The Beeronaut

Beer Review: Odd Side Ales Rye Hipster Brunch Stout

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Taking another opportunity to crack a local, or at least nearby, beer while enduring our isolation. This time I propped up the iPad and shot one of my “One Take Beer Reviews.”

Odd Side Ales is located in Grand Haven, Michigan, between Holland and Muskegon. They were established in 2010, but have just recently been distributing in the Chicago market. They’ve garnered a reputation for unusual styles.

Their “whalez” release is an imperial stout under the tag “Hipster Brunch Stout.” The many variations are based on a stout brewed with maple syrup, and aged on coffee and bacon.

The Rye Hipster Brunch Stout won a gold medal in the “Specialty Beer ” category at the 2019 Great American Beer Fest. This variant is brewed with rye malt, and aged in rye whiskey barrels. I picked up a bottle for under $7 at my local, Orange and Brew.

The beer pours a thick tan head over a brownish-black beer body. Nose is rather sweet, with maple playing a big part. I could not identify anything that made me think of bacon, perhaps only a slight note of char. I could not note coffee at all, either in the nose or palate. But the taste is very nice. It has smooth malts for a relatively young imperial stout. Maple still predominates the palate, but the other additions give it a unique edge I don’t normally find in this style.

This goes down very well. I do feel slightly enervated, so there is some caffeine at work. This goes down very smooth and easy, and would go well with a fruit plate or other dessert.

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Beer Review

Tags:
Beer review, Imperial Stout, Odd Side Ales