Odell Brewing Unveils Imperial Red IPA for the 2026 Small Batch Series

This morning brings exciting news from Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado, as the brewery prepares to roll out a brand‑new addition to its celebrated Small Batch Series. This upcoming release is called Imperial Red IPA, and it promises to deliver the bold hop character, rich malt depth, and elevated strength that fans of Odell’s limited‑edition beers have come to expect.

Brewed exclusively for Larimer County, this Imperial Red IPA is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated local‑only releases of 2026. Odell has long been known for its mastery of hop‑forward ales, and this new entry blends the intensity of an imperial IPA with the caramel richness and ruby hue of a classic red ale. The result is a beer that’s both familiar and fresh, an elevated take on a style that Odell has historically executed with precision.

Clocking in at a robust 8% ABV, Imperial Red IPA is built for fans who appreciate a beer with backbone. Expect a layered malt profile featuring toasted caramel and subtle sweetness, balanced by a generous hop bill delivering citrus, pine, and resinous aromatics. This is the kind of beer that showcases Odell’s ability to merge tradition with innovation, offering a full‑bodied, aromatic experience without sacrificing drinkability.

Packaged in 16‑oz cans, this Small Batch Series release is designed for craft beer enthusiasts who love exploring Odell’s limited‑run offerings. The larger format gives the beer room to shine, making it ideal for sharing, cellaring, or enjoying fresh from the can. As with all Small Batch Series releases, availability will be limited, and distribution will remain tightly focused within Larimer County, reinforcing the hyper‑local, community‑driven spirit behind the project.

A New Chapter in Odell’s Small Batch Series

Odell Brewing’s Small Batch Series has become a showcase for creativity, experimentation, and regional exclusivity. Each release highlights a unique style or brewing technique, often available only in select markets. The addition of Imperial Red IPA continues this tradition, offering a beer that blends bold hop character with rich malt complexity, two hallmarks of Odell’s brewing identity.

Fans of Odell’s past red ales and hop‑forward specialties will likely find this release especially compelling. The imperial strength adds depth and intensity, while the red ale foundation provides a smooth, balanced canvas for the hops to shine.

What to Expect From Imperial Red IPA

While full tasting notes and release timing are still forthcoming, early details suggest:

• Style: Imperial Red IPA
• ABV: 8%
• Packaging: 16‑oz cans
• Distribution: Exclusively in Larimer County
• Flavor Profile: Rich caramel malt, citrus‑pine hop character, smooth bitterness
• Series: Part of the 2026 Small Batch Series

This beer is poised to become a standout in Odell’s 2026 lineup, especially for fans who appreciate bold, malt‑forward IPAs with a deep, ruby‑red color and a warming finish.

Final Thoughts

The arrival of Imperial Red IPA marks another exciting moment for Odell Brewing Co. as they continue to expand their Small Batch Series with inventive, locally focused releases. With its 8% ABV, 16‑oz can format, and exclusive Larimer County distribution, this limited‑edition beer is shaping up to be a must‑try for Colorado craft beer fans and collectors alike.

Stay tuned for official release details, tasting notes, and availability updates as Odell Brewing prepares to roll out this bold new Imperial Red IPA in 2026.

Label Text Odell Brewing Imperial Red IPA:

“ODELL BREWING CO. SMALL BATCH SERIES Brewed exclusively for Larimer County This limited edition IPA pours into the glass with a ruby red color and its malty backbone carries a big hop presence. Proudly Colorado Independent since ’89 Fort Collins, Colorado“

About Odell Brewing:

Founded in 1989, Odell Brewing was started by Doug Odell, his wife Wynne, and his sister Corkie. Over thirty years later, the culture of family and collaboration still thrives, fostering a brewery full of beer-centric people. It is this passion for beer that inspires Odell Brewing to create quality, hand-crafted, innovative brews.

Proudly Colorado
With the Rockies as our backdrop, Colorado has always been home. Visit our flagship brewery in Fort Collins or our Denver small batch brewhouses in the Five Points and Sloan’s Lake neighborhoods.

Independent Since ’89
The Odell family founded a brewery full of beer-centric people back in 1989. Odell Brewing is employee owned and committed to its independence for generations to come.

Investing In The Planet
We’re operating the largest carbon dioxide recapture system in Colorado craft beer, eliminating 1.4 million pounds of carbon emissions annually. Our commitment to process improvement saves over 10 million gallons of water per year.

Crafting Community
We contribute to hundreds of nonprofits annually, empowering their work in our communities. Each year, our co-workers volunteer over 2,000 hours and host over 50 non profit fundraisers.

Independent since 1989. 100% Employee Owned.
In 2015, the Odell family founders sold the majority of the company to its co-workers (now co-owners) in a combined management buyout and an Employee Stock Ownership Program. Since the beginning the people who helped build Odell Brewing Co have acted like owners. This just made it official.

Early Days

Late 1970s | It all Starts with Scrubbing
Doug Odell’s Passion for craft beer started in the 70’s with his first job at San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company scrubbing the mash tun.

1981 | Becoming a Homebrewer
After his time at Anchor, Doug moved to Seattle where he continued to homebrew, perfected some recipes and met his wife Wynne.

1985 | From Honeymooning to Brewing Bliss
While honeymooning in the UK, Doug and Wynne were inspired by the many small breweries that were successfully selling flavorful real ale, and decided they wanted to take Doug’s passion commercial.
1989 | Building Roots

Doug and Wynne were looking for the perfect town to start their brewery. Doug’s sister Corkie was living in Fort Collins and sold them on the cozy college town, which unlike Seattle, didn’t have any other craft breweries.  The three of them joined forces to open up the brewery in 1989.
Today

The original brewery was located in a 1915 grain elevator just a few blocks from where the current brewery sits. Their first commercial release was Odell’s Golden Ale brewed with all malt and a modest hop build. 90 Shilling came along soon after, and remains the brewery’s top selling flagship.


Sometimes we can’t believe it’s been 30 years. When you have something as good as we’ve had at our brewery, life just flows.

Doug, Wynne & Corkie
Co Founders
The Art of Brewing

We take great pride in the pioneering advances we’ve made in developing innovative beer styles and brewing techniques. From the intensive study of hopping techniques to the comprehensive analysis of historic beer styles, we’ve identified the optimal assemblage of beer characteristics in each of our handcrafted brands.

Malting & Milling
Malted barley and wheat runs through the mill to be slightly crushed reveal the barley’s starchy endosperm, a converted fermentable. After milling, the grain is carried through an auger up into the mash tun.

Mashing
In the Mash Tun malt and water are mixed together in hot water for a half-hour, which causes the innermost sugars of the mash to spill out resulting in a sugar water called wort.

Lautering & Boil
The wort then goes into the Brew Kettle to be boiled for 90 minutes, while the spent grains go to a local dairy farm to serve as cattle feed. We add hops at different times during the boil to create a bitter mixture with a floral aroma.

Hop Back
When we’re making a beer that requires a little extra hoppy-ness, we turn to our infamous Hop Back. Here, the wort is strained through a bed of whole-flower hops. This adds the fresh, lively hop character you’ve come to enjoy in Odell IPA, Drumroll, Myercenary, and Mountain Standard.

Fermenting
Next the wort heads to the fermentor. We add a yeast that consumes the sugars to produce alcohol and CO2. After a week at 67°F we give the brew another two weeks at 34°F.

Dry Hopping
For beers that require a little something extra in the hop department we dry-hop them by shooting a cannon full of hop pellets right into the fermentor.

Filtering
Rather than filter our beers, we centrifuge them by spinning the beer at very high speeds. This removes the heaviest particles while leaving the essential hop oils and fine proteins to create a beer with better hop flavor, aroma, and improved mouth-feel and body.

Packaging
The finished beer is packaged into bottles, cans, and kegs. Every minute our packaging lines produce 2 kegs, 120 bottles, and 310 cans! This beer is kept cold in our off-site warehouse before it’s sent out for distribution.

Brewing Ideas into Life
All of our packaged beer is brewed on our 135 barrel, custom Braukon Brewhouse. However, many of these packaged beers started as just an idea on our 5 barrel Pilot System. Experimentation and innovation is at the heart of how we brew. Everyone at the brewery is invited to brew a beer on our Pilot System and share it with the locals at our taprooms,
See What’s on tap