Winter Red Ale

Beer Name: Winter Red Ale
Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
ABV: 5.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Last time there were bottles of Otter Creek at Mom & Chuck's house, they had accidentally set their refrigerator far too cold and frozen the beers. This resulted in some beer volcanoes, and made the beers undrinkable. This time was much more successful, so I was actually able to enjoy a few of these OC brews.

Winter Red Ale is a seasonal beer that I drank straight from the bottle. This means that I have nothing to report on its head retention or lacing. On the other hand, even in a bottle there is a nice piney hop aroma. There's also a little toasted caramel in it as well. It's a nice combination, so hopefully the flavor can match up.

Well this is much more drinkable than the last red ale I had, so that clears up the issue of whether it was the beer or the style. There's a light hop character to it, but the star of the show seems to be the malts. They have a nice grainy caramel to them, with the hops keeping things interesting. The beer leaves a light aftertaste on the back of the tongue. Unfortunately, after about 2/3 of the bottle, the flavor shifted from a nicely balanced beer to a sort of off-putting bitterness.

Final thought - Things were pretty good at the beginning, but the flavor kind of went south after a little while. I think this would be a very enjoyable beer as long as you finish it within about 10 minutes or so. Open it up, start the clock, and get drinking!

-Jon

Alpine

Beer Name: Alpine Black IPA
Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
ABV: 6%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

After an afternoon spent drinking, the plan was to head over to Red Bones to cap the evening off with some more beer and some delicious barbecued meats. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), there was a very long wait, so we had to get another beer at another beer establishment.

That beer ended up being the Black IPA (which is apparently called "Alpine") from Otter Creek. I was starting to lose my concentration at this point, so this might not be a completely accurate review. Comes with the territory though, and you didn't pay anything to read it, so suck it up and deal.

The Alpine Black IPA is a, probably pretty obviously, dark beer that poured with about a finger of head. The retention for the head was pretty good, and it left a good lacing pattern behind. There is a nice aroma of hops here, but there's also a whole lot of roasted maltiness going on as well.

The Black IPA (or American black ale) style is supposed to be a mix of the hoppiness of an IPA and the maltiness of a black ale, and Alpine delivers. There are piney and citrusy hop flavors up front, and the deep roasted malt flavors follow those up. The finish is slightly bitter, but nothing too harsh on the tongue.

Final thought - I am not sure where the name Alpine comes from, because the bottles are not labeled with it anymore. Other than that little issue, this is a good beer, and I'd definitely have some more.

-Jon

OC Oktoberfest

Beer Name: Oktoberfest
Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
ABV: 4.8%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 8/29/10

While it's a little early by the calendar, the weather definitely says that it's time to break out the Oktoberfests. I didn't want to do 2 Sam Adams beers in a row, so I decided to give Otter Creek's offering a try. Let's see how it goes.

The first impression (smell) isn't fantastic. It's not bad, but I'm not excited by the beer that's about to follow it. It's hard to pick out any major scents in here, so I don't know what to expect. Maybe it's better that way though.

After the first sip, things are looking up. It tastes a little bit like an amber ale, although I don't know whether or not it's supposed to. Are Oktoberfests a version of an amber? I am going to go check. Hold on.

Ok, I checked for like 45 seconds and could not find anything definitive other than the fact that American Oktoberfest beers are inspired by the Märzen style of brewing, which is supposed to produce full-bodied beers. So really I learned nothing about the amber question. I should at least get partial credit for trying though. I'll give me a D+, maybe a C- if the rest of this post goes smoothly.

Anyways, it's amber-esque at the beginning, and has a nice smooth finish. There is no real aftertaste or lingering flavor at all, which I also associate with the amber beers. There is a slight hoppiness to it, but nothing overpowering. Letting it get warm is a mistake though. This is a beer that is clearly intended to be drunk cold. Be sure to get them into the fridge ASAP.

Final thought - OC Oktoberfest is a decent Oktoberfest beer, but it's definitely overshadowed by other beers out there. I would deem it slightly above average. It's not a bad choice, but it's not the best. Come on, Otter Creek, you can do better!

-Jon