Otter Creek World Tour: Helsinki Göld
Otter Creek Brewing

Otter Creek World Tour: Helsinki GöldOtter Creek World Tour: Helsinki Göld
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From:
Otter Creek Brewing
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Sahti
ABV:
6.37%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 10.78%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
52
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 27, 2013
Added:
Oct 23, 2006
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by cbl2:
Photo of cbl2
Reviewed by cbl2 from New York

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
6/9/2007 $2.99 22 oz. N/A No best by date.

Never had this style before, here goes…

Appearance:

Pours an appealing medium brown hazed by a bit of chill, and topped by a quarter inch of tight white head.

Aroma:

A blend of chocolate and rye dominates the nose, it is sweet, yet spicy, and rather intriguing.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Nicely carbonated & a chewy mouthfeel usher in this pleasant brew. Mildly sweet roasted malts dominate the palate throughout imparting a touch of chocolate. Some bitterness creeps in towards the end, but it is nicely balanced by the sweet malt. Highly drinkable, with no apparent alcohol, this is the best of the World Tour has to offer.
Jun 09, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jun 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 05, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Dec 13, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 02, 2011
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks goes out to jwc215 for this brew.

Pours a cloudy dark orange color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, slight yeast, licorice, with some spice. The taste is malty, slight yeast, licorice, and some spices. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a interesting brew, not too bad.
Feb 02, 2009
Photo of aerozeppl
Reviewed by aerozeppl from New York

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured a cloudy brown color with some white head and decent lacing. Never had this style before so hard to compare.

S: Graham crackers. Juniper. Sweet malt. Very much an earthy smell to the whole thing.

T: Very mild. The juniper really pops out more than anything else. hints of honey and spices are around as well. I am still getting graham crackers but I raped my tastebuds earlier today so everything might be a little off.

M: Light body. Feels like a lager in some ways but has a weird heaviness to it if that makes any sense.

D: Nothing to compare it to but this went down nice. Definitely a wacky style but good as well. Totally different. Worth trying if you can find it.
Aug 24, 2008
Photo of Avryle
Reviewed by Avryle from Vermont

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I have nothing to compare this to as like most folks, I've never had this style.

A- Cloudy golden-orange in color. Small off white head even with vigorous pour.

S- Fruity & bready with lemon zest. Nice honey sweetness was notable as was a lightly spicy presence.

T- Initially, the beer is a bit palid, then all the flavors catch up. Very sappy (must be the juniper) & honey-sweet. There's also a nice bread-y quality to the flavor imparted by the rye along with some spiciness.

M- The body is what you expect from the appearance- full without being heavy. Dry finish.

D- This bottle has been haunting the fridge for a couple months now, mostly because of the unknown factor. Now that I've had it, I found it to be a pleasant change from the bottled hops that are so dominant these days.
Aug 24, 2008
Photo of MuenchenerKindl
Reviewed by MuenchenerKindl from Germany

4.3/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a bomber to a pint glass the liquid is cloudy gold with ok carbonation. The head is one fat thumb off white ant leaves little lace.

The smell is nice yet fain, juniper molasses and caramel.

The taste follows but quite a bit more flavor the the smell would signal. Lots of molasses, juniper and other light spices.

The mouthfeel is ok to good lighter body the expected and ok carbonation.

The drinkability is good a very nice brew from a brewer I feel is closer to average. Prosit, MK
Aug 16, 2008
Photo of connecticutpoet
Reviewed by connecticutpoet from Connecticut

3.79/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
True to its name, this beer was a deep golden color, with a thin, fast-dying head. Wasn't sure what to expect from the style.

Aroma was of light citrus, a little rye-like spiciness, a hint of evergreen, slightly herbal, and overall light.

Taste was lightly spicy, a bit bitter, a hint of gin flavor, and just a touch of sweetness at the swallow.

Mouthfeel was not too thin, not full and chewy (I had no idea what to expect), but pleasant and seemed to match the taste.

Drinkability was pretty good. I am sure I will have another, as I have several bottles cellaring and available for trade.
May 29, 2008
Photo of tgbljb
Reviewed by tgbljb from Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured a pale golden color with nice white puffy head. Great retention and modest lacing.
Smell presents with a light fruity maltiness and some juniper scents.
Taste also has a nice refreshing malt character, with a light gin-like taste
Finishes very light and refeshing.
My favorite mixed drink is a gin and tonic and this beer is very similiar to it. Very easy to drink.
Feb 02, 2008
Photo of rallison
Reviewed by rallison from California

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My first foray into this style!

Pours a hazy dark golden color with a 1 finger white head that never completely dies. Smells are of slightly bready malts with maybe touches of spiciness. There's something else in the smell I can't quite place.

First taste is of slightly bready malts with a hint of toffee-like sweetness. There is some bitterness back there to balance this out that I assume comes from the juniper. There are some banana notes reminiscent of some hefeweizens as well. Not quite as unique of a taste profile given the style's interesting brewing characteristics, but tasty nonetheless.

Mouthfeel is slightly creamy with medium to low carbonation. Drinkability is no problem here.

Recommended. Glad to try this, although my guess is this may not be as authentic to style as it could be. Guess I'll have to search out some more...
Jan 30, 2008
Photo of auxiliary
Reviewed by auxiliary from Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
appearance - Nice amber color with a thin head that faded and left some lace.

smell - Smells of grains and spices here, and some hops.

taste - Sweet, malty, and citrusy. Bready, some bitterness from the hops at the end.

mouthfeel - Medium body, with some carbonation.

drinkability - Not a bad beer, Sahti? Seems they don't make this style that much. Rated the best out of like 40 people from this style.
Dec 27, 2007
Photo of blklab2007
Reviewed by blklab2007 from Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
bomber poured a hazy amber in color with minimal head on the pour but nice clouds of foam pooling at the surface and slow moving carbination. aroma is sweet malt, spice, a sharpness that i believe comes from the juniper berries, and some green apple. nice looking brew in the glass. taste is medium full mouth feel, hits with a ginger like sharpness, well balanced malt, spice, and some underlying fruit notes. very complex malts in here that are very complementary and the snap that comes from the juniper adds real interest. not the average beer and that is why i like it so much really has something interesting to it that makes me continue to find new flavors as it is sipped.
Dec 21, 2007
Photo of OStrungT
Reviewed by OStrungT from California

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer pours a cloudy, golden light brown color, with a thin white head. The head fades slowly, leaving very few laces.

This beer has a grainy aroma. I smell some mild spices. It has a slight rye aroma as well. I can not make out anything in the way of hop aroma. It smells slightly sweet.

This beer tastes much like it smells. Grainy with some spicey flavors. Slightly rye like. The lack of hop flavor at all is a little unsetteling.

This beer leaves a grainy, slightly rye like aftertaste. It is very low in carbonation.

This beer might not be the best session beer. It tastes a little odd, and I doubt I could drink much of it.

Overall: Thanks HimerMan for giving me the chance to try this style. Decent beer, but not anything that I am overly excited about.
Nov 11, 2007
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.92/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep amber color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of grain, rye, caramel and spice with a little bit of hops.

T: The taste bready and sweet with flavors of rye, spice and a little bit of citrus. There’s a decent hops presence that comes in to provide a little balance. The malt character is very hearty but it doesn’t make the beer very heavy. The after-taste is bready with touches of sweetness and bitterness.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not very filling, decent kick, this is an interesting style with so few beers in it this is the first time that I’ve tried one, this is a beer I could drink for a while, but I might look for something more flavorful after some time.
Oct 25, 2007
Photo of Slatetank
Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

4.42/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I will preface by saying I have not had a sahti before, but have enjoyed an Otter creek once or twice. Poured cool into a La Fin Du Monde tulip.

A - A medium amber w/ a quickly dissipating white head.

S - Robust rye aroma at first whiff w/ pretty instense malt odors. Reminds me of a wheat wine or rye bock at first. My first Sahti, just trying to take it all in.

M - Full roasted and dry feel w/ moderate carbonation, round and spicy feel in general w/ a rye-like roast and creaminess.

T - This beer is just beyond words to me. So complex.. I will start by sayin' the rich feel and and almost smoky woody taste and spice tastes like pepper and a hint of juniper. The rye is not overdone w/ subtle malt graininess. An overall dry taste and texture. Plenty of earthy complexity, the juniper gives a gin-like dry herbal flavor that is accentuated as it warms. The flavor keeps beckoning to me after I take each sip for another. The taste is fresh and this a just shy of a 5 for me w/ the body, toasty grain and blend of earthy flavors

D - The rye gives this ale its great aroma and mouthfeel. It has such smooth taste w/ juniper complexity. I could drink a small keg. The bomber went down like it was a small sample.
Sep 07, 2007
Photo of Boto
Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber: This one pours a clear, slightly darker golden color. There was a large white head on it, that disappeared quickly and left no lacing. the aroma is slightly bready and malty, with some very faint spice. It has a nice flavor to it. No real standouts, and medium bodied. some spices and fruit hiding in the background. Pretty smooth and drinkable.
Sep 01, 2007
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.01/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
A – Poured a nice clear amber, darker then I thought it would be actually. Had a nice orange lager like color. Lots of carbonation coming up from the bottom, this thing fizzled the entire time. Nice two inch plus head of white frothy foam formed immediately upon the pour, hung around for a couple mins then let go leaving behind some residual side glass lace.

S – Aroma was very tight and crisp. Quick clean hit of cereal like malts mixed in with earthy grains. Light fresh cut grass and rice mixed in as well, some sugary notes with almost a touch of very light roasted nut, or some light peach aroma. Rather summer like and very enjoyable actually.

T – Great great drinker here. Taste reminded me a lot of a good lager. It was such a clean fresh taste. Quick to hit you with a mild maltiness, lots of barley and grain, but it was quick, and washed away with some light hop bitterness. It was such a refreshing taste, I was actually quite surprised, as soon as you sipped it and swallowed it was gone, very intresting, and just great. Certain sugary touch a well.

M – superb, really really great. Huge carbonation just left it with a big feel and a silkiness that just rolled through your mouth. Light texture and feel, did not fill ou up at all, which was really good.

D – Great session brew. I could have had this all night long. It was super smooth and light, no high abv holding you did not bloat you or fill you up. Just all around good.

Overall I was really impressed with this one. I did not know what to think going into it, as I had never even heard of the style they were trying to emulate here, but I was quite impressed with the product. The color and carbonation were outstanding. This just looked like some kind of german lager, just really great. And such a smooth, light, but yet full flavor. I will defiantly have to try this one again, though I do not think I will find it. This would make a fine addition to their year rounds.
Aug 23, 2007
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a nice gold color with a thin white head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a refreshing pale and rye malt scent along with a juniper berry aroma. There is also a mild yeast tartness. It smells much like a light gruit ale. The taste is decent. It has an interesting flavor that boasts of pale malts and juniper berries. There are zero hops flavors and a bit of yeast tartness. It's refreshing with an herbal feel. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. These "ancient" brews are pretty delicious. They have an herbal quality to them that can be menacing for some, but I like them. This is a good example of the style.
Aug 02, 2007
Otter Creek World Tour: Helsinki Göld from Otter Creek Brewing
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 52 ratings