Otter Creek World Tour: Otteroo
Otter Creek Brewing

Otter Creek World Tour: OtterooOtter Creek World Tour: Otteroo
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From:
Otter Creek Brewing
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
English Pale Ale
ABV:
7.13%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 9.14%
Reviews:
42
Ratings:
45
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 30, 2013
Added:
Jul 08, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Brewed with “Pride of Ringwood” Australian hops and bottle-conditioned.
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Ratings by scottum:
Photo of scottum
Reviewed by scottum from Vermont

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Yellow amber with a white headskie. My immediate impression was: meh. But a second sip brought more interest. Fruity notes from the yeast are about, but a full malt bill and and interesting hop load make this an easy to drink beer. Smooth and easy to drink, it can't possibly be that strong, can it?
Oct 05, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From the small collection that survived my wreck that broke both of my legs! Served from bottle into a New Belgium globe. Poured a hazy amber with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount almost immediately. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, bread, dark fruit, earth, sweet alcohol, and hints of oak. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, spices, grain, earth, subtle dark fruit, and hint of wood. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. This one really seemed to hold up fairly well surprisingly for the style. Nice touches of dark fruit and sweet alcohol despite the age. It was fairly mellow which made it quite easy to drink. Not too bad at all.
Mar 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jak from North Carolina

Dec 14, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 02, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beer review from BA Mag Sep 2007.

Brewed in the same fashion as Coopers Sparkling Ale, Otteroo is akin to an English Pale Ale. It's brewed with "Pride of Ringwood" Australian hops and bottle-conditioned, the latter of which gives the beer its extra bubbles--i.e., natural carbonation versus forced.

Deep, rich golden color, with some haze and plenty of fine bubbles that form a very tight, creamy, sticky and healthy-looking lace. Fruity esters in the nose, orchard-like, floral, with dabs of caramel and wood. Super-smooth, round and full-bodied with a surprisingly chewy edge. Complex malt flavors range from toast to caramel, to brown breads, to pretzels. There's even a suggestion of vanilla as things warm a bit. Fruity esters along with a sherry-like edge, apples, juicy overripe pears, sweet golden raisins and a golden syrup note at the base. Bitterness is quite low, with just a hint of pith. Distinct wood character throughout and splashes of floral in its place. Sweet toasty and bready notes linger in the finish--quite tasty.

Unique, bold, complex as hell--this is a truly delicious treat. What we love the most is the style. It's rarely explored by brewers, which is probably what they had in mind with their whole Otter Creek World Tour Series.
Jul 07, 2010
Photo of generallee
Reviewed by generallee from Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Presentation: It was poured from a brown 1pt 6oz bottle into a pint glass. The label doesn't list a freshness date or an abv% but there is a short description on the label.

Appearance: The body has a deep coppery reddish amber brown color with a thin white head on top. The head is thin and quickly fades to just a thin wispy covering. Lacing is minimal and slick.

Smell: The aroma is deep and sweet with heavy dark wheat bread and honey notes. Hop notes are much lighter and add a slight herbal presence.

Taste/Palate: Overall there is sweet, almost syrupy, malty bready character like a slice of dark multy grain wheat bread with butter and honey on it. Its body feels full with mellow carbonation and a smooth texture. The finish is sweet and bready/grainy.

Notes: The bottle describes this beer as being a sparkling ale with a bright and refreshing taste. I can find nothing like that in this beer. It is hazy, quite sweet and complicated. Overall it is an interesting beer but not one that fits neatly into any style.
Jun 12, 2010
Photo of bsend
Reviewed by bsend from Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured this 22 oz. bottle into a standard 20 oz. mug.

The beer poured a nice light golden color. There was lots of small champagne like carbonation that lead to a nice foamy 2 finger head.

The aroma provided a healthy sampling of barley with a clean finish.

This turned out to be one refreshing beer. Light amounts of english style yeast was used to provide an decent tasting beer. It reminded me more of a lager but none the less was still very enjoyable. I was surprised by the high abv as it didn't taste it at all.

The mouthfeel was just average. It reminded me of some adjunct lagers. It was very light and watery.

The drinkability on this one is good. Its a beer I can see myself sessioning. Crisp, light and goes down easy.

Final Thoughts - I like Otter Creek. Their World Tour beers are fun. Good concept with a decent beer.
Mar 29, 2009
Photo of Derek
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

3.62/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Hazy straw with a ring of tan head that leaves some leg.

S: Candied pineapple, resiny hops, biscuity & a slight sourness.

T: Biscuity malt, pineapple, grassy spiciness, slight sourness, yeastie.

M: Very dry with a slight acidity; very little carbonation.

D: Interesting.
Mar 27, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks Jason for sharing this bomber which was not finishable but interesting yeasty beer. Woodsy and Sourish yet not a brown, rising carbonation bubbles yet not overcarbonated. Boozy with medium mouthfeel, somewhat creamy, then drying aftertaste. Good off-white head and lacing though blondish coloured body.Unclassifiable, really.
Mar 27, 2009
Photo of Hibernator
Reviewed by Hibernator from Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Otter Creek Otteroo (Otter Creek World Tour)
22 oz brown bottle
Served in an Allagash tulip glass

Pours a rustic amber orange color with a decent head on top. Leaving great trails of sticky lace all over the tulip glass.

Bland nose overall - some whiffs of malt and citrus notes.

Juicy caramel malt backbone. An interesting beer. Great balance of malt and hops. The hop profile lingers on the finish with a touch of mango slices or other fruity dried fruit flavors. Very surprised at the 7.1% ABV. Yup, makes me think of Coopers Sparkling Ale.
Jan 25, 2009
Photo of thekevlarkid
Reviewed by thekevlarkid from Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This 'sparkling Australian ale' was a light amber color out of the bomber I found hidden in a liquor store in South Burlington. Released quite a while ago now, I was concerned about it having gone over but it did not smell off at all. The retention was decent and the lacing spotty. The aroma was quite hoppy in a piney way with caramel malt behind that. The flavors were exactly as the aroma suggested but it remained off-balance. Too much hops and not enough malt backbone. Acidic and dry. The mouthfeel was a little watery, the carbonation moderate and the body medium. Not much to it, which may have been its age but having read a few others reviews I think it was just the way it turned out.
Jan 24, 2009
Photo of albern
Reviewed by albern from Massachusetts

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer is a fairly standard English PA, so I'm not sure why Otter Creek markets it as a sparkling Australian ale. The reference point is Coopers, of course, and this beer isn't in the same league. Otteroo is just not sparkling, just a tad bit more carbonated than an English pale. If they called it an EPA, I would have been more charitable, and would have enjoyed this more. Lousy marketing I think.

The beer is bottle conditioned, but not all that hazy. There is an off white head, some creaminess to the texture and minimal lacing. The aroma is the best part because of the nice balance between biscuity malts and the leafy hop notes. There is also a touch of some florals in the background. The aroma is quite pungent and very pleasing.

The taste is pretty much in line with the aroma: sweet biscuity malts, some creaminess, leafy hops, florals, slightly caramel malts, but not overly so, and a touch of a dryish hoppiness in the finish. There is a earthy quality to the beer that complements the slight creaminess and the leafy hops. This isn't a bad beer, quite enjoyable, I just wish they would try to be less clever in their marketing in passing this off as something it is not. The beer hides its 7.13 ABV quite well. The mouthfeel is a bit chewy with a mild aftertaste. A refreshing English style pale ale.
Jul 19, 2008
Photo of thryn
Reviewed by thryn from Florida

3.66/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
The ABC on University in Sarasota had the Otter Creek box set -- three beers and an *adorable* pint glass -- for $10! A steal, I figured, even if the beers were merely OK, for three bombers and a glass. First up is the Otteroo.

This claims to be an "Australian Sparking Ale," and my only point of reference is Cooper's, which I like well enough.

It's a lovely bright gold/copper color[1], with about an inch of fluff white head. The head doesn't retain as well as I might expect, though.

Not much in the nose, really. Smells like ale. A little fruit, a little bread. Faint hops.

The taste is pleasant enough. Nothing complicated here. Simple malt, followed by a faint hop bitterness that lingers. I can tell that it's higher than average ABV because I already know it is, but if I didn't I'd probably peg it at 5.5 or 6. The extra alcohol comes through in the first sip, but doesn't interfere with the ale.

I have to admit, I expected a bit more "sparkle" from this beer. It's hot and I just finished doing a bit of housework. I thought I'd settle into a refreshing, fizzy beer (as I recall, the Cooper's definitely "sparkles" in the mouth). This one is moderately carbonated. I can see the bubbles when I swirl it and hold it up to the light, but I can't really feel 'em on the tongue. It's a little watery, and some pop would help counter that.

This is utterly quaffable. It's a good English pale ale -- I was just expecting something different form a "sparkling". If it wasn't 7%, it would make a nice session beer.

[1] Note to the reviewer below, who called the color "piss yellow" I would be worried if my urine were this dark.
Jul 17, 2008
Photo of tpd975
Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

3.13/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to JoeyR for this one.

A: Pours a cloudy piss yellow color with some floaters.

S: Yeasty, sweet, malty goodness paired with a bit of light hops.

T: The malt and yeast really come out along with some light fruits and wet grass.

M: Somewhat light, and dry.

D: Not really.
Jun 17, 2008
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

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

S: The aroma is of pale hops, light malts, some caramel and some fruit

T: The taste is a bit difficult to pin-point, but there are sweet flavors of honey, spices (clove & ginger maybe?) and caramel up front. Then there's a pale hops bitterness that comes is to provide a little balance. As the spice wore down and the hops took over, I found it to improve somewhat. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

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

D: Flavorful, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, decent representation of style, it's not a bad beer if you're looking for something a little different, but it's not a beer that I could see myself drinking for an extended period of time.
Jun 15, 2008
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Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.72/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
It's difficult not to compare this beer to Cooper's Sparkling Ale, as that's obviously what they've modeled it after. That said, it falls short of the mark. It's a touch too caramelish, and a bit too malty in general. And the carbonation is much lower. Nor is it quite as yeasty-fruity. It's not as refined, and not as complex. Otherwise, well, it's just a pale ale now isn't it? And that's how it will have to be reviewed, on it's own merit as a pale ale.

It pours an amber body with golden highlights beneath a short head of off-white froth that falls fairly shortly. With the yeast poured from the bottom of the bottle it's able to maintain a complete surface covering. Some nice lace is left behind.

The nose is caramelish, a touch mineralish, and perhaps even a bit earthy. Some grassy and leafy hops make their presence known in the background. And there's some fruitiness to it as well but it's not bold - more of apricots than apples I feel. Pleasant enough, I'm sure.

Maltiness appears first on the palate with a decidedly caramelish edge. It's rich, but not sweet, just malty. Yeast appears next, and then there's some fruitiness going into the swallow. It's almost peachy, and definitely somewhat apricot-like. Leafy hops appear, and linger into the solidly bitter finish.

In the mouth it's decidedly medium bodied, and I wonder if this beer perhaps needed more time to mature in the bottle. It does have very fine, natural bubbles, but there's not a lot of zip to it on the tongue. I would guess it's only around 2.3 volumes of CO2/liter, leaving it very smooth across the palate, but not exactly what you'd expect from an Australian-style sparkling ale.

Overall it's a pretty decent ale with a well-rounded character that embraces malt, hop, and yeast character; and it's fairly well-balanced, and far from difficult to drink.
Jun 11, 2008
Photo of jamie2dope
Reviewed by jamie2dope from Massachusetts

4.26/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I was pretty annoyed when I missed the release of this beer, as I am a little obsessed with everything Aussie or Kiwi. Luckily I found a bunch of bombers of this sitting in this rickety old packy I used to work at, thanks guys. Poured in to my Stella chalice a somewhat murky dark orange, with a respectable white heading. Nose is somewhat closed off, but does show some levels of fruit, whole grains, and a mild roasted character. Flavor is quite nice, extremely grainy, with fruit, earth, and a vague champaign dryness in the finish. Mouthfeel is heavier than expected, which is perhaps a result of the heightened alcohol. That being said, all the flavors mesh together well, and the alcohol is not apparent at all. Excellent beer from Otter Creek. I would like to have this side by side with some Cooper's Sparkling to see how the two compare. I think Sparkling Ale deserves distinction as a style all its own.
Jun 01, 2008
Photo of number1bum
Reviewed by number1bum from Pennsylvania

3.97/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a slightly cloudy copper color, some bubbles rising slowly to the top and about one finger of near white head. Only keeps a patchy lace and leaves minimal stick.

Smells of toasty, bready and biscuit-like malt with some toffee sweetness and a bit of earthy hops.

Tastes like it smells, with lots of malt character including a moderate level of toffee and caramel sweetness and some lightly toasted, biscuit malt. Also some earthy hops with a moderate level of bitterness. Through the finish the toffee comes out even more along with some earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is a very smooth medium body, nice creaminess and soft carbonation.

This is a pretty tasty brew. I like the toffee and toasted characters. Definitely worth a try.
May 21, 2008
Photo of blitheringidiot
Reviewed by blitheringidiot from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours with a light straw hue topped with a scant khaki coating. Little bubbles.

Scents are lightly toasted and deep biscuit. A touch of herbal nose with a hint of lilac.

First swigs: Initial 50/50 balance of hops and malt that middles out to a zippy lemon and biscuit balance. Damn near an ESB to me. Dry finish with a dusty ending. Acidic dryness.

Feel is medium bodied and quite restrained in the carbonation aspect.

Last swigs: Brewed tea with lemony dry finish. Not the most exciting style for a big 7.3% 'er but a decent effort. $5 smackers a bomber at Vidalia Market.

Beer is good, Happy interesting beering.
May 17, 2008
Otter Creek World Tour: Otteroo from Otter Creek Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 45 ratings