Odell - Saboteur

Saboteur from Odell Brewing that is based in Ft. Collins, CO, made Draft Magazine’s “25 Beers of the Year”.  I had been looking for Saboteur for some time as a few of the larger stores were out of it.  I stopped by a smaller carry-out and they had six bottles left.  Saboteur is a Speciality Ale that does not fall into any distinct style.  The base style is an English-style Brown Ale that Odell then ages in oak barrels previously used for the Woodcut Series, and then injects in brettanomyces yeast for a secondary fermentation.  Brettanomyces is the bane of wineries and they go to great extremes to insure brettanomyces never is allowed in.  However, many craft brewers have embraced brettanomyces as it transforms beer into a funky aroma and taste experience.  This one pours a cloudy brown with a nice one-finger head that quickly recedes.  This is a sipping beer at 10% ABV, with taste of brown ale, tartness from the brettanomyces, vanilla and hints of cherries.  Some note a taste of pineapple, but I did not pick this up.  Odell describes Saboteur as "Our brewer's created an unpretentious, yet sophisticated brown ale.  They they plotted, and dosed this full-bodied ale with brettanomyces, the ultimate adversary of wineries.  Embracing this vitner's nemesis resulted in a complex and wonderfully drinkable beer.  Intense earthy undertones, and notes of vanilla and pineapple come together with a sour silhouette.  Aged in American oak barrels."  I will need to head back to see if any are left.  I would like to cellar a couple of bottles for special occasions and this one should cellar very nicely.