you obviously love owls.
While pouring for Odell at the Haskell’s Beer and Wine Cruise, I discovered yet another beer that I absolutely judged by it’s label.
It’s the Double Pilsner and I recommend it, and not only for the lovely owl.
The Double Pilsner takes the typical pilsner elements – Pilsen malt, Saaz hop spiciness, and kicks the ABV up several notches to about 8.1%.
“We feel the eyes of tradition upon us whenever we brew our Double Pilsner. But this beer is not just our tribute to the classic Bohemian pilsner – it’s our own craft interpretation of it. Refreshing and delicate yet bold and assertive, its clear golden color leaves nowhere for imperfections to hide but plenty of room for mystery.” – Odell
I disagree about the “clear golden color” – it’s much more of a bright amber haze – but I agree with the rest of that description.
The overused and remarkably cliche phrase, “you only live once” has been given the gratuitously screenprinted acronym “YOLO”. I prefer to believe that YOLO stands for “you obviously love owls”. Which I do. And I was initially drawn to this bottle for that reason.
I don’t always believe that increasing the ABV of a style with low to moderate alcohol for the sake of making it more marketable is a good idea. Sometimes it throws the entire brew into a tailspin of unbalance.
That is not the case here, however. The alcohol is well concealed, the other style elements remain in place, and overall the beer still says “pilsner”. Just with a more boisterous voice.
The hop profile is definitely a Bohemian pilsner rather than a German one. It is grassy, citrusy, and lingering in the way you would expect.
This beer is only available through September, and I suggest you try it. Some of the other “imperial” or “double” styles seem to exist only to turn heads and are fly-over territory in my liquor store experience. Not the Odell Double Pilsner.