Sierra Nevada / Bells Beer Camp Maillard's Odyssey
2014 Beer Camp Across America Release.
Rich, dark, and roasty. That was the concept Bell’s beer guru John Mallett aimed for and, true to John’s vision, Maillard’s Odyssey is exactly that. Its name honors the Maillard reaction—the “browning” of sugars and amino acids—that creates the wonderful caramelized toffee-like and roasted flavors so abundant in this beer.
Bell’s has done a lot to raise the Midwest’s craft beer bona fides. They are masters of many beer styles from their portfolio of top-notch American stouts all the way through to the alpha acid assault of their Hopslam Ale. Bell’s constantly reinvents beer styles and refines recipes with artful mastery and an oddball slant.
Rich, dark, and roasty. That was the concept Bell’s beer guru John Mallett aimed for and, true to John’s vision, Maillard’s Odyssey is exactly that. Its name honors the Maillard reaction—the “browning” of sugars and amino acids—that creates the wonderful caramelized toffee-like and roasted flavors so abundant in this beer.
Bell’s has done a lot to raise the Midwest’s craft beer bona fides. They are masters of many beer styles from their portfolio of top-notch American stouts all the way through to the alpha acid assault of their Hopslam Ale. Bell’s constantly reinvents beer styles and refines recipes with artful mastery and an oddball slant.
3.8
422 reviews
Chico, United States
Community reviews
Fluffy appearance. The liquid, like oily coffee, is capped with a cotton-dense head the color of graham crackers. Very fluffy and so inviting I want to lay my head on it. Aroma of caramelized steak, red grapes, chocolate. Slightly smoky. Nice caramelized malt flavor: bitter dark chocolate, smoky meat, great dark fruit character, figs and prunes. The appearance translates to the mouthfeel -- full-bodied, soft as a fleece blanket. Like licking velvet. Massaging CO2, with building acridity.
Camping with beer Camp, bottle pour. Dark, roasted, hoppy! The toffee and carmalized add some interesting sweetness.
Where and how: GG Virginia Beach, bottle 335 ml.
Aroma straight forward strong coffee imp. stout. Good deep roast, creamy moka, hops and refined alcohol.
Appearance :
Top: large, fine creamy coffee like crown. Thick coating of lace on glass..
Base: dark brown.
Palate : medium heavier bodied, lighter carbonation. Light creamy coating.
Taste: feel of quality coffee cake with vodka. Moist, soft with nice depth.
Other notes simply satisfying.
Draft at SB. Pours a murky ebony with a loose tan head that settles. Big sweet nose, lots of toffee and dark caramel and some milk chocolate. Heavy thick body with sluggish carb. Caramel, toffee, chocolate on the mid-palate...sounds like a candy bar in print, but it all has a great grain-sugar slant to it throughout. Sweet finish. Despite being sweet from the first sniff to the last swallow, this beer is never cloying, at least for me. Granted, it was my third beer of the night, but over-sweetness drives me crazy. This beer will never be confused with, say, a Southern Tier beer, despite being focused on dark sugar qualities.
355 ml bottle. Packaged 21.05.2014.
Pours dark brown, almost black color with a small off-white head. Hoppy aroma with roasted malts and resin, caramel and some distant coffee, faint cocoa too. Quite sweet caramel flavor, dark chocolate and cocoa, some fruity notes, coffee on the finish. A bit sweet but tasty dessert beer.
5325
35,5 cl bottle @ lusikka, PKGD 21.05.2014
Aroma has sweet chocolate notes, ans some licorice. Feels slightly artifical. Flavour is sweet with sugar, licorice root, ash, some mellow saltiness and soy sauce. Finishes with some toasted sugar. Rather sweet and unusual but kind of nice. Not sure what would happen if I’d had to drink the whole bottle though.
355ml bottle from Saveur-Biere
PKGD 05/21/14 - Pours pitch black with a smooth brown head. Aroma of roasty malts, sweet syrup, toffee, licorice, brown sugar and ash. Taste is sweetish, roasty and syrupy with notes of licorice, toffee, brown sugar and ash. Finish is sweetish, roasty and syrupy with some toffee and licorice. Sweetish and roasty stout.
355 ml bottle. Pours a black colour with a small beige head. Aroma of roastiness, wet earth and grass. Flavour is rather strong roastiness, creme brulee, mild vanilla notes, grassy bitterness and chocolate. Almost full bodied. Soft carbonation. Nice dessert beer.
Black pour with a light brown head. Aroma is roasted malt. Taste is roasted malt, burnt sugar, the flavor sticks to your palette. The flavor continues to grow as it warms. So-so lacing.
355ml bottle. Dark brown in colour with a thin tan head, light lacing. The aroma is of roasted malts, coffee, moderately sweet, chocolate. The flavour is quite sweet, lots of chocolate, toasty, roasted malts. Finishes long, high sweetness, some roast.
dark brown with light brown head slight lacing. Chocolate and toffee taste.
Bottle poured into snifter. Wonderful aroma of dark fruits including raisins and dates. Tastes of sweet raisins with a slight heat of alcohol after letting sit on the tongue for a bit. Some candi sugar to smooth out the palette. Overall great beer.
Great, big fruit. Not too bitter. Lots of flavour, toffee, plum, chile, smoke, chocolate, coffee. Very drinkable. Best of the camp.
Poured dark brown with a medium beige head. Aroma of charcoal, tobacco, light smoke, and dark roast coffee. Sweet up front but quickly turns dry. Flavor is rich and lasting. Really good beer.
Bottle. Dark brown, black, light tan head. Roasted dry coffee, chocolate on nose. Malty dark bread. Mouthfilling, dark chocolate, malty flavour. Some sweets, soft roast. Clean nice.
-- bb
January 10, 2015. Bottle at home, bottled on may 21, 2014.
Dark brown with a tan creamy head. Aroma is caramel, dark sugars, coffee, tobacco and dried fruits.Taste is medium full sweet caramel, toffee and light bitter roasted coffee notes. Medium to full bodied, oily texture, soft carbonation. Definitely lives up to it’s name.
12 oz bottle shared by csbosox. Pkg 5/21/14. The pour is a hazed brown with an off white head. The aroma is soft roast, malt sweet along with some cocoa. The taste is the char roast, pleasant tobacco grass, and more of the roast malt. Toffee, caramel and coffee surfaced as the beer warmed. Interesting, clean flavors. The palate is medium to heavy bodied with active carbonation and the dry roast finish. Nice one, thanks for sharing Chris.
Black with a tan head. Aroma is cream, roasty, mild caramel. Taste is roasty, with light alcohol, dark chocolate, coffee.
Pours dark dark brown with a thin tan foam. Aromas of milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, vanilla, coffee, and sweet dark maltiness. Taste is coffee, chocolate, hint of raisin, burnt marshmallow, and assertive bitterness. Med-full body, thick creamy carbonation. Rich and delicious.
Poured from tap, pours a dark brown with a light tan head and lots of lacing in the glass, the aroma was of full of roast and cocoa, the flavor has a chocolate front end with lots of roast in the finish, pretty complex, good stuff.
One of the better of the collaborations I tried. Malty and thick. Rich caramel and roasted finish. One of three I managed to try at Blind Tiger in 2014.
Bottle. Dark brown beer with a brown head. Caramel and light marshmallow aroma. Caramel and toasted marshmallow flavor. Medium bodied. Toffee/caramel lingers with light roast.
12 oz bottle from Beer Camp. Pours a translucent dark brown with a level of viscosity that supports the uniform-bubbled head. Aroma is rich and inviting: mocha, cacao and molasses and classic Bell’s yeast complexity. Flavor is delicious with a drinkable character akin to the little brother of Expedition. What a great collaboration. Beer Camp complete.
Deep, dark brown, opaque body with a quarter inch of beige head. Aromas of dark chocolate, espresso, roast, char. Big time chocolate character with a smoky finish. Definitely reminiscent of a Bell’s Expedition. Some dark fruit character emerges as the beer is allowed to warm. For sure one of the best Beer Camp beers in the series.
Bottle. Pours a deep brown with a large tan head. Big sweet chocolate and roast on the nose. Medium bodied, lots of dense roast and cocoa, chocolate, hints of coffee. Long and rich, full of cocoa and bitter baking chocolate. Supple, excellent mouthfeel, huge roast throughout the finish. Complex and beautiful.
Bottle. Bought 2 Beer Camp samplers and unfortunately wasn’t able to rate most of them due to sharing them on Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, saved a few for myself, including this one. Wonderful, rich, sweet, milk chocolate aroma. Opaque black body with a light brown, lasting head, whose lace clings to the glass. Taste very close to the nose. Clean, dry finish. Very satisfying.
Brown with a tan head. Aroma is dark sugar and subtle chocolate. Flavor is brown sugar mild coffee and chocolate with a fairly sweet finish. Really big flavor, tasty with a smooth body.
Wife: 4
Pours a deep black with a med beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, espresso, cocoa, nutty, prune, grape, faint hop, licorice. Flavor is sweet malt, chocolate, plum. Med/full body, pretty sweet.
It poured a black color with a tan head. The aroma was of roasted malts, dark fruits, dark chocolate and a bit of coffee. The taste was of roasted malts, some caramel sweetness with dark chocolate and a touch of coffee. Nice.
12 ounce bottle from Hayduke that we had together via facebook chat. This beer is black and seems to absorb light. No red. A tan head leaves a little lacing. A vinous aroma suggests interesting things to come. And the first sip says that is true. This is a fun odyssey. A chocolate base that has some interesting hop notes going on. Fruit and an airish-ness. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and roasted notes. Syrup. A complicated beer but one that pulls everything together wonderfully. This is so well brewed.