44/100) Smokestack Silver Anniversary

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Reboot White IPA, Silver Anniversary Ale, Imperial Stout 2014

Odell's and Boulevard both had their Silver (25th) anniversary this last year. In celebration they collaborated their first beers together into some amazing fare. If you had the chance to try it on tap sometime last fall (Nov 17th and on), perhaps you noticed a decent amount of grapefruity hopped bitterness to the finish almost reminiscent of Boulevard's Tank 7. Well, the draught and the bottle are actually different. Because hops lose their punch over time, the two companies placed more of an emphasis on hops in the draught version. I'll explain the bottle below.

Reboot White IPA) This Smokestack 2.0, since it is a re-release of a previous one shot, is filled with unusual spice flavors - clove even I think. Because I let the bottle sit for about six months, the IPA aspect was rather subdued, but that made it easier for me to handle. Even so, I suspect that I would have liked this one even fresh. The utilized hops were more focused on giving it a floral feel instead of a bitter punch. ☆☆☆☆

Silver Anniversary Ale) The strong grapefruit hop touch of the draught, as mentioned above, is subdued in the bottled variant. A stronger emphasis on the malts leads to a beer with a firmer mouthfeel and fruity floral flavors. What I find curious is that I can no longer find the page on O'dell Brewing Company's page that attested to this difference between the bottle and the draught... ☆☆☆☆

Imperial Stout 2014) Rich and thick. The booziness might hit you if your not used to beers that clock in at 11% ABV. It's dark, malty liquid goes down so smooth that you might not even notice. Boulevard didn't mess around on this one. I'll be looking forward to the 2015 version! ☆☆☆☆