Tasty-Takes.com

Copper Lake

Special thanks to Lauren Parker for this Guest Beer Review!!

Missy and I took a trip up to Copper Lake last weekend for a little fishing action. It’s about a 2 hour hike in, which is nice because it’s short enough for a day trip, but long enough to keep out the masses, especially considering the multiple stream crossings and that it’s in a designated wilderness area (it may seem counterintuitive, but for some reason a wilderness boundary sign appears to deter people).

The hike in was nice and the hillsides were covered in wildflowers, appealing to the chick side of me. The high alpine lake was a pleasant enough setting, but the icing on the cake were the mass amounts of beautiful, bright red, spawning cutthroat trout.

They hit primarily on small parachute adams and royal PMX patterns and I got one to rise for an orange stimulator. I had decent luck at the lake’s outlet and Missy had exceptional luck at the inlet, even with Molly splashing around. After a few hours fishing, we made the trek back to the trailhead – stopping along the way to take artsy pictures of the flowers, of course!

Copper Lake Cutthroat

Wildflowers

All I wanted in the world was a cheeseburger and beer from the Steep, but given a lack of budgetary flexibility, we settled for a beer at home on the porch. I’m a big believer of “when in Rome…,” so when in Colorado, do as the Coloradans and drink Colorado beer. Read on for a quick review of some tasty suds from Odell Brewing Co. out of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Beer: Odell 90 Shilling Ale

Location: Missy’s front porch.

Stats: Odell’s “flagship” beer, 5.3% ABV and 27 IBUs

Odell 90 Shilling

Appearance: A nice, not-too-thick off-white head on top of a burnt amber, very slightly hazy beer.

Aroma: The clean, sweet, malty smell is not overpowering but, to my nose, is substantially stronger than the hops, which is faint at best. (My disclaimer here is that I’m a lover of IPAs, double IPAs, and supper hoppy northwest experimental pale ales, so comparatively, other styles don’t have the hop nose to me that they may to others.)

Taste: Odell calls this a lighter version of a traditional Scottish ale, and I’d say that’s probably a fair description. It’s definitely on the caramel malty side of things, but if my taste buds don’t deceive me, there is a hint of hops on the backside of the swig.

Mouthfeel: On the lighter side of “medium bodied” I would say. Smooth and low on the carbonation, but not watery. Easy drinkin’

Overall: If you’re making your way through various ales, this is definitely one to pick up. I may not ask friends to bootleg it across three states and a time zone for me, but I’d definitely grab a few for around camp or a post-river cookout. I’d give it a 4 on the 6-pack scale.

4 out of a Six Pack ©