Odell / Thornbridge Pond Hopper Double Extra Pale Ale

Doug Odell’s admiration for the British brewing culture has led him across the pond - a lot. In 2008, Doug landed at Thornbridge Brewery and in the company of kindred brewing spirits. This visit led to a collaboration brew at Thornbridge in 2010. Fast forward to 2012 to find the two breweries at it again, this time at Odell Brewing. Pond Hopper Double Extra Pale Ale is the love child of this international brewmance. Brewed with English malts and American hops, Pond Hopper brings together the best ingredients each country has to offer, balancing a subtle sweet malt character with hints of mango and peach hop flavor. It pours a rich golden color with citrus and ripe melon essence in the nose. No matter which side of the pond you’re on, here’s to good beer and good friends. Cheers.

3.7

179 reviews

Fort Collins, United States

Community reviews

4.5 Stort tätt, vitt skum. Orange lite oklar. Stor humlearomatisk doft med tropiska frukter. Fet munkänsla med bra beska som hänger kvar länge. Nästan pepprigt kryddig i efterbeskan. Thornbridges mest spännande hittills!

4.0 Bottle @duke brew & que. Really enjoyed this beer, rich full aroma, nice balanced body just the right bitterness. Great!

3.8 750ml bottle from Ales By Mail. Lot of caramel at taste and palate. Fruity and sweet. Yam yam! Could enjoy another..

4.1 Bottle as shown. Pours a cloudy orange yellow with medium frothy off white head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is pine citrus and honey. Thick mouthfeel with sweet hop, citrus, peach with nice lingering bitter finish. HIdes alcohol well, very good IIPA.

3.9 750ml bottle. Nice citrus and fresh aromas. Pours hazy dark gold with creamy off white head, persistent, good lacing. Medium body, average carbonation, oily texture. Taste is fruity, some sweet, citrus, some caramel. Well balanced and very enjoyable. Nice one.

3.5 75 cl bottle @ RIP Camp. Pours hazy orange color with a medium sized head. Aroma of hops, caramel malts, lemony fruits, hay and some toffee notes. Flavor of caramel malts, citric fruits, resinous hops and hay. Slick sticky sweet caramel palate. Decent. 5414

3.6 75 cl bottle @ RIP camp Aroma is sweetish and heavy with caramel, hoppy notes and resin. Foamy palate. Flavour has mineral notes, caramel, fruity hops and some apricot. Decent.

3.4 750ml bottle @ RIP Camp Pours dark orange with a large head. Aroma of sweet caramely malts, grassy hops, hints of fruits and citrus. Taste is stingy, boozy and caramely with hints of fruits, grass and citrus. Finish is boozy, stingy and messy with hints of citrus, grass and fruits. Unbalanced and a bit messy.

3.4 750 ml bottle @ RIP camp. Pours a dark golden colour with a large foamy head. Strong aroma of apricot with notes of grass, some floral notes and wooden notes. Flavour of sweet caramel malts, grassy bitterness, apricot jam, wood and mango. Medium bodied, soft carbonation and a sweet, fruity, apricot finish. Not as fresh as it should be.

3.7 Thanks to blutt59 for sharing this bottle. Orange pour with a white head. The aroma is full of oranges with some biscuit malt. The flavor is very similar with some heavy orange and grapefruit notes from the hops, as well as some biscuit malt and its associated sweetness. Low bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

3.7 From a 75 cl bottle shared at home. Pours a clear and effervescent gold with a thick off white head. Citrus hop nose. Flavors of lemon and light malt. Highly carbonated mouthfeel. Crisp bitter finish,

3.8 750ml bottle in a glass. Pours cloudy, amber with a fluffy, off-white head. Aroma of citrusy and fruity hops plus a good amount of caramel and pale malts. Flavor the same with a really fruity hoppiness. Average texture. A good beer.

3.5 Slightly hazy golden colour, white head. Aroma of honey, malts, light dusty, light citrus and red berries. Sweet malty flavour, honey, hops and caramel. Creamy body, sweet finish, malts and honey. Bit old but still worth your while! (From 33cL bottle @ RBESG ’13, post-’Grand Tasting’ drink - Eet & Bierlokaal De Molen outdoor seating. Thanks for sharing, jmgreenuk!)

3.9 Appearance: Clear amber with white finger thick head. Aroma: Mango, peach, note of citrus, pine, biscuity and resinous. Subtle hint marzipan and marmalade. Taste: Medium sweetness, medium/high bitterness, low/medium sourness, with slight marzipan, apple and herbiness. Palate: Smooth thin texture, medium body and mouthfeel, prickly/average carbonation. The finish is lingering, its starts off slightly sweet caramel and then turns bitter with a warming alcohol finale. Comments: Very good and left a glass lace.

3.6 Bottle. Clear amber beer with a huge creamy offwhite head. Hoppy and fruity aroma. Similar flavour.

3.4 (bottle) pours a hazy amber colour with a frothy white head. aroma of caramel, dandelions, floral hops, light apricots and a hint of green grapes. flavour is mostly caramel and raisins, with a hint of brown sugar and some light roasted malts. medium-bodied with average carbonation.

4.0 33 cl. bottle sampled @ Eet & Bierlokaal De Molen during RBESG 2013. Thx! to jmgreenuk. Quite exited about this one because Thronbridge is attached to it. Lovely label & bottle. Golden with a huge creamy white head. Nose is old hops but still plenty of goodness, citrus, creamy some sweet yeast showing, fruity with mellow grapefruit. Taste is creamy citrus hops, bit mellow out fruity, malts, sweet herbs & spices, some pine & caramel, hint floral. Creamy body. Still very good must have been really exceptional fresh.

3.5 Bottle from Stirchley Wines, Birmingham and shared at the RBESG 2013 Grand Tasting. Poured a cloudy medium amber with a big frothy white head and loads of lace. The aroma is dry yeast and malt with some red berry citrus fruit. The flavour is medium to strong bitter with bags of alcohol liqourice. A super beer but one to share with friends.

3.5 Bottle brought to De Molen brewpub during RBESG 2013. Hazy golden beer with a huge offwhite head. Hoppy floral flavor, citrus, caramel, hay, pine needles, grape fruit, some earthy notes. Hoppy floral flavor, dill notes, hay, herbal, pine needles, citrus, notes of grape fruit.

4.1 From the big corked bottle...poured in a Corsendonk chalice. Big cork pop...pours a golden with large head and lace. Aroma of grape jelly, wet streets, tangerine spritz. Significant carbonation and mouthfeel. Flavors of candy sugar, bitter herbs, straw and floral hops, honey, slight black cherry soda, tobacco juice, grassy hops, pine sap. Overall big and bold with familiar and complex flavors...a bit more fruity and bitter than many big double IPAs, but this is their own unique style - Double Extra Pale Ale. Tasty and more fun than some of the other big corked expensive bottles...I’d gladly have it again!

3.9 Huge stone fruit nose. flavor really stands out with hops fruitiness. Some citrus and resin also. Mouth feel is syrupy. Super tasty.

3.8 750ml bottle. Filmy orangey dark golden colour with average to huge, firm, frothy to creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, white head. Intense fruity and hoppy aroma, peach, peach, peach, hints of mango. Taste is moderately sweet fruity, lots of peach again, a cautious citrusy touch, hints of bitter hop. Slightly too sweet but still yummy.

3.9 750 ml. corked and caged bottle. As soon as the cork pops, the aromas leave the bottle. Citrus, pine and tropical fruit. Great mouth feel and a dry hoppy finish that is not overwhelming with alcohol burn. Great DIPA.

3.8 Gedronken bij dutchdrebus, oranje en een witte schuimkraag, hoppig, zoet, fruitig, lekkerder als het iets warmer is

3.8 Bottle @ home. Clear orange colour with a big white head. You can see there’s a lot of carbo in it. Smells hoppy, fruity, some (overripe) apricots. Tastes fruity, fresh, sweet, hoppy. Not extreme but quite decent. Carbo isn’t as bad as I expected, medium body.

3.8 I uncorked this great double epa and was met with a strong aroma and lively carbonation.

3.7 Appearance: lightly hazed coppery orange, with a hugely aggressive, foamy, bright white head that leaves sticky swathes of lace. Aroma: even cellared for six months, hops exploded out of the glass--grapefruit, mango, passion fruit, mint, and pine. Taste: blast of slick, syrupy hops (citrus and resin, followed by melon), with a bit of a sweet malt backbone. Finish: sweet and syrupy, but bitter hops overpower the sweet slickness long into the finish. Notes: Tastes very much like a Pacific Northwest double IPA as opposed to the "Extra Pale Ale" as the bottle was labeled; glad to see it properly categorized here. Palate was big and the massive hops and high alcohol (though well hidden) almost gave it a liqueur-like character. Bottle from the Rare Beer Club.

3.7 Great beer. Love the taste. Great mix of flavors. Would definitely buy again. Very drinkable.

3.7 Pours a hazy orange with a bubbly white head. Aromas of mango, peach, hop, and malt. Tastes upfront of a sweet citrus and finished with some malt and bitter hops. It is well balance, smoothed and highly drinkable. Shocking to see it at nearly 9% ABV, it sure doesn’t taste like it. I hope they make this one a regular.

3.8 From a bomber. Pours opaque gold with a frothy head. Tastes like lemon, orange peel, spices. Smells like citrus, wheat, herbs, and spices. Medium body and light carbonation.