Barbarella, meet Odd13 Hopperella

Odd13’s beloved brew is on its way to becoming an icon among beer geeks and science fiction lovers alike. Time to pair Hopperella IPA with another icon that may or may not have inspired it.

The Movie: Science Fiction Erotic Comedy / 1968 / Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica – Paramount Pictures

The Beer: IPA / 7.1% ABV / Odd13 Brewing – Lafayette, CO

I didn’t quite know what to make of Barbarella at first. I was in college, watching at about 1 a.m. after a party, having arrived home and suddenly remembered I’d obtained a DVD copy on the recommendation of a coworker at the campus library.  All I knew going into it was that it was a 1960s adaptation of a French comic starring Jane Fonda.

Maybe it was the dizzying amount of outfits Fonda’s heroine star-trekked through. Maybe it was the opening striptease or the Excessive Machine. Or maybe it was just lingering party fuzziness — Barbarella was something I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.

I did, however, know exactly what to think about Odd13 Brewing’s Hopperella IPA from first sip. Now this is one solid IPA!

The big lineup of Galaxy, Mandarina Bavaria, El Dorado, Pacific Jade and Centennial Hops offers a nice array of fresh citrus and tropical fruit aromas. The brew is hazy in appearance, but whispers of pine resin and citrus rind trail the fruit flavors for a satisfying bitter punch. This sipper is the very definition of “perfectly balanced.”

It’s little wonder that Hopperella is a solid fan favorite, especially with so many overly sweet IPAs today. Introduced years ago to Odd13’s Colorado fanbase, the beer quickly became popular. The brewers now bring it back whenever they feel like it (which is somewhat frequent). Thankfully, Hopperella can often be found in other states when new batches roll out.

Now, Odd13 does not explicitly state that Hopperella sources any inspiration from Jane Fonda’s iconic ’60s space adventurer. But one look at the can art, and it’s impossible not to get some Barbarella vibes:

In fact, when I first came across Hopperella in 2017, it prompted me to watch Barbarella for the first time since college. This time, I paid closer attention.

There’s a lot going on here: Earth Agent Barbarella embarks on a mission to stop mad scientist Durand Durand from resurrecting the “neurotic irresponsibility” of the past and causing war. Because in this future, natural independent thought and feeling are controlled to promote peace. Oh, and making love is now very transactional and done via both parties popping pills.

On her mission, Barbarella meets many strange creatures and befriends an angel named Pygar who doesn’t like wearing shirts. She learns new customs and learns (suspiciously fast) to stop popping pills to do ‘it’ the old fashioned dirty way. Also she changes lots of outfits. Through her experiences, Barbarella becomes enlightened and in touch with the emotions and urges that have been sacrificed for intergalactic peace.

Amid the over-arching story of a space adventurer encountering new places, people and foes, it’s really the tale of an Earth woman undergoing an awakening. Elements of feminism compete with those of exploitation, and both do so strongly. The whole thing is really very tongue-in-cheek. Above all, however, Barbarella is art for the sake of art. It’s visually and mentally fun to watch; interesting to watch.

Whether you love Barbarella like my old coworker or are just as confounded by it as I was the first time around, it remains oddly captivating all these years later. I can’t think of a more perfect beer and movie pairing than Hopperella IPA — a rising icon of its own.

For those unfamiliar with Odd13, they’re one of the Colorado breweries that helped make the state’s impressive craft beer scene what it is today. Boulder Weekly even says Odd13 offers “the Centennial State’s best expression of the NE IPA” and cites Hopperella as an example. 

Not bad for our primitive times of “neurotic irresponsibility.”