Otter Creek Imperial India Pale Ale

Malts: 2-row Munich, Carapils, Caramel 60L, Caramel 20L, Wheat.

Hops: Bravo, Apollo, Amarillo, Simcoe.

3.7

204 reviews

Middlebury, United States

Community reviews

3.4 Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of nicolascage. Hazy golden with a white head. Intense vanilla, caramel and citrusy hops in the nose. Medium body, sweetish caramel, citrusy hops leaving a distinct bitterness. 141210

3.5 Bottle at ØLbaren - thanks to ??? Clear amber - white head. Cheese, fruity, peppery, herbal, ok bitterness, high hoppy, malty sweetness, caramel, piney, grape fruits, citrus. ok.

3.6 cloudy orange, smooth white head. dry, dusty aroma, faint flowery. flavor is malty, flowery, balance is very nice.

3.5 Bottle. Cloudy orange coloured with a medium sized off-white head. Sweet and fruity aroma of caramel, hops and pine needles with notes of dried fruits. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel, hops, grass and grape fruits. Dry hoppy finish.

3.7 22 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is fruity and grapefruity hoppy. Thick caramelish and grapefruity bitter to pinewood hoppy. Ends sweet, hoppy and peachy to grapefruity bone dry hoppy.

3.4 a lot of hops, giving a good hop fix, but not a great entry into the style. The bitterness beyond the so-called theoretical 100 IBU limit that I cannot taste any further bitterness. Rather astringent, that builds as I drink it. I cannot give every attempt at a DIPA the Sammy 4 and it was not that enjoyable. I can only take so much grapefruit rind. Murky grapefruit colour with decent head. Mild hoppy aroma.

3.9 Pours a goldish amber with a light tan head. The head is thick and creamy, long lasting and with plenty of lacing. Aroma is light with notes of grapefruit and pine. Despite its 135 IBUs the beer while bitter is well balanced with the malt. Flavors of grapefruit, pine, and some earthiness is dominant but the malt is enough to cut the bitterness so as not to be overpowering.

2.2 Pours with heavy head. Nice orange slight brown hue. Aroma pungent and immediate turn off. A very strong alchol tast not the good stuff rubbing alchol. With a strong bitter after taste. Money well spent because now I know not to buy this one again.

3.8 Maybe it’s just the over-abundance of DIPA’s on the market, and I know this is an "imperial IPA", but this fell a little short in the style. I just couldn’t get past the 11%, it was all over the taste and finish and barely covered up by a tinge of maltiness. Good beer, don’t get me wrong, but not to my personal balance, but what am i to say.

3.7 It poured a nice amber hue with a pure white head that had good retention. Aroma had strong caramel malts and nice pine notes, hints of citrus. Flavor had a good malt base and the hops were assertive. Alcohol seemed well hidden. i did not expect that beer to be 11%. Finish was sweet and dry.

3.9 Wow! This was a surprise. This probably could be characterized as a triple IPA given its 11% alcohol and 135 IBUs. Had a 22oz bottle from Capone’s Bottle Shop. Hard to pin down a particular hop character since a number are used. But to my palate this beer has as good a balance of bitterness to residual malt sweetness as any DIPA I’ve had. That said, it’s probably on the dry/bitter side for some drinkers. But I was really impressed with this brew.

3.1 Cloudy golden pour with a thin white head. Aroma of resinous, citrusy hops. Decent flavor of citrusy, resinous hops with strong bitterness. The body is light to medium with an oily texture and soft carbonation.

3.8 (Old BA rate - tap) Poured very well with a half-finger of eggshell colored head; brownish copper color, very nice retention and lacing. A little dank and citrusy; light cedar notes; sweetish malt rounds it out. Earthy and piney hoppiness; malty but nowhere near sweet; really nice stuff here. Medium; very subtle carbonation; very lovely over the palate. Really good; started as a sipper, but quickly turned into a quick one down

3.7 Bomber shared with Marc and Thierry. Aroma : Resinous hops. Notes of mango and sweet caramel. Very malty. Fruity. Taste : Hoppy, resinous, lots and lots of malt. Finish is quite bitter with lots of malt, fruits. Bitterness is a bit harsh. Overall : Quite good overall. Very malty and quite resinous. Great hops and fruits. Slightly too sweet for my taste.

4.0 Cask @ Boston/NY 2009. Clear golden orange color, short head. Very bitter, grapefruit and pine. Harsh bitter taste. Although I prefer more balanced instead of harsh bitter DIPAs, I liked this one.

3.3 22oz, gold foiled, bomber from once upon a vine southside. pours a nice, hazy, orange with a thick, creamy off-white head leaving a thick ring of lace. aroma is pretty nice with very sweet, sticky, citrus hop notes of orange marmalade and pink grapefruit with a hint of lemon zest and underlying tropical fruit notes backed by sugary, biscuity malts, caramel and light toffee. flavor is tasty as well, but is unfortuantely a bit stale, with dry, bitter citrus hops, pine resins, and grass up front with toasted malts, caramel, and a hint of sweetness on the back end. palate is medium bodied but slightly watery with high carbonation and a lingering, bitter, citrus hop finish. overall, a nice dipa but this may have been just a tad too stale. why can’t freakin breweries bottle date their product so i can avoid buying stale beer?!

3.8 Gold in color with a decent off-white head. Aroma is of caramel, malt, pine and grass. Taste is of citrus, caramel and grass.

3.5 Dark roasted malt aroma, followed and exceeded by woody, spicy hops. It’s unbalanced, and those woods are very pungent. The appearance is cloudy, chunky amber-orange. Some sediment. A finger of puffy head. Looks formidable. The flavor is very spicy, lots of woody/oak hops, mahogany notes. The malts are pumpernickel rye. Very spicy burn in the aftertaste. Alcohol not kept a secret. Citrus kicks in a bit as it warms up. Still, very very hop heavy. Feels thick and creamy; really has a burn on the way down. It’s a very spicy beer, challenges the tongue. Really heavy, and could use a little more balance or a less bitter respite.

4.0 Pours an amber orange color with an off white soapy head. Has a grapefruit aroma with hints of caramel. Has a bitter taste. Some sweet up front. But this is a hoppy brew. Not so much resinous. But an nice DIPA.

3.8 Sampled on 3/19/2010. This imperial IPA pours a dark orange gold color from a 22oz bottle. Large sized white foamy head, with good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is grapefruity and floral hops and some fruity sweet malts. A medium bodied Imperial IPA. The malts are fruity and sweet. The hops are grapefruity, citrusy, herbal and piney. A fairly hoppy Imperial IPA. Lots of hop bitterness that is balanced by some nice sweet malts are the finish. Good carbonation. Nice balance. Hides the alcohol well. The beer gets a little more orange and malty as it warms. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is bitter.

3.4 On tap: pours a clear bright golden with a stringy lacing white head. Has a sweet sugary light caramel and pale malty nose with some piny hoppy notes. Starts with pretty good fullness and sweet pale maltiness with some resiny hoppy notes before a peppery warming finish. An ok IPA, but could hide its alcohol better.

3.7 Poured a hazy honey/amber with a foamy off-white head. Aroma is hoppy with some malts. Taste is very hoppy with a slight hint of alcohol. Finish is a little sweet. A good amount of spices. Some bitter caramel flavors(?). Overall pretty well balanced. I hate the label on the bottle, I almost overlooked this one.

3.5 Hazy, dark orange with an off-white, eggshell head. Smells sweet, but with hops and malt. Flavor is very bitter with hops but plenty of sweetness to balance it - maybe a bit sappy bitter sweet. It’s mostly hops and bitterness in the finish, but that sweetness just keeps going. Perhaps a bit too much for me. Still, a very good Imperial IPA.

3.5 Pours reddish gold with a decent white head and a floral aroma. There is a large caramel malt flavor with a carbonated bitter hop finish.

3.7 Bomber. Pours a dark gold, with white head. Lots of harsh bitter hops in this beer. Very piney bitter, some citrus notes, and a caramel malt background. Good if your in the mood of cutting your taste with hops.

3.1 Purchased at the Davis Food Co-Op. Not sure how fresh this is. Aroma is fairly sticky and sweet with a light mustiness and grassy/floral hop character. Pretty underwhelming. Transparent, attractive orange color with a large, frothy, rocky cream-colored head present. Starts with a very weak sweetness before it develops lots of tannins. A light juiciness is there, before this finishes with a great deal of orange, citrus and piney hoppiness. Booze is rather noticeable.

4.0 Bomber. Pours medium amber with a high foamy off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma. Medium body with sharp carbonation. Flavor is a lot of mixed hop - like citrus and resin - with some floral coming up after a bit. It’s bitter. 135 IBU is believable. It’s a great ale. The hop is harsh, but very pleasing. Would not hesitate to do this again.

3.9 22oz bottle, The pour was a hazy sediment filled light copper beer with an egg shell head and honeycomb shaped lace. Floral hops are accented with a massive amount of citrus, lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit. Aromatic and complex. This is a chewy mouthful. On mouth this is a floral yet sweet IIPA with a nice balance. The finish is slightly on the bitter side with a slight touch of alcohol.

3.3 Bottle. Amber beer with a big cream colored head. Light summer fruit and light grapefruit aroma with light malt. Caramel and grapefruit flavor with pine and some herbal tones. Medium-plus bodied. Good bitterness. herbal notes linger with caramel, grapefruit, and light pine. Alcohol noticeable and too much in forefront.

3.4 Bottle. Poured with a muted golden-bronze color and a craggy head of foam. The beer emits a pleasant scent of piney hoppiness. After an initial stabbing bitterness on the front of the tongue, this rolls across the center with a very middle-of-the-road IPA character. Then at the finish is a stark acidic sting. Light in body, particularly for an 11% beer. (#3844, 2/17/2010)