You know what they say about the trip, right? It’s all in the journey, not in the destination. But if you have to pick a destination, you most certainly can’t go wrong with Odyssey Beerwerks. Some may find that an industrial park is a point-perfect setting for what is perhaps Arvada’s most enthusiastic brewery. It’s arguably the best setting for intoxicating yourself with both badass brews and badass company. There is always something going on at Odyssey.
Its neighbors are businesses and buildings that find themselves empty while Odyssey Beerwerks cranks up the music and parties into the wee hours. No one minds here. Everything Odyssey screams adventure—but in the “let’s go to Wally World, Clark Griswold” kind of way. A little reckless but measured abandon (with all the family fun and incurable memories in tow). It’s an Arvada staple and even if you’re not from Arvada, you won’t find it hard to feel like a local on Bingo, Magic or Vinyl nights.
They’re an enigma of the best kind: all work and all play. It’s an impossible combination of pleasure and persistence in making great tasting, technically sound beer. There’s something to be said about Odyssey’s methodical drive in making an exceptional product that speaks to the most basic beer novice and the most sophisticated beer snob. It’s not definition altering they aim for, but being the textbook answer to the question. If I seek a textbook *insert beer style here*, Odyssey Beerwerks should come to mind.
Make it good but don’t make it unnecessarily complicated. The lack of overthinking lends itself to several wonderful revelations: firstly, they produce an exceptional and interesting product. Secondly, they aren’t stressed about anything, which gives room for creativity. The Odyssey team just knows how to have a good time. They show us that words like “clean” and “simple” don’t have to translate to “not complex”. Odyssey Beerwerks doesn’t seek to change the fabric of what beer is, but wishes instead to weave itself into it seamlessly. They show us that great tasting beer doesn’t need to be complicated to be perfect. Great beer just is.
Beer at Odyssey is a clinic on tradition. If you drink a pilsner in Prague, you should be able to find that same caliber beer 5200 miles away in Colorado. It’s a humble plea to the beer ancestors of Belgium and Germany that Odyssey Beerwerks is keeping alive. Now, that’s not to say they don’t experiment with new and different beers because they do. It’s more of a return to home base and go from there. The base beer should be technically and principally sound, or any variant won’t meet the mark.
These guys make a critical leap into the “hazy” IPA trend with Sucker Punch’d. This beer is an acidic cacophony of tart and hoppy. Their seasonal “Maple Coffee Stout, eh?” celebrated stout month in all the right ways. This Hunter Bay coffee, maple stout is a freaking concert of malt with the gooey maple notes you have been looking for all this time. For your pleasure, it’s also only 8% ABV, so you can kick back a few of these on a snowy day without a care. With core brews like HelioCentric Hefeweizen and Psycho Penguin Vanilla Porter making canned debuts all over town, you’re not far from your next Odyssey fix.
It’s clear that Odyssey Beerwerks has made their mark in the hearts of Arvada locals and while the goal is to expand, they won’t be moving too far from their center of gravity. Arvada is infectious that way. There isn’t anything about this brewery that isn’t delightful and this reviewer could hang out there all day (and has). When you’re on the journey at Odyssey, you’ll always have your glass empty and heart full.
The Denver Hopper Notes:
Odyssey Beerwerks has a ton of events that you can find on their Facebook! Website coming soon.
Social Media!
Give them a follow on IG: @odysseybeerwerks, FB: @OdysseyBeerwerks, Twitter: OdysseyBeerwrks
Odyssey Beerwerks
Website: odysseybeerwerks.com
Address: 5535 W 56th Ave #107, Arvada, CO 80002