great beer and getting better. A must if doing a tour of Ft. Collins. Try a sampler for $3. Donate to the local charity by buying the sampler. If you've been before, try the pilot tray. Always experimenting and thus comes out with fantastic brews. Visit earlier in the day if you want the full experience. Has a patio for nice days. If you plan correctly, do a bicycle tour of the breweries and beer bars of Ft. Collins.

Thursday 27th of September 2007 11:06:34 PM

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another fun ft. collins brewery, under the shadow of NB. if you're doing one, you might as well do the other, because they're spitting distance.

the beer samplers cost a couple bucks, but you could choose to donate that money to the charity of the month, or trade it in on merch discount (unfortunately not a discount on beer).

this place was empty when the wife and i went, so we were attended to very quickly by the beer dude.

if you can get ahold of it, their ipa is amazing. ask about how many different hops, and hop processes it goes through to give it that amazing aroma.

gotta love the hops that they were growing outside.