A friend from my homebrew club – the ABNormal Brewers – mentioned that he had met someone from Odell Brewing and was a big fan of their beers. And, since we don’t get them in central Illinois yet, I thought I’d give their seasonal – St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale – a try. It helps that I suspect by the name that it’s going to have a nice hop flavor to it. The bottle says, “A mystical legend echos in our brewhouse – that of St. Lupulin the archetypal hophead. He devoted endless summers to endless rows of hops, tending to the flowers and the beloved resin within – lupulin. Extraordinary oils in this yellow resin provide this dry-hopped extra pale ale with an undeniably pleasing floral aroma and clean, crisp finish. One sip of this seasonal summer ale and you, too, will believe.”
Although I could only pour it into a hotel cup, it appeared to be a hazy dark yellow color. There was a very thick, creamy head which stuck around for a bit. There was a nice somewhat heavy hop aroma which reminded me of centennial hops.
It had a body that was nearly medium, but still in the light arena. It had a smooth almost oily lupulin mouthfeel. The taste was crisp with a hopiness that grew from the front to the aftertaste. The hop flavor stuck around for a bit in the aftertaste.
I’m not sure I would pair this with a food, as it has a nice hop flavor that is meant to be enjoyed. Overall, I found this to be a very nice beer, and it reminded me quite a bit of Founder’s Centennial IPA (although I think I like Founder’s beer better). If you live out west and can’t get Founder’s Centennial IPA, this would be a similar substitute – a very good beer which I really enjoy.
My Rating: 
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