Otter Creek Imperial India Pale Ale

Brewed by Otter Creek Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Middlebury, Vermont USA

(22oz bottle) Crystal clear amber body topped by rocky, medium off-white head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma is moderately pine, orange/grapefruit, light caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, juicy grapefruit/pine, some orange/floral, spice, bread/caramel. Sticky medium-full body, low carbonation, light alcohol acidity. Alcohol noticeable but balanced by the huge malt backbone.

22oz bottle. Poured a medium and clear golden color with a huge sized off white head. Aromas of pine, citrus, floral hoppiness, pepper, and tropical fruitiness. Tastes of pine, citrus, floral, the same pepperiness, and some caramel. Nice long bitter finish with some alcohol in the finish.

CBC Cask Night by MBAA–pours a bubbly offwhite head and amber color. Aroma is pine/herbal. Taste is pine/herbal.

Bottle… Crystal clear amber ale with a large, creamy, off-white head. Fantastic retention. The aroma is a swirl of toffee, earthy hops, resin, pine and touches of apricot, peach and grapefruit. Full-bodied and creamy with brisk carbonation. The sweet caramel and toffee backbone actually holds its ground despite scorching hop bitterness. Lengthy, grassy, almost-violently-bitter finish. Bottle courtesy of ygtbsm94!

My Bottom Line:
This Double IPA’s brutally disproportionate wooden hop bitterness is hard to predict since its fruity, honeyed aroma prepared me for a smooth sipping experience.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy sheet of foam covers the clear amber.
-For a Double IPA, the aroma was not that attractive.
-That very long hop bitterness was also spicy, resinous and salty.
-Alcohol is perceptible in the finish, but is mostly hidden by the portentous bitterness.

Bottle.

Poursamber with a large white head. Smells of resiny hops, some perfumy hints, sweet malt. Tastes of citrus, perfumy, some sweet malt, crisp finish.

22 oz bomber. Amber pour with a white head. The nose is loaded with bright citrusy hops. A lot of heavy sweet citrus. Some grapefruit and a heavy pine/pineapple character. There is a pretty sweet sticky note of sweet pale malt. Orange peel and light citrus. Fairly sweet and fruity with a lot of heavy honeyed sweetness. Fairly boozy as it warms, but it’s pretty tasty nonetheless.

Draft in snifter at The Comet. Poured a clear copper color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with fair lacing. Heavy complex citrus hoppy aroma with a alcohol tone. Medium body with a slick texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet and small alcohol bite finish of moderate duration. This is a standout beer.