[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#ffffff” text=”#3b3b3b” align=”center” size=”1″ quote=”Odell’s tree beer is a shaker. With peach it is no faker. It has taste galore, With hops and more. This one is a taker” parallax=”on” direction=”left”]

When I say this one is a taker, it’s no joke. Odell’s Imperial Peach IPA is the type of beer that I crave no matter the season, much like how I don’t mind peach pie in January. But don’t let the name of this one fool you into thinking this IPA is more juice than beer. The taste of peach is definitely present, but it’s subdued and used to balance the variety of flavors found in the beer.

This is a beer worth trying, and if you haven’t had it yet, you need to act fast. Odell produced it through March until the end of June, so what’s left in store is all that’s left for the time being. When I picked up a four-pack of the beer Tuesday, a sign next to the beer said it wouldn’t last for long.

The first sip I had of this beer was one of variety. The hops are strong and citrusy, but mixed with slight bitterness. The beer is sweet, but not to the point to where it’s overpowering.

This is a very heavy beer. When you look at it in a glass, you can even see pulpy bits floating around in the golden orange hue that make each sip a full and malty one.

I like this beer because of balance, which is a thing I prefer with a variety of food items. One of my favorite things to drink is coffee black, but I always drink it with a sweet food to balance out the bitterness. This beer is just like that balance, but with the flavors of summer all packed into one glorious sip. Many beers go too far with bitterness for my liking, but when it is just another flavor mixed in, it becomes something that I truly appreciate in a beer.

A good beer for me is also about how the experience progresses from the first sip to the bottom of the glass.

The more I drank this beer, the sensation of warming from an 8 percent alcohol level grew. This feeling mixed with the great taste of peach—a flavor that grew in strength as the beer warmed—made the overall drinking experience one I cannot wait to taste again.

Yet some things, just like peaches, are only in season for a short amount of time. This beer is a pick that cannot go wrong.

Collegian Senior Reporter Skyler Leonard can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @Skyler_Leonard.