Judge's Review: 96 Rating - Rupture by Odell Brewing Co.

Rupture by Odell Brewing Co. was judged as an American Pale Ale, according to BJCP category 18 B.

Rupture does, in fact, rupture out of the glass with super fresh grassy, herbal and lemony citrus hop aromatics. Imagine sticking your face in two big handfuls of fresh hops. Once you acclimate to the hops you get hints of slightly sweet and grainy malts with a touch of light toast. Super inviting. The beer pours a light golden color with good clarity and a creamy white head. Millions of tiny bubbles stream up, assisting in sustaining the head throughout. A beautiful beer.

The flavor follows the aromatics by delivering those fresh hops to the palate. Resinous with lemon zest and a touch of grassy and herbal note. Vibrant, fresh and refreshing. Moderately high level of a rounded bitterness with low levels of malt sweetness and a touch of toast keeping it from being totally hop-driven. Some residual sweetness remains in the finish as do the hops. Medium light body with near effervescent carbonation. A slight hop astringency comes through in the end with some stickiness while also remaining quite soft in the back.

Multi-dimensional with ultra-fresh hops provide intrigue. Wonderfully hoppy with just enough malt to remain true to style, albeit decidedly toward the upper limits. This is one of the best American Pale Ales I’ve had in many years. I’d gladly drink this on a regular basis.