While I love to expand my palate with experimental brews at bottle shares, at the end of the day I’d give it all up for something delicious and expertly made. In times like these, I go for Odell. With 16 GABF medals stretching all the way back to the early 90s, they’re my first pick for a surefire home run.

Take today’s Barrel-Aged Extra Special Red, the newest addition to Odell’s limited-run Cellar Series. Starting with their GABF award-winning Extra Special Red Ale, they then age it in Rye Whiskey casks for 6 months for an added woody edge and a touch of vanilla.

When you first bring this 8.7% ABV crimson-hued suave sipper to your nose, it’s all honey-drizzled pineapples and a whiff of pine. Then you take a sip and you’re serenaded by a choir of caramelly malts and plums. A hoppy grapefruit bitterness rushes through in the finish, tying everything off in a dry coda that’ll make you exclaim, “How the hell is this Imperial strength?” Those Odell folks sure know what they’re doing!

Listen, Odell doesn’t mess around with gimmicks to amp up their hype -- instead they focus their seasoned brewing chops to make sure everything is straight up tasty all the way through. You don’t become one of the great brewing state of Colorado’s most awarded breweries on a fluke, and this insanely drinkable, whiskey barrel-aged brew shows why they continue to stand out from the pack. Show up to your next bottle share with a couple BA Extra Special Reds and everyone will know you’re the real deal just like Odell.

Rated 4.04 on Untappd