Beer lovers and cinnamon roll lovers alike crowded into Odell Brewing Company’s tasting room for a chance to try Silver Grill Cafe’s cinnamon rolls and CinnsationAle, a seasonal cinnamon roll beer. The release party marked the seventh year of the two businesses collaborating to produce the special edition ale. 

Odell and Silver Grill have become an iconic part of the Fort Collins food and beer scene, with Silver Grill recently celebrating its 85th anniversary. The collaboration began when Silver Grill approached Odell about adding cinnamon rolls in their beer. Odell uses collaborations like this as a way to support their accounts or businesses that sell their beer.

“We put cinnamon rolls straight from the Cafe into the mash of this brown based beer to give it a big cinnamon pop,” said Marni Wahlquist, an Odell brewer. Within CinnsationAle are flavors of allspice, graham crackers and tasting notes of brown sugar and apple pie.

Odell’s past collaborations include the “Three Nut Peanut Brown” with Lucky Joe’s, an “Oyster Stout” with Jax Fish House, a “Cookie A La Mode” brown ale with with Old Chicago and “Down The Hatch Green Chili Wheat” with Torchy’s Tacos. The brewing process might be the same in many instances, but the varying ingredients make each collaboration a unique one.

Mash refers to the heating of the combination of water and grains, like malted barley. The process allows the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the grain into sugars that create a malty liquid called wort.

Bethany Cloud, co-owner and assistant tap room manager for Odell, said that involving local businesses is a fun way to highlight their Pilot System, which creates small-batch beers that help to experiment with different flavors, ingredients and Fort Collins businesses. This is not the only way Odell participates in the Fort Collins community, however. 

“We grew up in Fort Collins, we’re almost 30 years old and we have a huge outreach program that we donate all of our cash tips to,” Cloud said.

Odell’s taproom tip partners change monthly and for the month of November, tips are donated to Loveland Housing, which provides low-income Loveland residents the opportunity of community through access to safe and quality housing. Odell’s support of the local community does not go unnoticed, according to Hannah LaLuzerne, a Colorado State University Conservation Leadership graduate student.

“Odell sponsors some of the conferences and events in my field, so it’s part of the reason I like supporting them,” LaLuzerne said. “They are very active in my space.”

CinnsationAle is on tap at Odell Brewing and Silver Grill Cafe while supplies last. The beer is a seasonal limited edition, but Silver Grill is always selling their locally-popular cinnamon rolls.

Lyra Wiley can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com