Saw this in Beer Advocate magazine. Happened to find it locally. I drank 2 glasses of it last night and wanted to review it. But part of me feels bad for putting up the review. It shows an expiration date of March 2016. Which means its not far out. I drank two glasses of it and loved it, other than the fact I didn't get much smell from it, also the only real flavor I got was hops. No maltiness or caramel anything. It seemed almost like a mild IPA or something. I'm no expert. So it begs the question. Is it just because its older or are my tasters broken? I really enjoyed it and it could make a good session beer. Just was kind of plain on the flavor side.
I always thought it was a good scotch ale. Who knows why you're getting a mild IPA flavor. Could be a bad bottle or your palate could be off. I've had days where beers I like have tasted off. Review it, but I'd try it again in another day.
Maybe let them warm up a bit before you drink them tonight and see if that changes to taste a little for you.
Retry it. If it seems like a mild IPA to you my guess is your taste was off that day. This is a malty, easy drinking beer.
If the next bottle is off I would wait a day or two to try again, then you will know if it was just your taste today. I would do as the doctor recommended and warm the bottle just a bit, considering the style. My method is to run the bottle under hot water until the temp seems about right. Takes all of 10-30 seconds or so, depending on style and desired temperature.
My wife is in Vail Colorado once a year. She comes home with a few bottles this stuff and other Odell beers. Id love it of Odell distributed in Pennsylvania.
While I'll prefer to buy my beer as fresh as possible I have no philosophical compunction against review a beer as long as it's still in code. If the brewery wants to claim their beer is good 180 days out (or what ever they are claiming) then they can't complain about me reviewing it 160 days out.
I don't see the problem with wanting to review of a beer you say you "loved" and is within it's freshness date. You are allowed to taste different things, even from Beer Advocate magazine.
I would give it a second chance. I've always enjoyed 90 Shilling's caramel and sense of balance. A simple, tasty, drinkable beer.
