Odell Wolf Picker Experimental IPA

The name Wolf Picker comes from a harvesting rig, not from somebody who picked at wolves, or a judge in a wolf beauty contest, or someone who does wolf tattoos. Apparently every year the Wolf Picker features a different strain of hops. 

Wolf Picker IPA pours a slightly hazy golden hue, with a towering four-finger head. Although the IBU count is a conservative 41, it tastes like it should be higher. Interesting mixture of grapefruit and pine notes. Other than those two, there are hints of lemon grass, coriander, and some floral & tropical fruit notes, all very subdued. This is what you want - nothing overwhelming anything else, no added fruit flavors - everything that you taste coming from the hops and the malt. I'd seriously recommend if you like to be able to taste your IPAs and not be drowned in bitterness. 
 

Odell 90 Shilling Amber Ale

 I picked up an Odell's variety 12 pack today, it looks like I may have had, once upon a time, three of the four, but I'm going to review them again since it's been over 10 years. 

90 Shilling is an amber ale. Amber ales are kind of the middle-of-the-road work horses of the ale world, nothing fancy, no crazy flavorings or over-the-moon hoppiness. 90 Shilling pours a clear copper hue, with a thin beige head that dissipates pretty quickly. The ABV is 5.3%, which means it's not going to kill you, with 32 IBUs, which means you'll still have enamel on your teeth after a can or two. At one time Odell's called it a Scottish Ale, but in my view, amber ale describes it better, as Scottish Ales tend to be heavier with a smoky quality that this beer lacks. 

Caramel and pumpernickel bread are the prevailing flavors, yet they don't overwhelm. I think I'm detecting teeny bit of coriander and honey as well. Pretty decent ale, especially if you like to keep it simple. 

Brewdog Double Punk Imperial IPA

I'm almost through the Brewdog Winter Variety 12 pack - it's now time for an Imperial IPA! Double Punk clocks in at 8.5% ABV, which, in my book, makes it just an IPA, not an Imperial - but since there's no actual rules about what brewers can call their beers, we'll just live with it. Brewdog doesn't list their IBUs, so I don't know where this falls on the hoppiness scale, but it tastes really hoppy. There's a strong pine taste to the hops, along with some hints of grapefruit and lemon. I'm also getting a bit of breadiness, and some light caramel as well. I neglected to mention that it pours a ripe pineapple hue, with a bright white two-finger head! 

 

Brew Dog Jet Black Heart Vanilla Oatmeal Milk Stout

 Ill-Gotten Booty has been on a little break from beer since New Year's Eve Eve's overindulgence at the Shithook show, but he's back with yet another from the Brewdog Winter variety 12-pack. An earlier beer in the Jet Black Heart series, the espresso version, was reviewed about six weeks ago. Jet Black Heart Vanilla Oatmeal Milk Stout is just as good as its sibling. It poured out of the can like a chocolate milkshake, the reverse waterfall effect gradually receding to a jet-black (naturally) brew with a frothy tan two-finger head. The consistency is like liquid velvet. Of course there's vanilla, but not overwhelming at all. The overall impression is that of chocolate milk, with some mild coffee notes. Minor notes of dark fruit, brown sugar and caramel are along for the ride. The IGB score? 9.0 on the milk stout scale!

Brewdog Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA

No disrespect to the Brewdog brewmasters, but there's not a lot of variety in this variety pack. The way I envision a variety is different styles of beer, not just seven IPAs with different fruit flavors added.

Sorry, all that I can say about this beer is:

"Same as the other IPAs I reviewed, this time with grapefruit and no cranberry"

 

Brewdog Double Cake

Ill-Gotten Booty has mixed feelings about adding flavorings to beers. On one hand, the right combination of malts and hops can unleash a myriad of flavor profiles without adding anything; on the other hand, some flavors add to certain styles resulting in a total that is greater than the sum of its parts. Stouts and porters are often enhanced by the addition of chocolate, vanilla or coffee. Double Cake has added marshmallow and chocolate to their very fine stout and it's a winner! Double Cake pours a midnight back with some scarlet highlights, with a reverse waterfall resolving itself into a three-finger khaki head. The chocolate and marshmallow flavors are there, but rather than distracting from the stoutness of the stout, they, as the man said "kicked it up a notch". In addition to the added flavors, the stout boasts notes of vanilla and coffee, with the marshmallow imparting a smooth creaminess. 8/10 on the IGB stout scale. 
 

Brewdog Hellcat India Pale Lager (Collaboration with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson)

 Previously unbeknownst to me Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson is a beer aficionado who has partners with numerous craft breweries to produce the "Trooper" family of beers. (Photo below).

Hellcat is styled an India Pale Lager (IPL), which I can only assume, is an attempt to cash in on the popularity of IPAs while brewing a lager. The reading I did on the IPL style indicates that it's pretty new, so there are no real guidelines as to what makes an IPL. They're apparently brewed using lager yeast, which is typically cold/bottom fermenting, so I'm not sure how they tease the esters out of the malt that normally come out with the higher temp top fermenting yeasts. Research for another day I guess. Mainly what they're going for is a marriage of the crisp, cleanness of a lager with the hoppiness of an IPA. I didn't think Hellcat was especially hoppy (Brewdog doesn't list the IBUs of their beers), but it did have some complexity not normally found in lagers. It reminded me of a helles style, with some floral and strawberry notes. Maybe a hint of pineapple. Somewhat unexpected - I would need another to really appreciate it, but the 12 pack only had one