Otter Creek ESB

Brewed by Otter Creek Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Middlebury, Vermont USA

This offering from Otter Creek pours a bright, clear, and clean amber orange color with some small carbonated bubbles in the glass. The nose of this brew is like herbal tea, some spicy fruit aspects come out but not heavy in nature just pleasing to the nose. The taste is a bitter blast of fruity oily hops. It then moves to a solid malt backbone for sweetness which really balances the beer. Very nice ESB best I’ve tasted in awhile.

355 ml, bottled 1-31-07. Dark copper with a medium and lasting head. Nose is mellow fruit with some slight earthy spices. Flavor is big caramel malt on front with some cedar, pecan nut, sour fruit, chocolate, spiced honey, and more. Turns toward the bitter in the middle with more dry, sourish wood and earthy tones; almost some smoke in the aftertaste at times. Palate is smooth and tingly at the same time, with a medium body, and dry on the finish. Awesome balance and complexity, this ESB is way under-appreciated.

Reddish, dark tan. Crystal clear, minimal head. English hops in the nose. Spice, very inviting. Puckering bitterness, smooth finish. Medium body. Earthy notes. Prety good american ESB.

Bottle, Lot 1847. Pours deep amber with a quickly fading off-white head. Grain, lots of caramel and a little pear/smoke in the nose. Malty and flavorful. Big presence of caramel/toasted malt, toffee, bread and apple followed by a finish of prominent hop bitterness. Actually, it seems overly bitter for an ESB but I’m enjoying it. Pleasantly sweet. Medium bodied with a smooth texture and moderate to mild carbonation. Bold and flavorful yet quaffable. I’m not usually a fan of Otter Creek beers but I enjoyed this one.

12oz bottle. Ruby amber hue. Spotty bone white head. Soggy bready caramel aromas. Toasty with a good nose. Full bodied with nice malt character. Good dose of bitter and burn finished wup with a sticky lively citrus pine jumble. Apple notes mixed with caramel and a lively 7-Up citrus note. Off-putting musty aroma. Detracts just a bit. Nice little bitter.

Light red color with a beige head. Aroma of caramel malt and a little hops. Flavor of sweet malts with some hops and a little sourness in the finish. Good.

On tap at HDG. Deep copper in color with a little head. Bready, malty hoppy aroma. Fruity and malty flavor. Caramel spicey clove notes. Citrusy hops. Finish is fruity. Medium bodied. Drinkable.

Bottle drank at the Brickskeller during RBSG 06 DC Weekend Copper color, light head, lots of lacing. Nose of light sweet dusty hops, light caramel. The flavor is toasty, medium bodied and caramelly. Decent finish. I can dig it.