Mild straw-hazed witbier layers pleasant orange-peeled coriander nicety and peppery hop fizz above honeyed barley-oats, stabilizing latent lemony apricot zest of crisp medium body. But funky metallic finish ruins husked wheat graining and fruited tartness.
All posts by John Fortunato
OTTER CREEK VERMONT LAGER
Euro-styled golden lager submits spice-hopped grain stimulus and brisk lemon rind tang to light breaded bottom. Engaging piney wood tone buffers citric zest.
OTTER CREEK SUMMER WHEAT ALE
Pale-toned summer ale with soft wheat and peppery hops balanced by fruity tartness. Spunky lemon backdrop at refreshing finish softens flow though fizzy aftertaste is incomplete and indistinct.
OTTER CREEK STOVEPIPE PORTER
Rich chocolate nougat creaminess and caramel-roasted malting complement coffee grain bitterness. Yet unlike heavier porters, delicate maple-sapped nuttiness provides softer texture so it goes down easier. Upgraded, updated 2010 version plied burnt caramel, brown chocolate and vanilla sweetness to mild pine-smoked nuttiness, picking up desolate espresso wisps with excellent results.
OTTER CREEK RASPBERRY BROWN WINTER ALE
Tart raspberry puree scheme outweighs astringent crystal-chocolate malting and honeyed hazelnut whim of ’06 version. Metallic phenol hop fizz restrains strawberry-kiwi nip, recessive wood impression, and harsh walnut density.
OTTER CREEK PALE ALE
Grain-roasted dry-hopped amber bitter connects cracked wheat spine to tangy mandarin orange-nectarine-peach-grapefruit medley and toasted almond nicety before caramelized cotton candy sweetness summons piney-spruce notion, floral grandeur, and grassy bottom.
OTTER CREEK OKTOBERFEST AUTUMN ALE
Bright citrus aroma done in by fatigued caramel malt penetration, dank vegetal grained acridity, vacuous orange peel piquancy, and random cinnamon-pumpkin spicing for unconventional top-fermented Octoberfest’s unique appeal. Light pallid texture, metallic wood-grained astringency, and lackluster raw-honeyed yeast sinew lower its robust nature. And that’s a bad thing. 2010 version lacked body, character, and stylistic proclivities, bringing metallic swerve to vegetal gourd-squash acridity and leafy-hopped orange-dried cola nuttiness.
OTTER CREEK MUD BOCK SPRING ALE
Bucolic country fresh waft, fruit-dried mocha richness, and delicate citrus zest up-front. Fresh water texture provides subtle mouthfeel softened by earthen-grained smoked barley. Though lacking typical bock bite and closer to midlevel nut brown ale, honeyed malts, ashy tobacco, and black licorice hints provide unique backdrop.
OTTER CREEK MIDDLEBURY ALE
OTTER CREEK GERMAN-STYLE KOLSCH SPRING ALE
Crisply golden-bodied, fluffy pearl-headed, medium-bodied Kolsch stays nondescript. Fizzy hop-tingled lemony tangerine tang becomes acidic as stale toasted bread meander drags down marzipan nicety to soapy phenolic finish. Brighter spicy citric nuance is a must.
OTTER CREEK 15TH ANNIVERSARY INDIA PALE ALE
Keen pine hop-embittered biscuit-y motif centers coppery commemoration. Buttery chocolate malts underpin almond-chestnut proclivity as mild citric-berry embrace and pecan-maple illusions arise.
OTTER CREEK EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER
Special Spring ’06 release weaves dry earthen vegetal sequence through herbal tea bitterness countering tidy caramel malting, but metallic finish depletes raw honey moderation.