Here’s another wonderful beer from Lafayette, Colorado’s Odd 13 Brewing Company: Hop Wizard Pale Ale. This is the first pale ale that I’ve tried from Odd 13, and a tasty one it is indeed. It’s listed under the brewery’s rotating lineup and described as brewed irregularly, so if you see it, you had better buy it.
Odd 13 describes it as follows:
Hop wizard is a New England style pale ale featuring HS 07270, Citra, Azacca, and Mosaic hops. Tropical fruit flavors and aromas are dominant, primarily reminiscent of lemon zest, mango, and papaya. Oats and rye contribute to a rich mouthfeel and body that complements the hop character, and fruity esters from the yeast strain add notes of peach.
New England style pale ale? What’s up with that? I’ve seen the trend of calling hazy, fruit loopy IPAs “New England Style”, but this is the first pale ale that I have seen referred to as such. I suppose you can have cloudy, fruit loopy pale ales, though, so why not? I’m not convinced we need a new style for such beers, though. Seems like calling it an American Pale Ale would do for me.
Ingredients from the website:
Fermentables Rahr 2-Row, Weyermann Rye Malt, Flaked Oats, Gambrinus Honey Malt
Hops HS 07270, Citra, Azacca, Mosaic
Thanks to Dale Roberts for this amazing APA!
Odd 13 Hop Wizard Pale Ale has an alcohol content listed as 5.5% by volume on the website, though my can label says 6%. The can has no freshness date but Dale sent me a sheet telling me it was canned on July 1st; I drank it on August 14th. Six weeks old!
Odd 13 Hop Wizard Pale Ale pours to a hazy orange color with a thick fluffy head and light notes of mango in the nose. Taking a sip, I get more citrusy hops, like bitter grapefruit peel, a smooth maltiness then really explosive citric notes of grapefruit pulp and peel, subtle tropical fruits layered beneath the citrus, and finally a long dry herbal bitter finish.
I really LOVED this beer, it’s Like a fresh squeezed glass of grapefruit juice, but better, because its beer. Maybe I should call it hop juice? As I sipped, Odd 13 Hop Wizard Pale Ale reminded me more of the sadly departed (for many years now) hop juice bomb that was Middlesex Baldwin Pale Ale. Which was an American Pale Ale, and a hazy one as I recall. From New England. Maybe they are on to something after all…..
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft