Non-tasting notes: Odell Woodcut No. 2
By Noah Davis • Jun 15th, 2009 • Category: Tasting notes
We’re not dummies. We don’t open beers all willy-nilly then cry about it five years later, wishing we hadn’t been so uppity when we should have aged them. No sir. Yes, we possess the careful wisdom required to amass a healthy beer cellar, which is why we’re resisting the urge to open Woodcut No. 2.
Previewed at SAVOR but officially released June 1, Woodcut No. 2 is Odell’s second installment of its specialty oak-aged ale. The brew aged in virgin oak barrels for months, and now rings in at 11% ABV, 0.4 percent higher than the original version. We’re cellaring our lone bottle for a year or so, but when we unearth it next fall, we hope it showcases the same caramel, fig, and vanilla notes as No. 1, with new complexities inherent in a limited seasonal release. Hand-signed and -numbered bottles are available for about $25, but not for long; if you score one, think long and hard about popping that cork.
I’m also aging my bottle of Woodcut No 1 from Odell for at least a year. I still have a bottle of No 1 from last August sitting in my beer cellar. I think I’ll age it until this upcoming Christmas holiday season where it will have over 2 years of aging combined into it.
I was at the Woodcut No 1 tapping party but missed going to the Woodcut No 2 tapping party by 2 days. I was there the weekend before for their Twitterbrew “Blackbird” and St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale tapping party on May 30th. It was a toned down version of their annual Small Batch Beer Festival that got cancelled due to the new expansion they’re doing now. By this time next year they will have double the capacity of their old brewery. Look for more room for the Oak Aged beers! Salute!