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.
OTTER CREEK COPPER ALE
Unspecific German-styled altbier is flagship offering. Faded charred wood mouthfeel, ashy tobacco stain and acquired smoked salami salience overrun by musty-fruited dry malting in a curious India Pale Ale manner. Spice-hopped orange rind bittering gains phenol acridity.
OTTER CREEK ‘A WINTER’S ALE’
OTTER CREEK ALPINE ALE
Piney maple sap and subtle nutmeg-clove spicing indulge softly-hopped off-dry chestnut-hued seasonal amber. Caramel malt thickness intensifies citric grapefruit-tangerine souring as boysenberry, juniper, pear, and cherry hints resonate. ’05 tasting found toasted barley and roasted chocolate taking lead.
OTRO MUNDO GOLDEN ALE
Glutinously cloy Argentinean with ominous compost waft and gritty grout mouthfeel barely betters horrid malt liquor lameness. Cheap cereal-grained whiskey malting and rotten peach souring don’t help.
OSTANKINSKOYE LAGER
Do they drink this rust-hued pale lager at Kremlin while snorting vodka? Moderate malted hops penetrate the senses as refreshing water smoothness counters dirty grain consistency, combining for Scotch-like finish softening on the back of the tongue. Easy to plow down like many barely adequate, overly advertised American macrobrews.