Spice Odyssey
Wellington Brewery

I bought a Bootique pack from the LCBO in Ontario..
Spice Odyssey chai latte stout.
Poured a 1finger head into glass very dark color looks like a coca cola
Explore deep with this tasty chai latte stout created and brewed Queen of craft crew . This unique stout has a creamy malt body with lactose,black tea and chai spices including cardamom cinnamon,ginger ,and cloves .
Overall a very spicy chai latte stout.
Cheers.

 

 

Mine is the 2018 edition.

 

 

 

Very sweet, spicy concoction. More spice than anything, maybe different and more balanced fresh. Ok drinkability.Thanks for the hookup Brian. Not great drinkability.

 

 

750 mL swing-top bottle fitted with a regular crown cap; best before Oct 14 2016. Picked up at the brewery back in December and served at cellar temperature.

Pours jet black in colour, with one centimetre of frothy, khaki-coloured foam rising from the surface. It dissipates continuously over the next few minutes, giving rise to a wide, creamy collar and thin cap, along with a narrow ring of lace. Yep... it looks like a stout. The aroma, on the other hand, immediately gets me thinking about pumpkin ales. Cinnamon and ginger give the nose a pungent, spicy kick, while the black tea leaves, clove and cardamom really bring home that "chai tea" feel. Sweet notes of graham cracker and pie crust supply some added substance to the aroma.

Delivers as advertised. Dark malts, pie crust and suggestions of coffee and molasses come through, as does some milk sugar sweetness - but as one might expect from a beer with this name, the spices hog the spotlight. You can detect all of them: spicy ginger and clove, earthy cinnamon, herbal cardamom - hell, I'm even getting some vanilla, despite the fact that it wasn't an ingredient. Tea-leafy bitterness helps round out the back end a bit, while cardamom and ginger persist into the earthy, spicy aftertaste. Medium-bodied, with restrained carbonation which gently tickles the tongue, resulting in a soft, slick, smooth mouthfeel. Good stuff, but a bottle this size should probably be shared - the heavy spice load limits this one's drinkability, and you might start to become palate-fatigued by the midpoint.

Wellington's 2015: A Spice Odyssey is nearly out of this world, but for a few small issues that rub me the wrong way. Truthfully, I am not much for heavily-spiced beers - a category that this beer most assuredly qualifies for - but A Spice Odyssey blends them together in such perfect proportions that I can't help but love the end result.

[Updated Dec 18 2021]

A tallboy this time, included in their Bootique mixed pack from the LCBO. Not much to add here - for a spiced beer, this is fantastically well-rounded, but as a stout it does lack that prominent 'roasty' goodness that I've come to expect. Still, the overall experience is mostly delightful: if you've enjoyed chai-flavoured stuff in the past, Spice Odyssey is well worth a spin.

Final Grade: 4.06, A-

Wow. Kinda exceptional. Expected a palate destroying mess but got a superbly balanced malty treat instead. At 7%, it's a bit too boozy for my tastes, and I tend to see over-boozy beers as hipster bait. Too boozy to be sessionable for sure. Shame,cause these go down smooooth.

750ml flip top bottle.

Deep brown with a moderate head. No lacing. Heavy notes of cardamom on the nose with other spices and sweetness present. Again, the cardamom dominates. Pleasant bitterness. Notes of cocoa and grain. Thick body. I like cardamom, so this was a hit with me. Those who don't will likely hate this.

 

 

 

750ml resealable bomber served at cellar temperature into a tulip glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $9.95 CDN.

Appearance - Pours a pitch black colored beer with absolutely no way to see through. A big frothy two finger head rests on top, receding fairly quickly until it gets down to a half finger or so, then the retention seems to stall. Some small marks of lacing around the glass.

Smell - Plenty of herbal aromas, some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg mixed, with a grassy and floral hoppy undertone. Impossible to believe this is a stout from the aroma. Also there's a certain wildness to the beer, that is inviting, makes it seems slightly greater than the sum of it's smells.

Taste - This is quite good. Starts herbal but not quite medicinal with middling bitterness, transitioning to some smoke then a coffee flavor, but only for a brief moment. Comes back to herbal flavors, but with more sweetness to finish. Some chile pepper notes mixed into to for added complexity.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, with modest carbonation and a slick nearly oily feel. Body is fairly light and very easy to drink. Certain latte-esque creaminess after the initial slick and oily feel.

Overall - Nice, well crafted easy to drink with interesting flavor and aroma combinations. Definitely a worthwhile seasonal, which I highly recommend local BA's pick up. After each sip strangely enough the aftertaste is almost the same as a chai latte from any well established coffee store. Pretty amazing.

 

 

Pours pitch black, thumb of mocha head with solid retention and some sporadic lacing. Nose is earthy cocoa, toasted grains, and sweet spice. A solid stout profile off the top with heavy chocolate and burnt toast, hints of vanilla, ginger and cloves come through on the finish with cinnamon lingering on the finish. Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness. Overall a tasty brew with a nice complement of spices. Well crafted and nicely balanced.