Otter Creek Middleberry Ale

Brewed by Otter Creek Brewing
Style: Fruit Beer
Middlebury, Vermont USA

The aroma at the pour is great, maybe the best thing about this beer. It’s very light and very clear. The head melts away real fast.

2005 bottle. Pours a very light honey-orange color, clear and very bubbly with a light elderberry/blueberry pulp tone to it (pinkish-tangerine color). Bubbly white head has fair retention. Aroma of blueberry essence, lightly tart elderberry notes and some dry blueberry/elderberry skin notes. A touch of honey and mineral water. Flavor begins with a well-integrated mix of fruit skin, which is tart and lightly bitter/astringent, but there is ample pils malt to add sweetness, though in not too great a quantity. Though rather simple, it has a very fresh fruit flavor, not syrupy or fake in the least. Reminds me somewhat of a more simple Au Courant (does not have the malt complexity or as much flavor, or yeast). A very quenching summer ale. I really like the tart berry-skin bite on the finish. Light bodied, but not thin or watery. A little bit too much on the carbonation, and a high amount of filtration is evident.

Hoppy and malty, this is a very good beer. One of my criterias of rating Fruit beers is does it taste like the label claims? Answer....... Yes it certainly does tastes of berries. Very good beer for this category.

Clear dark gold with a miniscule white head. Next to no lacing. Smells like those packets of mixed fruit jelly you can find at Bob Evans. Light-bodied and bubbly with a fruity flavor. Faint hops as well, but that is about all. The finish is berry-y and short. Not really a noteworthy beer.

This one poured out a light yellow color with a nice rocky white head. The head dissipated fairly quickly and left a decent lace. In the aroma a grainy smell is most prominent with the hint of the blueberries and elderberries. The taste was a bit sweet with some tartness to the finish. The berry flavors didn’t seem to mix well as something was off in the taste, almost like berry flavored seltzer water. Overall not to pleasant to drink, the mouthfeel was really thin and the after taste really makes it hard to finish. Not something that I would have again.

Has large whit head with a clear, golden body. Aroma of blueberries. Has a light, lager-like flavor with a slightly harsh finish. Overall, this is not bad for $3.99 a sixer.

Pale, clear yellow color with a quickly diminishing head. Aroma is suprisingly hoppy, with a strong berry aroma thrown in. Flavor is strongly blueberry at first, giving over to a bit of a hoppy finish (well, hoppy for a pale ale, at least). Not spectacular by any means, but I’d drink this again.

Bottle: Clear golden hue with small fizzy head and some lace. The aroma has notes of wild berries (duh), buttered toast, orange zest, aromatic hops, and earthy yeast esters. The taste starts with a crisp tart lemon and sweet blueberry combination, almost wheaty, and a fine balance of bitters. The finish has a minor hint of surprising spicey character. The beer does not have as much fruitiness as you would think, more akin to a APA with a undertone of berry than a fruit beer. Still, despite it weaker taste and overcarbonated mouthfeel, it is still refreshing enough to enjoy.