Odell IPA 6Pk

Odell IPA 6Pk is a 7.0% ABV American IPA from Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado, packaged as a six-pack. It holds the rare distinction of being the only American IPA to have won gold medals at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, and it has served as a benchmark beer for GABF judges.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.0%  |  Origin: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA  |  IBU: 60  |  Brewery: Odell Brewing Co.  |  Style: American IPA

Production & Heritage

Odell Brewing Co. was founded in Fort Collins, Colorado, and has built its reputation on Rocky Mountain water drawn from the Cache la Poudre River. The IPA is brewed with a base of pale and Vienna malts, fermented with Odell's proprietary house yeast strain, and hopped with a proprietary blend of nine different American hop varieties. That multi-hop approach, combined with the minerality of the Poudre River water, gives the beer a layered complexity that single- or dual-hop IPAs rarely achieve. It scored 95 out of 100 from Craft Beer & Brewing and carries a 3.8 average on Untappd across more than 129,000 ratings.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Bright citrus peel and resinous pine lead the nose, followed by ripe mango and a subtle caramel sweetness from the Vienna malt backbone. The hop aromatics are intense but not abrasive, offering genuine depth.

Taste: The entry is bready and gently sweet, with the pale and Vienna malts providing a sturdy platform. Mid-palate, waves of grapefruit, tangerine, and mango arrive alongside a piney, resinous bite. At its peak the fruit and bitterness interlock—60 IBUs worth of hop presence balanced by enough malt structure to keep things approachable.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering pine resin and a clean, drying bitterness. A faint echo of peach and orange peel fades slowly, inviting the next sip.

How to Drink Odell IPA

Pour it into a tulip or IPA glass around 45–50°F to let the hop aromatics fully open up; avoid serving it ice-cold, which mutes the mango and citrus layers. Beyond straight pours, Odell IPA works well in hop-forward cocktails and beer blends:

• IPA Shandy: Mixed half-and-half with fresh lemonade, the citrus hops amplify the lemon rather than competing with it.
• Hop Drop (Beer Cocktail): A shot of gin floated into the glass plays off the shared pine and botanical notes.
• Michelada-style serve: The resinous bitterness and fruit character stand up to lime juice, hot sauce, and Tajín without losing identity.

Best For

• Backyard cookouts where bold, hop-forward beer holds up against grilled and smoked foods
• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who values medal-winning American IPAs
• Pairing nights exploring how hop-forward beers interact with spicy or citrus-driven dishes
• Introducing someone to the classic West Coast–influenced IPA style without overwhelming bitterness

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Odell IPA taste like? Odell IPA leads with juicy grapefruit, mango, and tangerine flavors supported by a bready malt sweetness, finishing with resinous pine and firm but balanced bitterness at 60 IBUs.

How does Odell IPA compare to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? Sierra Nevada Pale Ale sits at a lower ABV (around 5.6%) and uses a simpler hop bill dominated by Cascade, making it lighter and more floral. Odell IPA pushes higher in alcohol at 7.0%, employs nine hop varieties, and delivers a more aggressive citrus-and-pine character with greater bitterness.

Is Odell IPA good for sipping on its own? Absolutely—its layered hop profile and malt balance reward slow, deliberate drinking, particularly when served in a proper glass at cellar temperature.

Where is Odell IPA made? Odell IPA is brewed by Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado, using water sourced from the Cache la Poudre River in the northern Colorado Rockies.

What foods pair well with Odell IPA? Spicy Thai curries benefit from the hop bitterness cutting through richness. Grilled burgers with sharp cheddar complement the malt backbone. Fish tacos with mango salsa echo the beer's tropical fruit notes. Aged Gruyère or Comté cheese amplifies the caramel malt undertones. Buffalo wings match intensity for intensity, with the carbonation cleaning the palate between bites.

What sizes does Odell IPA come in? Odell IPA is widely available in six-packs as well as twelve-packs; draft pours are also common at bars and taprooms in its distribution footprint.

Is Odell IPA worth the price? Odell IPA positions as a mid-range craft IPA—competitively priced among Colorado craft six-packs—and punches above its tier given its dual gold medal pedigree and consistently high critical scores.

Why Odell IPA?

No other American IPA has won gold at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, a fact that speaks directly to how well-constructed this recipe is across judging panels worldwide. The nine-hop blend is not a marketing gimmick; it produces a genuinely layered hop experience that moves from tropical fruit through citrus peel to pine resin without any single note overwhelming the rest. Backed by Craft Beer & Brewing scores as high as 95 and more than 129,000 Untappd ratings, Odell IPA has earned its status as a benchmark for the style rather than simply riding regional loyalty. For drinkers who want an IPA that rewards attention but doesn't demand a sommelier's vocabulary, this remains one of the most reliable picks in the category.