Free Flow
Otter Creek Brewing

Otter Creek has been knocking a ton of stuff out of the park recently, so I was eager to throw down the money for a six pack of this, their new year-round(!) IPA. With Citra, Galaxy and Falconer's Flight hops, Free Flow clocks in at a cool 60 IBUs and 6.0% ABV.

Pours a very heady, intense medium-hazy yet translucent golden color with a retentive head of bone-white foam that leaves some nice drippy lacing as it fades away slowly to a finger-and-a-half in my pint glass. The initial pour was bursting with bubbles, and though the size of the billowing head has since faded a bit, it's sticking around remarkably well. Altogether, this is a beautiful looking IPA with a nice sudsiness and a solid lace/head retention combo.

Nose is Galaxy-forward, with a big passionfruit, lime zest and tangerine hit upfront, followed by the catty dankness and medium-strong tropical fruit of Citra. Wow, this is very aromatic and complex. Slight pine needle/resin combined with almost a light berry-like aspect as well. Kind of raspberry like, almost? I get that kind of sharp, tangy yeast note that some other OC IPAs have had (Backseat Berner is definitely a good beer in its own right and also has this element) among the showings of citrus peel and grapefruit pithiness. Damn, this smells great!

This fails to let me down on the palate, as well, luckily! Upfront passionfruit and guava, lime peel/zest, grapefruit pith... mid-sip brings chalky oats and pine with a huge citrusy swallow following an intense, mouth-coating bitterness. Long, lingering bitterness and very smooth feel that drinks exceptionally well. This feels so incredibly well dialed-in... I can't help but be amazed with the things OC's been doing recently. That 25th Anniversary DIPL was incredible, too... this feels like a strict improvement on Backseat Berner, which was already a great beer. The price, lower ABV and canned format combined with the juicy, complex flavor make it a slightly better pick for me. High marks all around. Excellent!

 

12 oz cans from Burlington, Vermont.

It seemed appropriate to have an Otter Creek beer on a day in which I hiked through the Otter Creek gorge. This lightly hazy IPA has an appealing floral- fruity aroma but the flavor is less likeable, in part due to a rush of bitterness in the aftertaste.

 

 

 

 

12oz. Can ---- 2 Months Fresh

A: Hazed bright yellow/orange with a darkening towards the center. One finger of creamy white head. Nice retention with watery lacing.

S: Dark fruits. Papaya. More citrus flavors. Orange...grapefruit.

T/M: Smooth and creamy with a slight bitterness. Citrus fruits. A little pine and harsher hop flavors. Pretty well balanced with a medium feel. Aftertaste is on the dry side. I feel everything is kind of subdued and safe.

O: Good IPA. Tastes nice with the usual flavors for this style. Nothing that special stands out. Easy to drink. Another solid IPA from Otter Creek.

Cheers!!

 

 

 

 

12 ounce can poured into a tulip glass. Canned 8/17/20, so not too fresh.

L---Hazy/murky gold color. Frothy white head that had good retention and left really nice lacing. Some floaters of yeast or whatever.

S---Sweet & fruity with a discernable maltiness.

T---Grapefruit & orange backed up by strong maltiness.

F---Medium body with ok carbonation.

O---Probably would've been a lot better fresh. Thank you Wegman's in Warrington, PA for selling such out of date beer.

The hazy, bright gold color was instantly promising. As was the white foamy two-finger head--looking like a fluffy cloud. Crisp and bright thanks to a 3-hop attack and inclusion of oats in the mash, this IPA is juicy and delightful with a dry finish. Go with the Flow!

 

 

From 12 oz can from a mixed 12 pack. Canned marked 11/17/20 6557B

Pours into my tulip a cloudy gold with a creamy ecru head. Good retention and plenty of fluffy lace.

Scent is tropical fruit, pineapple, grapefruit, citrus and pine resin.

Taste is tropical fruit with a solid malt backbone of biscuit with a hint of caramel. There is also grapefruit, lemon and lime. Solid bitterness on the finish with a touch of resin.

Mouth is juicy with a fine effervescence.

Considering this beer is 4 months old and only 6% abv this is quite impressive. Lots of hop flavors and aromas, good feel and a bracing bitter finish.

A beautiful pour of two 12 oz. cans into a clear glass liter mug provides a look at a golden amber and slightly hazy IPA. A head of dense white foam completely fills the space not occupied by the ale. The aroma is close to the appearance in its loveliness. It's piney in a fresh and crisp way. Now, a tremendous amount of glass lacing appears where the head has receded. Highly anticipated, the taste doesn't quite live up to the appearance. This is far from being a bad brew, it's actually good. The overall taste doesn't bring very much of the piney hops that the nose witnessed. Its body feels lighter to the tongue than the lacing indicated would come. Still, it's a good ale, almost a hybrid between a standard American IPA and the New England variety.

 

Cloudy, dirty gold color. Moderate head but it provides decent streaky lace.

Half bitter and half floral. There's a light bubblegum sweetness in the background. The combination is intriguing with a bittersweet, in equal measure, presence.

The taste is far more dry and the hop bitterness is stronger and more neutrally bitter. The body fits the style and the carbonation does the same. This beer is relatively easy to drink and even though it largely bitter, it's not extreme. There are elements of apricot in the flavor.