Odell The Meddler Oud Bruin
Inspired by a resurrected style from the Flemish region of Belgium, The Meddler Oud Bruin is a blend of several generations of brown ales that were barrel aged for over 18 months. Wild yeasts, Lactobacillus, and Brettanomyces meddle with the beer creating complexity and depth of flavor. Intricate, yet balanced, The Meddler has an 8.9% ABV.
3.8
166 reviews
Fort Collins, United States
Community reviews
Bottle. Pours out a decent darker reddish brown color with a small to medium tan head. Aroma is funky, with a tart fruity note in there, some cherry. Taste is solid, nice woody notes, funk, cherries, oak, some fruity notes, light vinegar and some lightly puckering tartness.
750ml c&c bottle shared by Dean. Poured a super dark Tootsie Roll brown with a foamy beige head. Aroma/flavor is earthy, loads of dark tart cherries, medicinal, and some nail polih remover. Body is medium at best, perhaps thinner, stronger carbonation. Solid
Dark brown in color... Aroma of caramel, vanilla, dark fruits, bourbon barrel... Flavor is chocolate, caramel, overripe fruits, dates, bourbon... Really nice, tastes barrel aged
Aroma is cherries, fruit, malts and a good hint of sweetness. The flavor is cherries, raisins/slight tobacco, malts, dark fruit and a mix of mild sweetness, alcohol and tart in the finish.
[ keg ][ 5oz ][ @Flying Saucer ][ $5 ][ mini tumbler ][ 06.04.16 ]
hazy ruby, thin cream head lasts, craters. Metallic cherry syrup and brown sugar dominates the nose. Flavor similar, metallic high carb amidst Woody brown sugar early that evolves into chocolate by end, wood lasting and lasting amidst light underattenuation. Finishes too sweet and thin, oppressively oily.
On tap at growler guys meridian. pours out a brown with some maroon highlights topped with a tan head. Nose is cherries big bourbon barrel notes vanilla pit fruit and some tart. Taste is more of the big barrel notes vanilla toffee spice cherries pit fruit sweetness and a light tartness.
Tap at the Republic, Minneapolis. Pours dark brown, slightly plum, off white head. Aroma is lots of fig, dark fruit, plum, sour funk, dark cherry. Flavor is fig, plum, dark fruit, sour. Nice bruin. Just a bit sweet. Still good.
On tap at 7West, Duluth. Sour cherry and white grape aroma with some dried fruit and vanilla. Opaque dark brown with clear highlights. Sour cherry and oaky vanilla flavour with a dry, sour finish. Medium light body, medium carbonation.
Tap at Yard House. Dark clear reddish-brown with very little off-white head. Aroma of sour fruit, funk, and a little barrel. Sourness is moderate; taste is otherwise lightly sweet fruit with a touch of barrel. Light-medium bodied; slick. Pretty tame.
Almost black. Thin off white head. Cool. Smells like old grapes and plum. Thick and syrupy. Sweet.
Draft at Bricks. Pours cola color with thin off white head. Nose and taste is sour and some brown sugar sweetness. Really good.
Tap at Pizza Luce. Brown orange with no head. Raspberry, balsamic vinegar, milk chocolate, sour milk and caraway rye. Berry vinegar sour flavor. Heavier body with a slick, fizzy feel.
On Tap redish brown with a thin tan ring. Mild modest woody toasted malt flavors. A little sourness. Tame to be sure. But balanced and pleasant.
St Patty’s Day -- on tap. Great sour brown. Can taste a hint of barrel and that adds a great level of complexity.
On tap holy cow this was awesome Cloudy dark brown color, large brown head with good retention. Aroma of funky dark fruit, prunes, raisins. Taste is softly sour summer fruit, dates, sour cherries
Draft/Fest.
A- Cherry, funky, slightly sour.
A- Brown color, cloudy liquid, minimal head.
T- Cocoa, subtle cherry.
P- Medium body, gritty texture, average carbonation, unique finish.
O- Not sure why this is retired as there are fresh bottles at a local bottle shop and I just had this on tap at a fest. A bit odd. Tasted almost gritty and had some chocolate/dry cocoa taste to it. Also looked like sewer water.
cloudy red brown. Aroma orange, tang, slight soy leather. Tastes leather, orange, not very sour, but does have deep funk flavor. butter bourbon, oak. Mild carb very creamy mouthfeel.
On tap at the brewery. Murky, deep, reddish-brown appearance with a tan head. Aroma of fruity esters (cherry/berry), caramel malt, vanilla, light toffee, oak/wood and light chocolate. Similar flavor, adding medium sweetness and a light tartness with a bit of earthiness and a hint of funk. Medium to full body with a lingering fruity malt finish. Pretty good overall.
Bottle shared by Pavlov Badzewski. Colour...very cloudy, murky, dark brown with a corpulent light tan head. Nose...massively acetic and heavily fruity, especially with plums and dates. Palate...this was a foam snake when I opened it and the froth is still at the forefront! Flavour-wise there’s gobs of dried fruit here, again with the plums, but more like prunes. There’s tartness and sweetness all at once and a very plush feel all around. The finish is long and tartly/puckerly dry.
Bottle. Pours a cloudy brown with large beige head that lasts. The aroma is vineger and rubber. Thin mouth with brett, nice tartness, figs, dark fruit, very good.
750 mL bottle, at least two years old, and shared at a tasting. Pours a dark red-brown with a thin fizzy tan head. Good head retention. Aroma of tart berries and cherries, earth, pepper, mild whiskey. Taste is tart cherry, grapes, wood and intense lactic sourness. Medium bodied, strong lingering tartness. Nice beer. Thanks to my friend Nadjeeb for sharing this with me!
"Odell does sours well. This is a Prototypical Oud bruin really. Malty, sweet, lots of depth and a healthy does of sour and tart flavor and aroma. Lacto smooths this bad boy out nicely. A fairy aggressive but really tasty sour."
October 6th, 2012 - O’Dell’s tall bottles never disappoint, and they are the singular most important line of brews I miss now that I am far and away from Colorado. Every time I’m home visiting for the holidays, I invest both time and money securing whatever liquid luxury O’Dell is pumping into its 750ml bottles that month, and for the Fall of 2012 I was staring down the neck of a sour brew: The Meddler Oud Bruin. Touting itself as a blend of seven generations of sour ale all mixed together, there was no doubt that painstaking effort and likely a great deal of pride were crammed in here along the beer, and I was eager to begin my review. I’m working with a dim, ambient room light, but there’s a depth and darkness to this brew that makes me think’s a shade more brunette than a simple brown, with pearls of carbonation poured on top to put about an inch of foam between the brew and my nose. There (that is to say, the nostrils and therein) I find a rich, satisfying peal of sour smells, beginning with the high, pinching scent of fresh lemon zest, the mellower acidic tang of orange juice, the sweeter side of a tart cranberry, and even a little bit of lime: a whole cohort of good-for-you fruits packed into the bouquet, and bolstered by a lighter smell of sweet cream, and all of it light and spritely. A light, loose palate delivers a spark of lime juice and that same sour profile found in the nose, and then transitions to a slower, more savory set of flavors including basil, and thyme. These linger in a sour, acidic melange, which is mild enough to give the beer that citrus coating, but not so much that it’s like licking a 9-volt battery. Not to sweet, but just toothsome enough, with a citrus start and an herbal aftertaste, this is a unique, delicious sour beer that was well worth the pilgrimage back to Colorado.
22oz bottle, no date. As somebody else mentioned, HUGE cork pop, telling of its high carbonation. Initial half finger head and good lacing seem above average per the sours ales I’ve had, but I’ve only just started seeing them with any regularity in the last few months or so, so take all this with a grain of salt...
First nose from the bottle is definite creamy lacto and hints of some indistinguishable sour fruit. I need to develop my sour palate further. For science. Really opens up on the pour though, to wonderful caramel notes and balanced sour plum/raisin aromas. Just a hint of cocoa, but that may be me projecting on it’s darkness.
Rich mahogany color with as previously mentioned half finger head that doesn’t sit too long with a careful pour. Retains great lacing and a lasting film of bubbles. It reminds me a little of a science experiment in the best way.
Taste begins with hints of white wine, slightly green apple on the back of the throat. Not like acetyl to me but if it is then I guess I approve? Mouth watering sour beats out the dryness. Transforms quickly into creamy/oaky plum and peach while preserving the sour feel and aftertaste. Some bitterness accompanies the dryness, but it’s interesting and doesn’t detract from the beer, but again, I’m no expert on the style.
One of my new favorites.
A dark cider colored beer. The aroma is estery and sour. The flavor is all sour fruits.
Bottle… Cloudy brown ale with a mid-sized, creamy, mushroom-colored head. The aromatics supply gobs of caramel, singed sugar cookies and loads of fruity cherries. Medium-bodied with intense, airy carbonation. The flavor is fruity and super tart, but not sour. There is also an undercurrent of caramel. Lengthy, tangy and lightly bitter finish. Bottle courtesy of biggsbowler!
Out of bottle. Sourness is not as present with the age. But still good. Rather drink a petrus though
Very fig coloured. nice head. huge cork pop…almost overflowed. Nice Oud Bruin. Like tons of cherry and figs and peaches. very oaky. Yeah, this is quite nice. very tart. Great beer sadly, not my style but, to style very nice
Hazy brown, tons of tan head and lace. Thick and frothy like after a raunchy Santorum. My glass is absolutely filthy after a few sips. Gorgeous.
Nicely blended, plenty of oak and fruits, relatively straightforward. Dark cherries. Solid.
Flavor is definately more sour than roasty. It has a nice lightly toasted malty base but the yeast is really the star. Great sour/tart flavor and good balance keeps it from being overpowering.