The Meddler
Odell Brewing Company

The MeddlerThe Meddler
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From:
Odell Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Flanders Oud Bruin
Ranked #23
ABV:
8.9%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,792
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 10.7%
Reviews:
71
Ratings:
314
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 24, 2022
Added:
Sep 10, 2012
Wants:
  38
Gots:
  81
A resurrected style from the Flemish region of Belgium, The Meddler oud bruin is a crafty concoction, comprised of several generations of brown ales, barrel aged and blended. Wild yeasts, Lactobacillus, and Brettanomyces meddle with the brew for over 18 months creating complexity and depth of flavor. Hints of malty sweet chocolate and vanilla toy with a hauntingly sour finish. Intricate yet balanced, The Meddler will leave you craving more of the mysterious brew.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bsp77:
Photo of bsp77
Reviewed by bsp77 from Minnesota

4.29/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Tulip.

Appearance: Dark reddish-brown with thick, bubbly tan head.

Smell: Vanilla, oak, tannins, some fruitiness. Minimal sour notes in the aroma.

Taste: Oak, vanilla, tart cherries, sour grapes and pepper. Great balance of malty sweetness, sour notes, and spiciness. I purposefully waited a year to drink this as initial impressions indicated that the yeasts and bacteria needed more time to do their work. This is still not quite a sour bomb, but that is not a bad thing as this is so nuanced and tasty.

Feel: Medium body with ample carbonation. Finish is dry and tart.

Overall: Great example of a Flemish Ale. I hope they brew this on a semi-regular basis, as they do with Friek.
Oct 11, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.02 by rawbraves from Colorado

Apr 24, 2022
 
Rated: 4.07 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Nov 29, 2019
Photo of 2beerdogs
Reviewed by 2beerdogs from California

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Thanks to @hophound for this one.
Not a style I go to much, but I'm always down.
Pours a ruddy crimson tinged brown in color. Tan head, retention is pretty good. Moderate lacing.
Smell begins tart cherry, some leather, slight vinegar notes, and smooth caramel notes.
Taste begins with the cherry, but then some meaty plum and raisin come in, followed by some wood, leather, then a tartness that comes back with cherry and muddled berries, followed by a malty balsamic glaze.
Feel is medium to almost chewy. Somewhat active carbonation.
Overall, for a style I don't get much excitement out of, this has a lot going on. Would definitely revisit.
Aug 05, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Muddy brown color; some ruby near the edges.

Nice khaki head; slight lacing.

Oak & red wine in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Taste follows nose; this is what I wish red wine tasted like. Slightly sour but very drinkable.

Unique.
May 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.27 by Dalbeast from Wyoming

May 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.23 by kkazemi from North Carolina

Feb 22, 2019
Photo of BlunderfulGuy
Reviewed by BlunderfulGuy from Nebraska

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Opened December 5, 2018. No date on the bottle and no real idea how it was stored until I got it, sadly, but I do know it was bottled around 2012.

Root beer colored ribbon, finger and a half of dark toffee brittle head that quickly and ostentatiously fizzled away, no head whatsoever nor any lacing after the first sip. Chocolate brown with caramely copper and ruby highlights, like an old penny. Fairly clear but not crystal.
First whiff was exciting, the second smell was less so. Maltiness, a little tartness, Werther's Chocolate Caramel candies (thumbs down for me), and everything else seemed to say the bottle had been going downhill for a while. Poor fruitiness (prunes, maybe raisin and fig but hard to say) like an extremely old sherry that was improperly stored or had been evaporating for a decade or more, no real leather or tobacco or toasty oak, some wet wood like very old water damaged furniture.
Taste is brighter at first with a nice maltiness, dark toffee bits, hints of fruit (prune) and some pleasant tartness, a drop of balsamic vinegar which I don't mind in these beers, but then it turns and falls halfway through into a muddy mess to say the least. Aftertaste has some tartness and hint of bitterness reminscent of the bitterness or earthiness from some "funky" cheeses, but only as far as that earthy funk. Overbrewed tea with dried fruit bits that sat out for a day. A little stale, nearly-burnt popcorn comes through once it warms up, but a piece from the bottom third of the bucket that was barely touched by butter and didn't see a grain of salt.
Body is a medium-light, low carbonation which is good. However, it's very slightly astringent, and the carbonation with that and the acids makes it feel prickly in a sandpapery way around the middle and when swallowing.

The lack of fruitiness and the amount of mudiness plus the off bitter and funky flavors makes me sad that I never found this when it was fresh. There are still good things going on, but so many facets have clearly gone downhill. Kept chilled, the taste is a notch higher. As soon as it warms, though, those negative facets start showing up. Bummer.
Dec 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.09 by robotic_being from Illinois

Sep 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.35 by ParkbrauFan from Iowa

Mar 31, 2018
Photo of BeerDawgs
Reviewed by BeerDawgs from Georgia

4.29/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L - Dark brown, with 1 finger of head and some minor lacing

S - acidic, earth tones. Excellent aroma.

T - Tart, cherries, and vinegar.

F - Medium body and carbonation.

O - A good sour, but doesn't knock it out of the park.
Mar 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.33 by NodakEric from Minnesota

Feb 27, 2018
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.64/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
2018-02-17
750ml corked/caged beer served in a little cantillon glass. I think it was given to me by @mr-jj. No date that I can see.

Pours a dark (but translucent) brown, maybe with a very slight reddish tint. Head is surprisingly large, fine, and sustained with a lot of pretty carbonation. Smell is funky plums, tart. Nice, but fairly unremarkable.

Taste is much more bitter than I expected. Plum, tart cherry flavor, with a dark bitterness that I'm having trouble placing...makes me think of plum skin. It's tart, but not very.

Mouthfeel is medium, a little filmy. Overall, I think it's pretty decent.
Feb 17, 2018
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a flute glass. Had 3/25/17.

Pours a dark ruby, mostly opaque, with a one and a half inch foamy head and a good amount of foamy lacing. Good retention in the head. Smells of malt, cherries, light raspberries, light cinnamon, oak, a hint of cola, some black pepper in the head. Not much sour or tart in the aroma. The taste generally follows- cherries, malt, light raspberries, oak, a gentle bitterness underneath. Not much sour or tartness in the flavor, either. Mostly smooth, good body for the style, well carbonated on the high side.

Good, well crafted, enjoyable, not as expressive overall as you would like for the style. Worth a try, but a little high on the price point for what you get.
Jan 30, 2018
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
$ 15.96 (Including tax)/750 mL cork and cage bottle ($ 0.629/oz) at Spec’s, DeZavala Road, San Antonio, Texas.
Undated bottle, stored at 42 degrees and served at 55 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Opens with a “Pop” and without any overflow.
Appearance – 3.75.
Body – Deep garnet, clear, slight effervescence. Layer of sediment in bottle bottom.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive pour), light tan, fizzy, medium density, average retention, diminishing to a three mm ring and a thin large island that nearly covers the surface.
Lacing – None.
Pour – Medium brown, clear.
Aroma – 3 – Unremarkable. Faint perfume of sour fruit.
Flavor – 4 – Begins sour with some undistinguished fruitiness. Has a distinct woody character but I can’t detect the advertised chocolate or vanilla. Middle and ending flavors follow the initial taste. No yeastiness, no malt, any hops are hidden by the lactic acid, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Unremarkable. Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and summation – 4 – This looks good, despite the absence of lacing. Aroma is unremarkable and the palate is average or possibly slightly thin. This tastes like any run-of-the-mill Oud Bruin and that’s a good thing. Despite this being produced with “wild yeast” (whatever species there may be in Colorado), it lacks the yeast flavor of Saccharomyces and the odd phenolics produced by many Brettanomyces sp. Despite the subdued (or missing) flavors, this is tart and refreshing.
Jan 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by BarleyAndBrett from California

Sep 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by Trevor_martin from Texas

Sep 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by einman from Minnesota

Sep 15, 2017
Photo of 1000lbgrizzly
Reviewed by 1000lbgrizzly from Illinois

3.81/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown/ruby body with a red-tinged head and thin webs of lace. A bunch of sediment pours out at the end of the bottle, to my chagrin. The nose offers a stiff sour cherry aroma, some solid caramel/pure barley malt, and an accent of vanilla. Sublime. The taste hits instantly with sharp sour cherry, but is followed by an unpleasant bitter/metallic note that carries through the finish, spoiling the warm malt and vanilla presence that comes in third. The emphasis on the sourness and balance by the intended beery notes is great, but the off flavors are pretty strong and significantly drag this brew down. The body is slightly sticky, smooth, delicately but lively carbonated, with medium-full weight.
Great beer minus the metallic and overly bitter flavors. The barrel aging and authentic sourness was obviously apparent, which lent assertive, distinctive taste with sexy nuance. Fix that up and filter it and we got a great American-made Belgian-style brewhaha going on here.
Aug 15, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kevinpitts from Illinois

Jun 24, 2017
The Meddler from Odell Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 314 ratings