Ottos Slab Cabin IPA

Brewed by Ottos Pub & Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
State College, Pennsylvania USA

Bomber. Pours a pretty reddish color with a big frothy head and aromas of pine and herbal hops. Flavor is pretty similar. A toffee/caramel malt presence balanced against an English hoppiness. Pretty light and crisp, but not that compelling as far as I’m concerned.

22oz bottle. Pours a crystal clear, deep copper-red body with an inch thick, white, rocky head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is loaded with heavy pines and sharper grapefruits. A light amount of sweet caramels, apricots, and florals keep this in check, but this is all about the piney hops. Flavor is the same. A light caramel sweetness greets the tongue before an assertive piney bitterness comes in. Lots of grapefruit with a slight resin, apricot, oranges, a light toasted bread, and plenty of florals make up the rest. Finishes dry with a nice, moderate bitterness that lingers for a long duration. Overall, a very tasty IPA. Clearly this is about the hops with just enough of a balance to keep this in check. I really like the finish in that it keeps the assertive piney hops to a slightly higher than moderate bitterness. The intense pine flavors initially made me anticipate an over-bitter finish, but this is definitely well made and prevents that. I really liked this one.

22 oz bottle from the brewery. Clear dark amber with a sticky foamy light tan head. Aroma is citrus, pine resin and caramel. The flavor starts bitter then the sweetness fades in and back to a bitter finish. Medium body with average carbonation and a syrupy mouth feel. This thing is packed with flavor, aroma and body for only being a 5% beer, well done.

Pours copper with a lasting white head. Smells of earthy hops, peppery. Tastes of earth, tea, some dry malty hints.

I wasn’t overly impressed with this IPA. In fact, it’s pretty average. There really wasn’t any one characteristic of this beer that truely stood out. It poured a dark amber color with a generous off-white head. There was some nice lacing around the edges of the glass. The aroma was mostly of pine and earth with some floral hops thrown in. The body and flavors were quite hoppy, but I think they used a bit too much malt. There was an overwelming character or caramel and earth. I think this IPA would have been better had they backed off the malt a bit. But it’s still a decently drinkable beer.

Bomber from the brewery. Clear deep red, nose bursting with resiney, piney hops. Love the floral expression. Mouth is so well balanced: a bit sweet, citrusy, floral, then lightly bitter. Great in its simplicity and balance, one of the best yet from Ottos.

Bomber. Pours an average, foamy, light tan head. Clear, amber body. Citrus and pine nose with some sticky crystal. More fruit in the flavor - pear and white grape accompany the suspected pine and grapefruit. More sweet crystal malt. Medium-full body with a sticky, resinous mouthfeel. Detracting. Lingering hop flavor with a bitter finish. Pretty good, but the mouthfeel really dragged it down for me.