Otter Creek Raspberry Brown Winter Ale

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

12 oz bottle. Poured a nice deep reddish brown with a bubbly light beige head. Aroma was loaded with sugary raspberry syrup plus light chocolate and grainy bread. The flavor has some initial metallic notes followed by raspberry, chocolate and bread. Definitely a beginners winter beer.

Dark brown color with an off white head with some lacing on the glass. Raspberry is the primary scent with a touch of citrus and smoke. Light medium mouthfeel for this forward drinking ale that produces tastes of chocolate covered raspberries. The finish is on the sweet and short side.

Appearance: Pours a brownish red with small swirls of white looking from the top down. Aroma: Smells like a cherry or raspberry tootsie roll pop. Taste: A quick zap of burnt chocolate malt followed by tart raspberry and a touch of earthy hops in the finish. I get a lot of tootsie roll pop flavor as well. I’m not complaining either. Mouthfeel: Perfectly carbonated, medium bodied. Overall: Really tasty, and came off like a dessert beer in my book. This was my very first Otter Creek beer.

Poured from bottle. Aroma of raspberry and coffee cake. Mahogany, translucent, thin tan head. Raspberry in flavor, not overpowering. Burnt caramel and a slight bit of cocoa. Slightly acidic feel. A nice surprise from Otter Creek

Has a deep darker amber color. Aroma is of raspberry, wheat, and malts. Taste is very similar. Flavors include light but bitter raspberries, malts, malts, hops, and a light chocolate in the undertones. Has a sour raspberry bite in the end.

Look is a deep glassy dark ruby red. Thin layer of head. Looks like a darker winter ale. Sweet but dark berry smell. Grape-ish aroma. Almost a little red wine. More brown sugar than raspberry. Raspberry comes out with agitation. More caramel/sugar scent than anything. Sharp brown bitterness with the raspberry as an accent. A brown first, although the roasted, caramel brown is subtle and light. Pleasant but not that dynamic. Feels dry and thin, weak. Nice enough overall. Thin and light for a brown. brown sugar sweetness with a mild fruity accent. Drinkable, but not amazing.

(Review written January 2009): 12oz bottle from local Hannaford. Pours a crystal-clear brown-red body with a slowly dissipating inch of light tan head. Smells mostly of tart raspberries. Dry tart raspberry dominates the flavor as well, with hints of chocolate and caramel. Surprisingly thin body with moderate carbonation. Tastes more raspberry than brown - reminds me a lot of the raspberry homebrew I made - sour, dryish... Not something I’d get again but good for any raspberry fan I suppose.

The Aroma is very faint: raspberry and bathroom cleaner. I also get some cranberry and a tiny bit of chocolate. Light cloudy brown color. Almost like cola with a thin filmy head. The flavor starts out with a light crisp raspberry flavor, the body falls flat, and then the finish is a light milk chocolate. It’s not all bad. It’s very drinkable. There just isn’t much character to it. Edit: As the beer warms it becomes a bit more interesting. Tangy and flavorful. I may just have to boost my rating a bit.