180 Shilling Ale
Odell Brewing Company

180 Shilling Ale180 Shilling Ale
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From:
Odell Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #52
ABV:
9.9%
Score:
89
Ranked #11,660
Avg:
3.98 | pDev: 11.31%
Reviews:
51
Ratings:
218
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 23, 2023
Added:
Aug 01, 2014
Wants:
  17
Gots:
  45
In 1989 we opened our doors with our flagship, 90 Shilling. Still a favorite today, we’re celebrating our Silver Anniversary with a double version of the recipe that started it all. We’re a little bigger now, and 180 Shilling is too, with a hearty roasted malt base balanced by subtle earthy hops and aged on oak to create notes of toffee, plum, vanilla and dried cherry. Thanks for 25 years of beers, and here’s to many more. Cheers!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of DarkLordScott
Reviewed by DarkLordScott from Wisconsin

3.84/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a golden/bronze with good carbonation that forms a one finger tan head. Aroma is pure malt. Taste is butterscotch and cherry. Drink quickly, as the beer warms it loses much of its' character.
Dec 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.96 by einman from Minnesota

Dec 10, 2023
 
Rated: 2.78 by BlueTrain

Jul 30, 2023
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.99/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Draft at BitterCreek. Nods to barleywine, and scotch ales this barrel aged version is soft and smooth, and potent. Big, sweet nose, followed by caramel and butterscotch flavors, tempered by the wood barrels. Very warming, and tasty, slightly gritty and dirty. nice.
Jun 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.07 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 19, 2022
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

4.24/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L:. Pours a dark amber brown with a very small tan head and very little lacing on the glass.

S:. Starts with a note of figs and light cherry, which leads to vanilla wrapped up with some caramel and a very light hop, lots of malt in this beer.

T:. Sweet caramel, intermingled with some vanilla, a touch of cherry, and figs, a hint of berries.

F:. The booze definitely burns a touch in this one, smooth carb, medium to large body.

O:. This one is always a treat whenever they release it.
Nov 15, 2021
Photo of robwired
Reviewed by robwired from Kansas

4.18/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This review is for the cellar series 2019.
Poured a thick, dark amber with a tan-colored head. Thick mouthfeel, also, with some hoppiness.
As for flavor, plum/cherry was dominate with a malt-forward base.
It finished smooth with boozy edges.
Apr 23, 2021
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a murky brownish-red color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head has a great level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a good sum of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the brew is heavy of a caramel smell mixed with a big degree of breadiness as well as some notes of brown bread, caramel, and molasses. Along with these smells comes a big showing of brown sugar and some sweeter dark fruit smells of cherry and plum. Rounding it all out comes some light notes of a booziness as well as a touch of oak and smoke.

Taste – The taste begins with a big malty and brown-bready flavor that is dominated by sweet sugary tastes of molasses, toffee, and brown sugar. Along with these flavors comes notes of dark fruit of cherry as well as a touch of vanilla. The sugary sweet and bready tastes remain the dominant taste throughout, while the initially lighter notes of vanilla and cherry grow slightly stronger. All the while there is also an increase in some warming boozy tastes as well as a touch of an herb and oak, leaving one with a sweet and rich, robust warming taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thicker and chewier side with a carbonation level that is rather low. For the sweeter and rich taste of the brew the feel is good and makes for a nice slow and thick sipper.

Overall – A rather nice thick and hearty strong ale with a big and sweet flavor. Not sure if it is really worth the large price tag for the 12 oz. brew (especially when compared to brews of a similar nature such as Founders Old Curmudgeon, Backwoods Bastard, or DFH Palo Santo), but any which way, it is fun to give a try to at least.
Jan 15, 2021
Photo of alexipa
Reviewed by alexipa from Colorado

4.89/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This is one of the most unique and awesome beers I've had in literal years. It made me reset my password and write this review after a few years of being away from this website. It's basically an imperial amber, perfectly balance, with tons of alcohol, that you can't taste at all. I'm not sure how the sorcerers at Odell made this, but it's extraordinary.

Dark fruits, some oak, caramel sweetness, but really balanced. Easy to drink despite the full flavors.
Sep 26, 2020
Photo of firesidewithphil
Reviewed by firesidewithphil from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
180 Shilling is the big brother to the flagship beer 90 Shilling. It is a quad style ale with lots of dried dark fruits and malts. Very oaky with a beautiful rich dark caramel color.

IG: @firesidewithphil
May 31, 2020
Photo of Atlas1
Reviewed by Atlas1 from Texas

3.96/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My 500th review. Seems only fitting that it be an anniversary ale, right? I picked up a single 12-oz bottle of this at Central Market today while on a grocery run. This is also my first review since our stay-at-home order was issued by the mayor back in March. Such a weird time to be doing much of anything. Except drinking beer. It seems like the perfect time to drink beer.

Pours a very pretty mahogany color with bright oranges and deep reds blending together visibly when held up to the light. A really beautiful beer. No lace to speak of, though. The nose is rich and complex, with notes of plum and dark cherry, fruit cake, vanilla, and maybe maple syrup? This beer may be from Colorado but it looks and smells like New England in the fall. The taste is malty sweet (too much so?) with a strong molasses and vanilla presence. I also detect some dark fruits here with dense spice (cinnamon? nutmeg?). Maybe a faint hop presence in the finish, but only very faint. Mouthfeel is dense and creamy, especially as the beer warms to room temp.

I've always thought the Odell 90 Shilling was an okay beer. It's never had much of a wow factor, but it's always been okay. This 180 Shilling takes it to a new level, and I appreciate the effort. I feel the flavor profile is a bit too sweet (which, I get it, is par for the style) for my own personal taste, but the nose is intense and it's clear a lot of time and care went into this beer. Hopefully, for the next Odell anniversary ale, I won't be house-bound and we'll be clear of this awful virus. Everybody stay safe.
Apr 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.09 by jkaczinski from Iowa

Mar 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.15 by imnodoctorbut from Texas

Feb 21, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by denver10 from New Mexico

Dec 20, 2019
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured into a snifter to a deep reddish brown topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger and a half of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of some nice caramel and toffee notes with some fruity esters. Toasted malts as well
T: Taste is caramel, toasted bready malts, hints of fruity esters, touch of spicy alcohol, and sticky toffee. On the finish there's a little faded hop, caramel, toffee, toasted bready malts, and a little more spice.
M: This beer is on the heavier side of medium in body. Carbonation is adequate and comes close to being effervescent while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this one is pretty solid. It has some good flavors and a nice amount of complexity. The flavors are also well balanced. I'm not sure how long I've been sitting on this one, but it's been in my cellar for awhile. It's definitely held up well. I'd say it's a solid representative of the style.
Dec 11, 2019
 
Rated: 3.98 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Nov 30, 2019
 
Rated: 3.66 by EBdos

Nov 19, 2019
Photo of Highaltituderun
Reviewed by Highaltituderun

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark brown and smells floral and of molasses. Taste is a little stronger than the 90 shillings and can be attributed to the oak barrel. A second whiff brings a nice sweet smell to the nose. This beer is smooth and easy to drink, it doesn't have an alcohol flavor or bite to it and is surprising due to the 9.9% ABV. Head retention is amazing and the lacing is beautiful too. After 5 minutes the head is still at least an inch thick. Tiny and dense beautiful bubbles. I love 90 shilling as it is my go to beer choice in the northern colorado area(which is saying something). The 180 shillings version is nice, but the oak aging is better for other brews. Not disappointed, like I said earlier- for such a high alcohol content this beer goes down like water. Overall a wonderful beer.
Oct 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by Luckydog91 from Texas

Oct 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.97 by nruhlig from Minnesota

Sep 15, 2019
180 Shilling Ale from Odell Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 218 ratings