Otter Creek Mud Bock Spring Ale
Otter Creek Brewing

Otter Creek Mud Bock Spring AleOtter Creek Mud Bock Spring Ale
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From:
Otter Creek Brewing
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
5.7%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 10.37%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
43
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 25, 2014
Added:
Mar 17, 2001
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by kelticblood:
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Reviewed by kelticblood from Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Not impressed with the pour.The head quickly faded away leaving nothing but scattered lace.The color is a very dark reddish-brown.Aroma is very rich with hints of bread,malt,roasted grains,and caramel.A very complex brew with a great balance.This is what a Spring Ale should taste like.Thick and hearty but not too strong.Earthy taste and aroma.Very malty and somewhat salty.A nice crisp mouthfeel thats not too harsh.Leaves a touch of bitterness in the throat.A medium bodied ale with a creamy rolling texture.Surely one of Ottercreek's better offerings.

bottled on 1/22/03 batch #12
Apr 11, 2003
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by rorjets from Connecticut

Jan 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by JTomczak from Connecticut

Aug 13, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by morrowd3 from Vermont

Jul 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Varkias41 from New Jersey

Mar 15, 2012
Photo of youbrewidrink
Reviewed by youbrewidrink from Vermont

3.28/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Deep mahogany color with a light brown head, malty aroma.

Although it was a tad too sweet for me this seemed to be a well done bock with nice chocolate/coffee overtones. Mild hop comes through at the end and does not finish bitter.

This was on-tap at Two Brothers
Apr 13, 2009
Photo of homersimpson
Reviewed by homersimpson from North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Clear reddish brown with a tan head.
Light bodied with fierce carbonation and a sweet toffee nose.
Very malty up front, with a crisp carbonation that leads to a nutty flavor. The nuttiness fades in a long finish with the malt. Very little hop to be found, a very easy drinker for the warm months. Peculiarly reminiscent of a nut brown ale.
Mar 28, 2005
Photo of Kookiekwan
Reviewed by Kookiekwan from Florida

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This beer pours dark mahogany has a two finger head with good retention and moderate lacing. The aroma was of chocolate malt with hints of licorice in the background. The taste is malty-sweet with hints of chocolate and mild piney hops in the finish. This beer is medium bodied and full of flavor.

Reflection: Although this isn't my favorite style this is a good beer and if i'm going to drink a bock this is the one i'm going for.
Feb 25, 2005
Photo of shippos
Reviewed by shippos from New York

3.84/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
clear brilliant brown with a thin off white head. freshly milled grain aroma that completely takes away from all the other aromas, totally overpowering. decent mouthfeel with chewy malt and dark bread. smooth clean aftertaste, very well balanced and an excellent session beer.
Aug 27, 2004
Photo of stirgy
Reviewed by stirgy from Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bottled on 2/23/04. Batch#1493.

Poured a bright and clear ruby brown color with some orangey highlights. Topped off with a thin but creamy tan head of foam. The aroma has nice caramel and chocolate notes, with touches of roasted malts. The taste has a bitter malty flavor with an oaky bitter nut character to it. Medium body of dark malts. Overall, not bad at all but is lacking some depth. An enjoyable beer.
Jul 15, 2004
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.56/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Appearance: Deep copper color with head that dissipates but leaves lacing on the glass.

Smell: Mild malty aroma

Taste: Starts with a chocolately malty taste, somewhat sweet, shifting quickly to a bitter, hoppy aftertaste that lingers. The bitterness provides a startling contrast to the initial malty flavors.

Mouthfeel: A well-balanced brew that hangs around for a while providing much satisfaction.

Drinkability: There's something here for those who like both malt and hops. Nothing overwhelms; just well-balanced.
Jun 29, 2004
Photo of Stopper
Reviewed by Stopper from Connecticut

3.72/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Translucent brown with amber highlights, this brew is topped with a very thin head of fine beads that quickly dissipates. The smooth light malt aroma, laced with obvious chocolate, billows from the glass, even while very cold. The first sip reveals a malt-tilted balance that quickly brings some bitterness from dark malt. A slight, but noticeable, effervescence meets with this moderate residual malt sweetness, and a light touch of hop dryness and grain astringency in the finish to make this a refreshing, uncloyingly malty bock.
May 25, 2004
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Sample on draught at Barley’s Smokehouse. Pours a dark reddish brown with a dense and thin off-white head. Malty and fruity aroma. Thin-bodied and fairly sweet with malt, molasses and caramel. The finish consists mostly of sweet fruit, along with light bitterness. Rather uninteresting for the most part.
May 21, 2004
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a dark brown color with a thin off-white head. The aroma is good. It has a dry, malty scent that boasts of roasted barley and crystal malts; very nice. The taste is good. It has a nice roasted, toasty, crystal malt, "brown" flavor to it that goes down smooth with a dry, yet creamy finish. It has a grainy quality to it that only adds to the flavor. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium/full bodied beer with good carbonation. This is an awesome spring brew. It has excellent flavor; a really good brown/bock beer.
Apr 26, 2004
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Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer arrived at the table a translucent medium bown amber. The head was low and off white, but lasted to lace the glass.

The aroma was caramel and chocolate and a muted yeasty aroma was also present.

The flavor was caramle and chocolate and a slight coffee. The beer had just a hint of sweetness.

The finish was dry with a slight chocolate/caramel/coffee into the aftertaste. The body was med-light and kind of thin.

Very one dimensional brew, not very interesting. Probably ale yeast.

Pint at Bass Lake Draft House in Holly Springs, NC.
Apr 25, 2004
Photo of nomad
Reviewed by nomad from Kansas

2.69/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
A cedary reddish brown, this ale (?) is highly carbonated under an off-white head. Lots of lace and stain, making this beer, bottle after bottle, a good-looking beer.

Nutty, nutty, nutty, but cheaply so, and some sort of unknown malt scent. Also, a sweet soda-like notes and hints of mocha but, again, neither rounded, clear, nor convincing.

Nutty through out with a soda-like flavor of thin sweetness and almost sourness. Some thin mocha chocolate flavor too, but not appetizing. Has a very sharp bite from the high carbonation as well as a bit sudsy over the thin, watery body.

Often muddled and with a cheap yeastiness akin to Saranac, I was amazed by this beer, in the wrong way. I bought a sixpack on the strength of how much I love Otter Creek beers and how fresh was the bottled date; subsequently, this was terribly mediocre. Surprising, to say the least.
Apr 08, 2004
Photo of stewart124
Reviewed by stewart124 from Ohio

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Copper color with ruby hues, a slight fizzy off-white head sits atop this brew. Earthy undertones with a toasted malty smell and bits of hoppiness. Creamy earthy taste backed up by bits of hops and a floral feel to add to the palate. Very smooth brew that finishes well with a bold nutty aftertaste. Complex character and another splendid beer by Ottercreek.
Apr 05, 2004
Photo of scottum
Reviewed by scottum from Vermont

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a deep brown amber with a big off-white head. Tastes bockish, but not full on bock. Malts are heavy and touch on hints of toasty, roasty, and sweet. Nice hop balance. Smooth mouthfeel, but aftertaste is not all that it should be. A decent beer, but not a stellar example of the style or of what Otter Creek can do.
Mar 14, 2004
Photo of JMH_
Reviewed by JMH_ from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
i've said it before but can't stress it enough...otter creek's freshness on their bottled brews is damn near unparalleled. this batch, #1493, was bottled in vt on 02.23.04 and is in my fridge in nj a week and a half later. kudos to the brewery. this one pours an amber colour, a bit lighter than i remember, but very nice, with a pillowy foamy tan head that leaves a velvety stickiness. smell is of malt, earth, orange and some spice...nice. the taste is quite malty, with a smoke malt flavour dominating. it must be noted that the smoke is quite subtle and is often more of a burnt flavour. earth and wood tones are present throughout, along with a touch of sweet hop flavour right in the middle. really quite tasty and drinkable. also, drinking it a bit on the warm side just accentuates the flavour that much more. apparently, this one is very limited, as i spoke to the brewery and it's being distributed moreso locally in vt and to o.c.'s better markets (thank god nj likes o.c.). grab some if you see it, cause i probably will if you don't.
Mar 05, 2004
Photo of chilidog
Reviewed by chilidog from Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
The bottle I had picked up was over ten months old, dated feb. 03. So this dark wood colored ale seemed to act flat after the tan fizzy head faded to nothing rather quick. The body of the beer seemed lighter, non-active, little carbonation. The aroma was malty or muddy. The taste was roasted, toasted sweet malt with a slight alcohol hop taste toward the end. Earthy undertones (mud) show up also. Mouthfeel is dry, but yet a soft cotton feel. Strange spring brew but thinking of Vermont's season change, its very fitting.
Jan 07, 2004
Otter Creek Mud Bock Spring Ale from Otter Creek Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 43 ratings