90 Shilling
Odell Brewing Company

90 Shilling90 Shilling
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Odell Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Scottish Ale
Ranked #7
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
87
Ranked #16,096
Avg:
3.89 | pDev: 11.05%
Reviews:
536
Ratings:
1,967
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 08, 2024
Added:
Jan 27, 2001
Wants:
  156
Gots:
  577
We introduced 90 Shilling, our flagship beer, at our opening party in 1989. For a while, we'd been wondering what would happen if we lightened up the traditional Scottish ale? The result is an irresistibly smooth and delicious medium-bodied amber ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Quaffer:
Photo of Quaffer
Reviewed by Quaffer from Missouri

2.54/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: This beer was a lovely, deep copper color. It had a very light tan head that was dense and persisted the entire drink. It left a lot of lace on the glass.

Smell: This beer smelled great at first. It had a big, maltly smell that just made my mouth water. There was some hops aromas as well, though not as much as I would have expected from a beer classified as a pale. Not the typical pale ale smell. After I had a few drinks, however, a certain sour "twang" developed in the aroma that seemed like it just didn't belong. Kind of like an old kitchen dish rag. The more I drank, the stronger it seemed to be. Initially, I had the "smell" rated at a 4.5, but as I drank, I had to lower it.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth and medium bodied. A great pale ale mouthfeel.

Taste: There was an overwhelming odd flavor to this beer that accompanied the sour smell I detected in the aroma. There was a little bit of maltiness to this brew, but not much. I could detect only a little bit of hops bitterness. And this is supposed to be a pale ale?

Overall, this was a disappointing beer. I have liked all the other Odell offerings that I have had. Maybe I got a bad bottle? I will have to give this beer another try.
Feb 12, 2003
More User Ratings:
Photo of hof_1991
Reviewed by hof_1991 from Wisconsin

3.74/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap with my Friday fish fry. A little lighter than most scotch ales but a good malty taste so just what I like in the type. Would drink again sessionable.
Mar 08, 2024
 
Rated: 3.93 by Iron_x_man from Colorado

Feb 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.43 by solardifference from Texas

Feb 01, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by njbusa from New Jersey

Nov 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.04 by Walnut from Missouri

Sep 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.22 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Jul 08, 2023
Photo of James_w
Reviewed by James_w from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 oz. can poured into a goblet.

Look (3.75) - Amber color. A small head that quickly dissipated into a small film-y collar. (though, I don't think my glass was quite beer clean, so part of that is on me). A little lacing.

Smell (3.5) - Smells bready with a little honey. There is a nope of apples toward the end.

Taste (4) - Bready up front with a touch of apple cider vinegar acidity in the background. Very gently sweet. Hops-y bitterness in the middle. Walnut-like nutty finish. A little simple, I think.

Feel (3.75) - Smooth and silky. Nice carbonated tingle on the tongue.

Overall (3.75) - A nice beer! Well-balanced and tasty.
Jun 13, 2023
Photo of kflorence
Reviewed by kflorence from Texas

4.06/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours an amber in color with hints of cherry and a finger thick of creamy, white foam atop. Great lasting ability on the head, although over time it dissipates to a thin layer of cream. Tons of lacing on the glass as you drink. Carbonation looks average with small bubbles rising in the glass. It's beautiful on the pour.

Roasted malts, brown sugar, rye and fruits, most especially apple and perhaps some raisin, on the nose. A little bit of earthy, herbalness in the background.

Taste follows the nose well. Lots of roasted, bready malts up front with some herbal lemon and spice from the hops towards the swallow. Smokey, caramel malts and apple peel linger in the mouth after the swallow. Very bready overall. I didn't know this was a Scottish ale when I picked it up (just said "Amber Ale" on the packaging), but that designation makes sense after tasting it.

This is medium bodied with a creamy, smooth mouthfeel and light, zesty carbonation. Really enjoying how this one drinks.

I'm not a huge fan of the style, but this is a very well made beer. It looks and drinks beautifully. I'm a bit surprised by the lower rating, but I suppose there are much better examples of this style out there. That said, this is a good one. I wouldn't turn it down, but this style will probably never be part of my normal rotation -- I prefer something less malt-forward. Still, glad to have picked this up as it is a quality offering. Cheers!
May 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.55 by Kevin_5280 from Colorado

Mar 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.34 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Jan 31, 2023
Photo of Hooded
Reviewed by Hooded from Texas

3.57/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12oz can poured into Tulip glass.
LOOK is medium amber with 1 finger of off-white head. Retention is average leaving a very thin collar.
SMELL is medium-low in strength. The smell is mostly sweet malt. There's also a faint fruit smell but I can't parse it.
TASTE is medium in strength. The taste is primarily sweet malt and biscuit. The long medium bitter finish at first accentuates the biscuit taste. There's a light dry caramel taste in the finish.
FEEL is medium in thickness. It's fairly wet with close to a medium level of carbonation which is a little high for the style. Astringency is low.
OVERALL, it's good but I register it as an Amber. I greatly prefer Austin Amber by Independance.
Jan 03, 2023
 
Rated: 3.7 by not2quick from Missouri

Nov 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by ajdemma from New York

Nov 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Oct 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by Mwt from New Hampshire

Sep 08, 2022
 
Rated: 3.88 by tjb27 from Minnesota

Aug 07, 2022
 
Rated: 3.99 by Xyvos00 from Illinois

Aug 02, 2022
 
Rated: 3.68 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Jul 31, 2022
Photo of ikapaMK
Reviewed by ikapaMK from Texas

3.64/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Can removed from refrigerator and allowed to warm for 2-3 minutes before opening and pouring into a curved-bottom mug/stein.

Appearance
Light tea color with 1 inch loose, beige head

Smell
Light hints of malt and light caramelization. Some sweet/appley/fruity notes at the back end of the nose.

Taste
Brief, sharp bitterness on the front end that mellows as the beer continues to warm, with a wafer/cracker-like maltiness. Sweet notes at the front, accompanying the malt, reminiscent of apple or pear, with a sweet, honey-like aftertaste

Mouthfeel
Thin body, effervescent, with a fine residue coating the tongue. Goes down easy

Overall
Not a particularly complex beer, but one that is easy on the palate. Not quite sure it meets the expectation of an amber or scotch ale, though. To crib the late Mr Pratchett, I'd call it a not-as-toasty-as-amber-ale-but-toastier-as-pale-ale ale.

Overall, an easy drinker for any variety of settings. Would drink again, especially if there were no other ambers or scotch ales available
Jul 08, 2022
90 Shilling from Odell Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 1967 ratings