Otter Creek Russian Imperial Stout - Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver's

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Kinda felt like a Finnish Sahti or something similar during this storm, but guess I don't have any available for review interestingly. So next best step is a RIS.

Pours a very dark inky looking pitch black thick beer, a small dark molasses brown colored fizzy head covering that fades pretty quickly although typical for a 10% RIS. This puppy sucks the light in like a nice black hole, none escaping, and gives the glass a nice show with legs from here to Boise.

NOse starts with plenty of dark malts, black malt right off, then some roasted barley, hint of dark chocolate that seems like 95% cacao dark, with a light burnt bitter acrid that is getting into the soy sauce category but not there yet. A faint vanilla as well as hints of earthy hops. A bit of cacao nibs I think too.

Taste starts with big dark malts again, roasted barley again but not coffee, and plenty of black malt. The super dark black malts bring char as expected, as well as a bit of acrid burnt roast and again starts to get soy sauce like again. Crazy dark chocolate in there a bit again, maybe even cacao nibs, but mostly a dark bitter almost acrid chocolate. THe super dark malts also bring some tannins and bitterness to go with it, as well as hints of earthy hops in the middle somewhere. The booze is in there a bit, warming mostly, but is blended into the big dark malts fairly well. The thick malts get a bit syrupy but not overly syrupy, with thick chewy malts, maybe even hints of creamy oats. Finish is semi sticky and sweet, long lingering dark malts, roasted malt, black malt, a bit of chocolate plenty of earthy hop bitterness and some tannins from the roasted malts, and just a touch of burnt acrid flavor lingering for a while, as it somewhat coats the mouth.

Mouth is fuller bodied, fluffy carbonation and thick slightly creamy and rich, just a touch of warming booze.

Overall pretty good, I think this will improve with age pretty well as it has all the right components, super dark malts that get slightly syrupy and borderline soy sauce, just light warming booze, some dark malt tannins, just the right about of earthy hops, which I think will age quite well. As for now being fairly fresh, it's a pretty decent beer but not great yet.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 21:56:07 | More by jlindros

Honus1

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

05-19-2013 02:30:19 | More by Honus1

mattsucks

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-18-2013 14:24:49 | More by mattsucks

DWolf

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-17-2013 00:00:08 | More by DWolf

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-15-2013 16:55:50 | More by twenty5

Odysseyalien

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

05-12-2013 15:02:48 | More by Odysseyalien

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.21/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Opaque black. Pours thick with a head that looks equally as good as the body rising to about 1/2" dark tan.

Smell: strong malt, has hints of pure vanilla and feel of chocolate at the same time. Pretty appetizing.

Taste: A strong dark chocolate with caramel features offset with a marly bitterness. It is a notch sweet, not to the point where it is anything like milk stout but just enough to keep drawing you.

Mouth: Smooth finish, takes at least two sips to adjust then goes down perfect.

Overall: Best Otter Creek beer I have had and ridiculously good Russian imperial stout. If its still by my shop ill be filling another growler without hesitation. Salud!

Serving type: growler

05-10-2013 22:11:15 | More by BlurryVisi0n

saburky

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -30.9%

05-09-2013 14:02:02 | More by saburky

hopoilcrazy

Tennessee

4.06/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Mew for this extra!

A - Absolutely great...almost perfect look. Totally pitch black with a dark tan head that does not go away for awhile.

S - Milk chocolate and caramel malt. A little boozy. Bready almost yeasty tang. Puffed wheat.

T - Big, huge, enormous malt. It is a great malt profile: peaty, cocoa powder, kettle corn, biscuity. And at the end when the hops should balance, they don't but the beer doesn't suffer. Faint hop oil, but indeterminable.

M - Luscious coating and tingly booze. Soothing.

Overall, this beer is pretty great and I'm sure that it is a great value. I would drink this a lot if I could get it

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 03:55:45 | More by hopoilcrazy

lupercmda

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-08-2013 02:56:42 | More by lupercmda

mklisz

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +0.5%

05-07-2013 20:02:40 | More by mklisz

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%

05-06-2013 18:39:24 | More by ZEB89

schaffer9252

New York

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

05-04-2013 14:36:31 | More by schaffer9252

blknikon

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

04-30-2013 19:37:48 | More by blknikon

GRG1313

California

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-28-2013 00:13:32 | More by GRG1313

ItsBeer4Me

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-26-2013 21:16:24 | More by ItsBeer4Me

cfinch2

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-26-2013 14:41:21 | More by cfinch2

LockeSD

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

04-26-2013 00:35:30 | More by LockeSD

CardiacNP

Louisiana

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft from Fox & Hound in Ohio

A nice imperial stout with 10%abv but you do not Taste it.

Dark black in color with a tight 1 finger creamy brown head. Decent lacing.

Malty chocolate , coffee stout.

Lightly carbonated. Smooth creamy mouth feel.
Surprisingly so for such a high alcohol beer.

Overall a solid Russian imperial stout. Recommend trying

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2013 02:04:57 | More by CardiacNP

riy3rd

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%

04-23-2013 13:47:29 | More by riy3rd

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not sure where I first had this, but I think it was at TJ's, Paoli.

Opaque black pour with a rocky tan head that sank to a ringlet, leaving a bit of lacing on the glass. Aroma was dark malts, dark chocolate, hints of dark dried fruit. Definitely a tasty stout here, dark malts, dark chocolate, a little espresso, burnt marshmallow, notes of plum, and some mild earthy hops coming through. Body was on the fuller side of medium, robust and smooth, tremendously easy drinker for a 10% brew. Very nice overall.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2013 01:43:18 | More by Rifugium

civicm87

New York

4/5  rDev +0.5%

04-20-2013 15:26:41 | More by civicm87

davey101

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass, 2013 release?

A - Pours a jet black body with two fingers of creamy mocha foam. Settles down quickly. Pretty stereotypical RIS appearance.

S - Very roast dominant with some chocolate and coffee in the background.

T - Roast central here. Balanced out by some sweeter chocolate and bitter coffee notes. The 65 IBU's are present in the bitterness but the hop flavors are non-existent. Medium bodied and creamy.

O - This is a very solid beer that can compete with the likes of Narwhal and Old Rasputin. A little simple, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I'm not a huge fan of stouts with high IBU's but this was quite nice. This was my first Otter Creek beer and I'm left impressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 05:49:05 | More by davey101

smakawhat

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass.

A real dark mocha and brown chocolate head only about a finger, which subsides to a small collar. Body is a very black walnut and extremely opaque. Scattered leopard lacing. Pretty nice.

Nose has nice chewy toasty grain, and lots of sweet roasty character. Mellow and emphasis on malts. Interestingly not getting hints of chocolate or coffee, but a real simple solid wonderful roast stout classic character. Very nice.

Palate matches much of what is hinted on the nose. Good roasting grains on the mid palate. The swallow brings a nice astringency, good warmth and toast char. Simple grain malt body, almost borderline biscuity with dark malt quality. A light texture, with some chewy quality. As it warms the body sort of weakens though.

Overall though this is a good solid Russian Imperial. Bare bones and simple, but just done well.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:58:14 | More by smakawhat

freeHorizon

New York

3/5  rDev -24.6%

04-18-2013 02:56:43 | More by freeHorizon