Odell Brewing’s Eli Kolodny, on the left, and Tony Rau give us their picks for Beer in Review 2015. (Photo courtesy of Odell Brewing).
As 2015 comes to a close, we re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next.
This next installment in our 5th annual Beer In Review features two beer experts from — Eli Kolodny, the quality control manager, and Tony Rau, the brewery’s lab lead.
Odell Brewing is the state’s third-largest craft beer brewer and was the state’s second microbrewery to start up back in 1989. The brewery is known for its staples, a fresh IPA, 90 Shilling and its Cutthroat Porter.
Here are Eli’s and Tony’s picks:
Favorite beer of the year: Fresh Squeezed IPA. No fruit required, just fruit forward hop selections. Spawned a dozen clones and raised the bar on pricing for a six pack. Easy to drink and good beer to share with friends.
Colorado brewery of the year: . New facility on Gunbarrel Road dramatically improved the quality of their core brands, and allowed for even more enjoyment of their near endless barrel aged concoctions. With the addition of the restaurant, it really steps up the game for destination breweries.
New Colorado brewery of the year:. Greeley is one of the fastest growing towns in Northern Colorado, so it’s no surprise that a brewery or three should be popping up there. What is surprising is that their hefe and double IPA can stand up against the best of them.
Colorado brewery to watch in 2016:. In a town saturated with beer, Denver’s Spangalang sets itself apart by opening up in the off-beat Five Points district. The beer from this months old brewery is as inviting as you would expect from a place that has been open for a decade or more. When three ex-pats form like Voltron to spread the word of goodly beer to an unsuspecting neighborhood, what more could you want?
Most notable craft beer news or trend of 2015: Gose. Had enough of hops, but a warhead level of sour is too much for you stomach to handle? Gose is a traditional German style beer using a kettle souring technique and a healthy dose of salt. It’s like Gatorade for adults. A good balance of what both sour-lovers and people just getting into sours will enjoy.
Craft beer trend to watch for in 2016: Fruit forward pale or IPA. See answer to first question. More refreshing than bitter, this is a prime style of beer to get new people into hops.
