Wolf Picker | Odell Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Odell Brewing Company
Colorado, United States
odells.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.50%
Availability: Spring
Notes / Commercial Description:
Wolf Picker is named in honor of our hop growing community and the harvesting rig they use. Each year, the brew is crafted with same malt base but with new and unique varieties of hops. Some of the varieties are so new, they’re not even named yet. Wolf Picker 2016 features the experimental HBC 438 and Cashmere hops. These two offer a complex and layered hop character that combine hints of coconut, papaya and mango with a mild herbal quality.
Added by LotsofLupulin on 01-15-2014
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Ratings: 146 | Reviews: 33
3.76/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Picked up a single from Black Canyon Brewing Supplies 1-29-17 for $1.99. Best by 4-12-17 but been in cold storage since purchase.
Beer poured golden with a beautiful white head that is leaving lacing.
Nose is lightly tropical and stone fruits.
Taste is very well balanced between the pale and caramel malt base and the mango hops.
Mouthfeel is crisp and clean, very refreshing.
Overall a solid pale ale executed perfectly to the style guides.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Picked up a single from Black Canyon Brewing Supplies 1-29-17 for $1.99. Best by 4-12-17 but been in cold storage since purchase.
Beer poured golden with a beautiful white head that is leaving lacing.
Nose is lightly tropical and stone fruits.
Taste is very well balanced between the pale and caramel malt base and the mango hops.
Mouthfeel is crisp and clean, very refreshing.
Overall a solid pale ale executed perfectly to the style guides.
448 characters
4.3/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.01/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Slightly hazy with tiny particulates.
Lighter amber. Short lived white head.
Aroma is sweet and full of tropical fruit.
Taste follows the aroma with sweet tropical notes from the hops. But bitterness is minimal and does not linger.
Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but expected for an APA. Lower than normal carbonation.
Solid APA with great profile.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Slightly hazy with tiny particulates.
Lighter amber. Short lived white head.
Aroma is sweet and full of tropical fruit.
Taste follows the aroma with sweet tropical notes from the hops. But bitterness is minimal and does not linger.
Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but expected for an APA. Lower than normal carbonation.
Solid APA with great profile.
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3.75/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.5/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.6/5 rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This stuff is great. It has a hint of peach or grapefruit or pine... not sure. It's just one tasty beer
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This stuff is great. It has a hint of peach or grapefruit or pine... not sure. It's just one tasty beer
103 characters
3.88/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.5/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.72/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.15/5 rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.44/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Mostly clear straw yellow color, with a small white head and no lacing.
S: Mango and lemon are dominant, with so.e toasted light malt in the background.
T: Lemon candy and tropical fruit, a medium piney bitterness, with a slight toasted malt backbone.
F: Light body and medium carbonation.
O: Very tropical fruit forward as is common these days, drinkable but not memorable.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Mostly clear straw yellow color, with a small white head and no lacing.
S: Mango and lemon are dominant, with so.e toasted light malt in the background.
T: Lemon candy and tropical fruit, a medium piney bitterness, with a slight toasted malt backbone.
F: Light body and medium carbonation.
O: Very tropical fruit forward as is common these days, drinkable but not memorable.
382 characters
3.18/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle. Pours hazy straw yellow with a medium fluffy white head that retains well and laces the glass some.
The aroma is sweet lemony fruit with some stinky resin.
The flavor is sweet candy fruit with resiny, slightly harsh metallic, hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall, an OK pale ale.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12 oz bottle. Pours hazy straw yellow with a medium fluffy white head that retains well and laces the glass some.
The aroma is sweet lemony fruit with some stinky resin.
The flavor is sweet candy fruit with resiny, slightly harsh metallic, hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall, an OK pale ale.
338 characters
3.55/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Wolf Picker Experimental Pale Ale
BOTTLE: Acquired as part of an Odell 12-pack variety box (3 bottles of this were included along with 3 core Odell offerings). Brown glass. 12 fl oz. Classy label design. Branded pry-off crown cap.
Hopped with HBC 638. 5.50% ABV. "Featuring rare hops with subtle hints of peach and mango."
Fluffy off-white head takes up ~70% of the glass, sitting atop a vibrant clear filtered copper body and taking ~8 minutes to fully recede. Thick, frothy, and soft in appearance.
AROMA: suggests fresh pale malts, peach, and a hint of tropical character, though I don't know that I'd say mango. In any case, it's noticeably less tropical than many of the new popular hops (I've heard them called "hipster hops" by a Jester King employee and that's an entertaining term) that are popular in so many U.S. IPAs these days. Fragrant and floral, with none of the boozy pineapple that plagues so many tropically focused IPAs and pale ales.
It's much more classical in its hop profile than it is experimental, evoking American hop varietals much more than Kiwi hops (or shortage-popularized hops like Japan's sorachi ace). Pleasant as a result, suggesting a balanced pale ale with a nice hop presence but not too much bitterness.
TASTE: Peach intermingles with tropical fruit (okay, I'll concede - it's mango) and pale malts to good effect, resulting in a balanced pleasant brew with a fruity floral hop presence but not one that ventures into the deep end of the tropical hop pool; this one just dips its toes and that's enough. I almost get a wisp of some chile-like heat for some reason, or at least a peppery sort of spicy heat.
TEXTURE: Smooth, a bit dry, soft, light to medium-bodied, refreshing, well-carbonated, approachable, and coating. Not oily or juicy, both of which would be nice. Not astringent, harsh, gushed, hot, or boozy.
The dryness of the mouthfeel coupled with the subtle yeasty spiciness gives this an almost Belgian yeast-like taste. Lacks the clean attenuation and presentation of flavour you'd expect in an American pale ale, but it does taste filtered.
OVERALL: Ludicrously easy to drink. (I think the kids call that "crushable"?). Odell committed to an interesting hop selection and the result is an interesting pale ale that discerning drinkers will enjoy. Well priced for its quality and absolutely a brew I'd recommend to friends. More good work from one of Colorado's finest breweries, though depth of flavour and hop pungency could be improved to good effect.
Low B / GOOD
***
2nd impressions from another bottle:
Tasty balanced stuff with a pungent hop profile for an American pale ale.
Low B (3.55) / GOOD
2,667 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Wolf Picker Experimental Pale Ale
BOTTLE: Acquired as part of an Odell 12-pack variety box (3 bottles of this were included along with 3 core Odell offerings). Brown glass. 12 fl oz. Classy label design. Branded pry-off crown cap.
Hopped with HBC 638. 5.50% ABV. "Featuring rare hops with subtle hints of peach and mango."
Fluffy off-white head takes up ~70% of the glass, sitting atop a vibrant clear filtered copper body and taking ~8 minutes to fully recede. Thick, frothy, and soft in appearance.
AROMA: suggests fresh pale malts, peach, and a hint of tropical character, though I don't know that I'd say mango. In any case, it's noticeably less tropical than many of the new popular hops (I've heard them called "hipster hops" by a Jester King employee and that's an entertaining term) that are popular in so many U.S. IPAs these days. Fragrant and floral, with none of the boozy pineapple that plagues so many tropically focused IPAs and pale ales.
It's much more classical in its hop profile than it is experimental, evoking American hop varietals much more than Kiwi hops (or shortage-popularized hops like Japan's sorachi ace). Pleasant as a result, suggesting a balanced pale ale with a nice hop presence but not too much bitterness.
TASTE: Peach intermingles with tropical fruit (okay, I'll concede - it's mango) and pale malts to good effect, resulting in a balanced pleasant brew with a fruity floral hop presence but not one that ventures into the deep end of the tropical hop pool; this one just dips its toes and that's enough. I almost get a wisp of some chile-like heat for some reason, or at least a peppery sort of spicy heat.
TEXTURE: Smooth, a bit dry, soft, light to medium-bodied, refreshing, well-carbonated, approachable, and coating. Not oily or juicy, both of which would be nice. Not astringent, harsh, gushed, hot, or boozy.
The dryness of the mouthfeel coupled with the subtle yeasty spiciness gives this an almost Belgian yeast-like taste. Lacks the clean attenuation and presentation of flavour you'd expect in an American pale ale, but it does taste filtered.
OVERALL: Ludicrously easy to drink. (I think the kids call that "crushable"?). Odell committed to an interesting hop selection and the result is an interesting pale ale that discerning drinkers will enjoy. Well priced for its quality and absolutely a brew I'd recommend to friends. More good work from one of Colorado's finest breweries, though depth of flavour and hop pungency could be improved to good effect.
Low B / GOOD
***
2nd impressions from another bottle:
Tasty balanced stuff with a pungent hop profile for an American pale ale.
Low B (3.55) / GOOD
2,667 characters
3.75/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.54/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Wolf Picker from Odell Brewing Company
3.92
out of 5
based on 146 ratings.
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
2017 vintage brewed with HBC 638 hops. Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 oz bottle on May 28, 2017. Best enjoyed by 6/6/17. The smell and taste is hints of mango and peach. The feel is clean and smooth. Recommended.
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