Zeno's 35th Anniversary XXX Old Ale
Otto's Pub and Brewery

On Cask at Zeno’s Pub. Draws a ruddied orange and amber, with light haze and a rim of off-white. Aroma a mild musky grain with streambed and light yeastiness. Flavor moves with a really calm, crystalline sugar base, loaded with bits of caramel, graham cracker, toast and yeast esters. Fairly clean, lightly nuanced and rich. The finish is not entirely desirable with a long bitterness that’s not necessarily dervied from hops. Almost a burnt coffee bitterness.

This growler was filled from the cask at Zeno's in State College yesterday and consumer 24 hours later. Yes cask to growler may not be the idea route but it was a taste treat nonetheless.

Appearance: It pours a dark opaque copper brown color with very little head that fades fast [likely due to the growler fill].

Smell: The aroma is sweet but subtle with a toasty malt attribute and over ripe fruit. It has a wet barley / and old apple orchard aroma with a touch of wood even a splash of more dark fruit. The aroma while not overpowering is quite pleasant.

Taste: It starts off with a smooth easy caramel wet barely juicy malt sweet apple, bread and bread followed by a tart apple over ripe dark fruit woodiness and a deep vinous element that hints towards some warming alcohol as the flavors start to suggest berries plums figs and spices. The woody apple cider aftertaste is magnificent.

Mouthfeel: Viscous and syrupy to start. Creamy but thick with an oily juicy center. The beer moves through the mouth like a champ.

Drinkability. Well... My wife had a glass. Josh had a glass. And the growler is empty. =) I drank the whole darn thing myself, almost, so I'd say it's pretty freaking drinkable. Though the flavors are simple and approachable it has both some depth and character while remaining easy enough to just drink. Otto's, Well Done! Zeno's, CONGRATULATIONS on 35 years!

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Hand-pulled at Zeno's in State College. Congrats on 35 years of great beer. Glad to see Otto's made one just for you guys.

It's a dark,murky amberish-brown with a small, creamy, light tan head with good retention. Thick rings of lacing as it goes down. The smell is fairly mild. Moderate, lightly sweet roasted malts are dominant with some light hops adding a bit of fruit. The taste is much bigger than the nose, but still not as big as one would expected looking at the beer, but that's the style for you I've found. More well-rounded malt, light fruit, a hint of yeast (that tasted kind of leathery? odd but good). It is rather vinious in flavor, and there's a light hops bitterness on the finish that brings in grass and citrus to usher the malt slowly out of the palate. It has a full body and a wonderfully creamy texture. This beer definitely benefits from being on cask. I very nice offering, and a fitting tribute to Zeno's. Yet another reason to stop by Zeno's if you're ever in the State College area.