Otter Creek Double Decker Olde English Holiday Ale

Brewed by Otter Creek Brewing
Style: English Strong Ale
Middlebury, Vermont USA

Wonderful English strong. Very nice toffee and biscuit malt with a slight metallic resonance that seems to be a signature of most of Otter Creek’s beers. Nice hop balance showing off the lush maltiness. Quite refreshing for 7%.

Bottle. Roasty, caramel, buttery aroma with some hints of mild coffee as well. There is definitely somewhat of a diacetyl presence in the nose. Either way, a pleasing aroma. Mildly hazy amber colored body with a small, quickly dissipating tan head. Start is somewhat watery and a bit bland. Turns quite roasted in the middle with a fair amount of seweet caramel flavors. Finishes a bit hopped. Body seems rather thin throughout, which makes the alcohol more apparent. Just seems a bit off.

Clear, dark brown appearance started off with a fairly large, tan head and moderate lacing. Sweet roasted malt aroma, slightly metallic, along with some floral notes. Soft, fruity, toffeeish taste; sweet, slightly cloying, with some earthiness at the end. Softly carbonated, medium bodied mouthfeel. Lasting, caramel like finish with those metallic notes popping up again.

On tap @ cole’s. Mahogany, off white champagne head. Nose is caramel, chocolate, some fruitiness. Lots of dusty chocolate, rich malt, strawberry, bitter finish. Better than I expected but still not my thing

Pours a nice deep amber with a thin head. Aroma is sweet nutty, toasted malts, chocolate, caramel, molasses. Flavor is slightly fruity, plum and raisin, but also lots of deep thick sweet malts- dark crystal almost special B like. Smooth overall. Nice.

Pours a deep, amber tinged, almost opaque reddish brown color that shows a brilliantly clear ruby color when held up to the light. The aroma is a light ambe colored frothy cream color. The aroma is sweet and malty, with toffee and caramel being quite apparent as well as notes of toasted malt and biscuits in the background. There is a light fruitiness here reminiscent of raisins plus a hint of cherries and some berry notes. Actually there is a note of chocolate here as well, which really pairs well with the other notes. The aroma is just a concentrated malt experience; it is not overwhelming, or cloying, but quite well balanced in its expressive maltiness.

The taste is quite sweet up front, but not cloyingly so, in fact it is quite rich and malty. Lots of notes of toffee, caramel and a bit of nutty toasted malt in the finish that evokes thoughts of a lightly roasted coffee bean. There is a light hop bitterness in the finish, which compliments the touch of roasted bitterness. A dry, almost astringent note takes hold towards the end of this beer, which helps, along with the bitterness, to counter the up front malt sweetness, and make you want another sip of this beer. This is certainly a nice malty brew, it is perhaps missing a touch of malt complexity, but it really is quite good as is.

Pours a dark amber red color with a decent head. Flavor is malty with a nice balance of hop mix. Aroma is kinda fruity with a bit of maltyness.

Pours a deep garnet into a pint. Persistent 1/4 inch-, medium-sized bubbles. Very light aroma -- if carbonation has a smell, this is it. Some fruit notes. Initial big malt flavors quickly turn bitter and then metalic -- very bizarre turn of events. Palate goes fizzy to flat very fast.