Strange brew: Odell makes tomatillo sour beer

Odell Brewing Co. taproom employee Mike Adams was in the midst of a 10-day juice cleanse diet. Already tired of drinking standard fruits and vegetables, a display case of tomatillos caught his eye and curiosity at a local grocery store.

"Turns out fresh tomatillo juice tastes like a mixture of kiwi, cucumber and lemon," Adams said of the green-husked Mexican tomato.

The Odell employee of more than three years — whose normal job is filling up pints — later pitched the freshly juiced tomatillo flavor to his superiors.

The sour beer known as Green Coyote was born. It was a taproom sensation last year when made on Odell's five-barrel pilot brewery, a smaller system the Fort Collins brewery uses for experimental beers.

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Green Coyote was produced on a much larger scale this summer, hitting the market last weekend in limited release 12-ounce bottles. 

This year's version was made with 3,000 pounds of fresh tomatillos that were juiced by Big B's Fabulous Juices of Hotchkiss, Colorado.

Tomatillos are a rare brewing ingredient but have also been used commercially in a green tomatillo Mexican lager made by Burial Beer Co. of Asheville, North Carolina, and with hatch chilies in an ale called Salsa Verde by Martin House Brewing of Forth Worth, Texas.

Using tomatillos in beer was a new experience for Odell brewer Johnny Benson, who helped create Green Coyote.

“We weren’t sure exactly how it would come out,” Benson said. “But once we tasted it, we knew we had to find a way to brew this on the big system and get it in bottles.”

Green Coyote will be shipped to all 15 states Odell distributes to and is also on tap at the brewery's taproom, 800 E. Lincoln Ave.

Another Odell limited release, Sunny Rain Golden Tart, hits the market next week.

Follow Jacob Laxen on Twitter and Instagram: @jacoblaxen

Feisty Spirits offering special 1-liter whiskey barrels

Fort Collins distillery Feisty Spirits is celebrating its fourth anniversary this weekend with a special whiskey sold in commemorative one-liter wooden barrels.

The 100-proof whiskey is available for $100 on Saturday and Sunday. The inside of the barrel is coated with beeswax to prevent further aging.

The anniversary whiskey has been aging for over a year in old bourbon barrels that were previously used to age a porter beer at High Hops Brewery.

Feisty will host an anniversary party with tastings and food from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at its 1708 E. Lincoln Ave. tasting room.