$14.99-15.99 per 25.4-ounce bottle
Coming in as a hair’s-breadth runner-up for The Post’s 2009 Beer of the Year title was this rich and rounded aged imperial stout, which makes for an unbeatable winter warmer. Dense, silky and black with a chocolate-mousse-like head, this brew is filled with cocoa and black-coffee flavors. Often when brewers age beer in bourbon barrels, the liquor flavor can come out too strong; Odell manages a lighter touch, resulting in a perfect balance of the true stout palate enhanced with bourbon, vanilla, oak and a touch of toasted coconut. Not only are these hearty flavors comforting, but the alcohol by volume of 10.5 percent helps ward off the season’s chill. As close to perfect as a beer can get. Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins;
Marcus Chamberland; mchamberland@denverpost.com
