Branches & Berries
Odell Brewing Company

a neat sahti style beer done with juniper branches and berries as the name suggests, perhaps specific to their newer sloans lake location, but i dont know for sure, really neat beer, kind of outside the norm for these guys, but extremely well done, a reminder that odell can still get weird and nail it, even if their mass releases have gotten more tame over the years, i kind of needed this from them, and was glad to not miss it. a little reddish tint to this, not clear either, but some head on it and its not sloppy or raw looking. it has some malt too, amber almost as a base, maybe like biere de garde character, a little earthy, a little caramelized, a little saison-esque on the ferment, simple though too, its about the juniper, its just well supported. i think its neat there are both the branches and the berries in this, like its herbal almost rosemary and gin layers from the branch part, piney, then more medicinal, tart, elderberry and cranberry nuances from the berries, astringency, tart, maybe a little tart from the ferment too, the yeast is not neutral here, again farmhouse type, not wild, but tangy and citrusy and sort of woodsy in this overall. fine carbonation but a little more body than i need, some malt sweetness, and not their most refined beer overall, but i also appreciate it not being in the least bit subtle on the juniper, thats what i wanted from this, and i got it. some lemon, amber malt caramels, and herbal bitterness at the end. very good, very distinct, a batch or two away from being insane. cool to see some small batch fun from odell in this day and age, they still got it!