Otter Creek World Tour: Otter San
Otter Creek Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue V:

A Japanese-style beer brewed with Pilsner malt, Hallertauer hops, rice, and authentic Koji and saké yeast.

Out of the bomber into the glass, Otter San pours like a lager with a rich golden color, plenty of active carbonation and an ultra smooth and creamy head with plenty of lacing and legs (stick). Aroma is a bit musty and earthy--like fresh unwashed mushrooms--with a hint of cereal grain and cotton candy. Nearly medium-bodied on the palate, with a fluffy consistency and round base of slightly sugary sweetness, caramel candy center and a fruity note (strawberry?) that carries through the entire beer. Subtle berry, gum and earth flavors make an appearance. There's a vegetal note too, and things get a bit bready as the beer warms. Fairly clean finish that's not overly drying.

A most interesting brew, and the sake is quite noticeable, but this is probably not something anyone is likely to drink on a regular basis as the combination of aromas and flavors are rather foreign. However, this does make for a great one-off release to challenge the palate and mind. This could be interesting beer to pair this with some sushi or a spicy Japanese dish--if you try it, let us know how it works. Kanpai!

22oz bomber. no date or batch code found. on clearance at julios of westborough. tasted in late may/early june 2009.

slow gusher when opened. not a big problem tho.

golden yellow honey color w amber straw tones. clear. (dusting of sediment in the bottle.) 2-finger off-white head, recedes to surprisingly persistent 2.5mm layer. lovely lacing.

aroma: fruity notes of white grape and hints of apple, some flowery tones too. (from sake yeast?) very lightly toasted malt. gentle whiffs of euro hops. touch of citrus and faint whiff of alcohol in back.

taste: fruity character again, w lightly toasted malt note. nice and clean, almost with the character of sake, but with a balancing gentle to moderate bitterness from the grassy hallertaur hops, lingering w a touch of alcohol and phenols in the finish, but clean like sake.

light to medium body, smooth, w flash of astringency before smoothing out again. tingly carbonation is mild to moderate, and gives a refreshing, lightly crisp character.

seems a bit mis-categorized to me as an american amber/red ale. color isn't really deep enough. and fat tire aside, nor is it as hoppy as people probably expect from the style.

maybe as an "american blonde"? if so, that would actually make this the first one of that category that i would readily seek out for seconds, maybe more.

OTTER CREEK: PLEASE MAKE THIS AGAIN!!

A- Poured with a thin white foamy head, which quickly dissipated to some edge lacing. The body was a very hazy honey color with no visible carbonation.

S- Smells of honey and biscuitlike malt, with some pronounced aromas of honeysuckle. No hop aroma detected at all...

T- A near-perfect replicate of the nose. Very sweet honey and biscuit flavors are met with honeysuckle. There is something else going-on here that I can't quite put my finger on... I assume it's the result of added rice and sake yeast to this beverage. Again, no hop flavor was detected, despite the label's claim to use Hallertau.

M- Medium body is somewhat oily with some persistent soft carbonation. Wouldn't mind a little more backbone here...

D- I found this to be quite drinkable, whereas a friend found it to be too sweet. I suppose the sweetness could become overpowering past two glasses. A very interesting brew nonetheless, and I would welcome another opportunity to taste!

On tap at Bukowski's Back Bay. Served in a tulip glass. Dull yellow color, no head. Decent carbonation. Sour smell. Has quite a tart taste. Reminded me of a lambic or a wine barrel aged beer. The whole sake yeast concept perhaps went over my head. I guess I didn't know what to expect with this beer. Didn't taste like other Japanese rice ales I've had either. Crisp finish in the aftertaste. Smooth to drink and must not be very high in alcohol. This beer is an enigma to me. A very unique beer, but it didn't stand out as very exceptional.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color, with a latte-like foam head that leaves a fair amount of lacing behind

Smell: Rice pudding and rice wine, with a grainy undertone

Taste: Very unusual flavor profile with rice pudding up front and a potpourri of strawberry, cotton candy and caramel in the middle; after the swallow, there is a vanilla turkish taffee flavor, followed by a strong sense of unfiltered sake on the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, somewhat creamy, with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: With the right kind of food, this might be a very interesting pairing; by itself, while the beer is fascinating, I just cannot get comfortable with the flavor profile; sake is consumed in small quantities and a bomber of this is just too much after a while

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a golden amber, with a 2 finger medium bubble white head. Head lasted a bout 5 minutes with slight retention and clinging to sides. Aroma was sweet, reminded me a bit of dry grapes. Taste was slightly fruity, and the rice was detectable. Felt good in the mouth, coated well and nicely carbonated. Easy to drink, perhaps hit a bit fast, but went down well on a warm spring night.

Pours a yellow orange with a soapy white head. The smell is sweet white grapes with some malt and rice. A slight bitterness of the hops but nothing to strong. The taste has the grapes but there is a strong bite to this one. There is some rice and other grain and a spicy yeast character. The mouthfeel is good but the carbonation is a lot like a champagne. I am assuming this is from the sake yeast but it could be toned down a bit. Overall not too inspiring but definitely something different and enjoyable.

Poured into pint glass golden yellow with one finger head. No lacing what so ever.

Smell is like a Pinot wine. Taste is very ricey. I seriously feel like I should be driving a honda civic with a 3 foot high wing on the back after drinking this.

Mouthfeel is kinda strange. Carbonation is low, and the taste will linger for a long time in your mouth.

Overall, I don't know if I can finish all 22 of this. It's high in flavor, but just not a flavor I like.

Poured from a 22 into a snifter.

Pours a hazy honey yellow, topped with a crackly cream colored snap crackle pop head.

Smell is of sour apple and pear, light slicing fruits,

Taste on the other hand is malty, metallic and then fruity. Green apple is accented by an aluminum flavor. Definate comparison so Chardonnay.

Feel is basic, very refreshing yet with some body. Carbonation is good, drinkability is good but not overly enjoyable. For the price (3.95 on sale) I would buy again but only if not lured in by others.

Poured into a pint glass.

4.0 A: Dark yellow/slightly orange in color. Crystal clear. Thick frothy head with average retention and sparse lacing.

3.5 S: I can smell the similarities between this and sake, but the rice is much less pronounced. Bready sweet malts are there, and mild earthy hops to balance.

4.0 T: Definitely an american red as a base, but this has some wild flavors. It's different, so I appreciate it. It tastes good, so I enjoy it. Having had sake just a few days ago, I can pick up on some sake taste. Lots of fruity flavor (pear and plum in particular). A bit bready as well. There is some hop character present, but not enough to balance out the mad malty sweetness that is present.

3.5 M: Medium bodied. Not a whole hell of a lot of carbonation. Smooth as silk with a sweet, but somewhat finish.

2.5 D: Though I really like this beer, it can't be consumed in any sort of large quantity. It's simply too damn sweet. Too bad they sell it in big ass bottles. Make sure you have some friends present when you pop it open.

Bomber into Cab glass...

Light naturally-hazy honey/slight lemon color with robust single-finger head that doesn't stick around. Adequate carbonation and decent yet sparse lacing. Head definitely has a ricey tone to it, unless it's simply the power of suggestion. Second pour yields a more bounitful head with a bit more staying power.

Sweet, sweet sake yeast electricity. Almost tapioca pudding notes in here. Very cold with soapy, slightly floral and even mild piney hop notes. Austere light, crisp malt backbone. Slightly complex...interesting.

Sweet, sticky rice tone to this with hearty rice/sake yeast and mild crispy malt. Carbonation cuts a little weight for a nice clean kick with warmth. Not as complex as the nose dictates but well-balanced and enjoyable. Rice and sake yeast provide a silky creaminess on the finish.

Husky rice/malt profile with a strong oatmeal-for-breakfast or rice cereal feel to it. Sweetness yields strength of hefty malt. Alcohol is nonexistent but there is some sweet caramel here. No tinny, rocky aftertaste at all, which is a pleasant surprise considering I tend to experience that in the other Otter Creek offerings I've sampled.

By far the best Otter Creek offering I've experienced. Balanced heft with clean, grainy sweetness. Well-crafted and enjoyable.

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

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

S: The aroma is of rice, light caramelized malts, citrus and a decent amount of hops.

T: The taste is sweet and metallic up front with flavors of rice and citrus. There's a good hops presence that provides some balance, but not enough to temper the dry sweetness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The after-taste is sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is dry but a little slick.

D: Not very tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, it's certainly an interesting twist in beer that you don't find too often, but I didn't really like this beer very much.

Appearance - Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. Slightly darker then a Molson Golden, slightly lighter then most IPA's. Clear, a bit bubbly. Slight head, with some clinging.

Smell - Having just shared a bottle of sake with my sensei, I recognized similarities. A bit sweet smelling. But hops are noted.

Taste - A bit sweet at first, but hops detected. No significant aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Light mouthfeel, but not watery. A bit bubbly, but not overly so. Good summer beer.

Drinkability - Overall, I'd rate this beer as very drinkable, but not a session beer. I usually have 2 beers a night, and I had no problem finishing this 22 oz bottle while prepping dinner and having dinner. However, I could see how the sweetness would start to get "heavy' after a few of these. Note, while at the brewery, the knowledgeable lads behind the bar (What a great job they have!), advised that the ABV was just shy of 8%, which surprised me after sampling. I'm glad I picked up a few other 22oz bottles while I was at the brewery.

Pours a bubbly pale yellow. Macro-esque.

Smells like: Watery, cidery and sweet.

Tastes like: Despite the very pale color of the pour the initial taste is quite malty, almost like caramel. Lots of sweetness with a small amount of hop bitterness in the finish.

The carbonation is pretty decent with this beer and it provides a nice fresh, crispness.

An interesting beer that is for sure, not a bad thing though. I like the World Tour beers from Otter Creek. They are nice example of a brewery breaking away and trying new things.

Definitely worth a try.

Otter San (Otter Creek World Tour) pours a light orange color with a nice white head from a brown twenty two ounce bottle. The aroma is a bit fruity and has hints of macro lager like smells. The flavor at first is fruity, then metallic, then a bit wine like. The flavor is a bit odd, I guess it's probably from the sake yeast that was used. Worth a try.