Otter Creek Quercus Vitis Humulus - Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver's

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +13%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours and orangey amber. bone colored head, not heavy, not overly frothy.
S: Warm boozy odor with citrus hints and other fruits as well
T: wow, this is a really interesting combo of flavors. There is the distinct grape/champagne taste, with a solid barely wine following, and a clean dose of oak at the end. Lots of wood finishes this taste off. but honestly, the mix of flavors really impresses me
M: well carbonated and not overly heavy
D: considering the style and abv, higher then expected

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 04:56:34 | More by PSUDREW

DmanGTR

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3%

01-29-2013 20:13:33 | More by DmanGTR

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -10%

12-05-2012 01:16:39 | More by t0rin0

andthevolcano

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%

11-07-2012 02:53:40 | More by andthevolcano

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Quercus Vitis Humulus opens to a light, sweet aroma that is most immediately noticeable for its range of fruit esters: pear, orange, berry, grape and grape juice (both white and purple), lemon, and even touches of fig, raisin, and prune. These sugars are matched by a nice brown sugar and light molasses base, bolstered by wildflower honey, and altogether these sugars give the beer a mead-like overtone. But there is also a good layer of oak and vanilla that adds complexity, as well as solid pink grapefruit and pine resin from the hops, and even hints of floury baguette and yeasty bread dough near the base. As a whole, the nose is very intricate, and while it comes across as delicate because of the lighter nature of the fruit esters, it still manages to be strong and long-lasting. And above all, it’s quite enticing, coming across like a fruity sweet champagne mixed with grapefruit, molasses, and vanilla oak, and is thus one of the more unique aromas on the market.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a shot of sugars and unexpected bitterness, the fruit esters here swinging from lemon, berry, pear, orange, and white grape to purple grape juice, raisin, date, fig, and lychee nut, and the bitterness coming across like concord grape skins, grapefruit rind, lemon zest, lemongrass. The immediate effect is discordant, with both light and dark fruit esters, as well as bitterness fighting for attention, and below this a thick runnel of brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, and wildflower honey adding to the confusion. Hops bring in more lemon and pink grapefruit, as well as grapefruit zest and pine resin. The champagne yeast adds a considerable amount of carbonation, but also adds to the champagne-like quality of the beer, bringing in a touch of dryness that plays strangely off of the sweet and dark fruits, somewhat like a slightly over-vermouthed berry martini. The oak chips do add a good layer of wood, which adds a plant-like fibrous bitterness to the mix. Late in the mouthful, as the sugars die off, a stronger champagne and merlot wine flavor comes through, as well as a surge of Welsh’s grape juice. The aftertaste is a fast-fading berry, grape, hops, and bitter oak mix, that ends up leaving a grapeseed and wood mixture coating the tongue, this latter coat lasting much longer than the initial aftertaste flavors. Mouthfeel is a dry medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high.

Overall, while I can appreciate the effort that went into this brew, it seems to me that it suffers from simply having too much going on at one time: there are dozens of flavors fighting for attention here, some of them complementary and some of them strangely jarring, and the overall effect reminded me of champagne-based jungle juice, with a few shots of sherry and vermouth thrown in for good measure. The beer is by no means undrinkable, and it does say much for the brew that the 12% ABV is barely noticeable, but in the end I found myself wanting something a bit simpler and more focused.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 17:29:25 | More by jondeelee

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. This one has been in the fridge for quite a while, so I'm sure it has some age on it. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a reddish/amber color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention is good, and there's a small amount of lacing. There's also some sediment floaties noticeable. It smells like dark fruit (raisins, grapes), caramel, oak, candy sugar and some apple. The taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like grapes, raisins, oak, white wine, and caramel. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and has moderate carbonation. I liked this brew, but I'm thinking I probably should have drank this one sooner.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 21:47:48 | More by bluejacket74

generallee

New York

4.25/5  rDev +17.7%

09-02-2012 12:59:24 | More by generallee

JMBSH

Colorado

4/5  rDev +10.8%

07-15-2012 05:14:31 | More by JMBSH

halo913

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -10%

06-24-2012 13:47:06 | More by halo913

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy brick red color with some orange hues. Still hanging onto a retained ring of foam after half-an-hour (I'm letting this one warm up).

Pungent sweet and semi-metallic malts with some raisined grape aromas. Stale caramel, like an old IPA, with a nose hinting at oxidation (not sure when it was bottled).

Barely picking up the grape juice. Definitely the sweetness to match a fruit juice, but it's musty like an English Strong Ale. Tastes a bit like Cooper's Vintage Ale, but sweeter and stickier and fuller. Picking up some spiny woodiness from the Chardonnay barrels. Finishes a little astringent, and much drier than the opening and middle. Rich and malty, for the most part. Hints of medicinal hops. Lingering booziness. Too simple to be messy, too bumbling to be truly good. Once tasted, the grape juice comes out in the nose more. Better warm, as it's criminal when cold.

Feels like carbonated grape juice. Tacky and full with sparkling carbonation. Well, maybe the carb is a bit brushy, after all. Big 12% alcohol strength. Ok feel.

I like the subtle woody notes of barrel aging, and how the fruit comes out in the nose after tasting it warm for awhile. Still not a fully-realized beer. Lacking much complexity. Lacking drinkability. One and done for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 03:42:14 | More by thecheapies

Varkias41

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3%

03-15-2012 19:47:46 | More by Varkias41

chrispoint

Connecticut

2/5  rDev -44.6%

02-20-2012 17:52:42 | More by chrispoint

johndoe8

California

3.5/5  rDev -3%

02-05-2012 05:15:51 | More by johndoe8

london1o1

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3%

01-11-2012 19:01:28 | More by london1o1

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -16.9%

01-03-2012 04:08:34 | More by JAHMUR

djrn2

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +10.8%

12-13-2011 22:13:21 | More by djrn2

MaltRoomAssoc

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +38.5%

12-11-2011 15:13:31 | More by MaltRoomAssoc

rab53

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +10.8%

12-02-2011 05:28:09 | More by rab53

mrand01

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -16.9%

12-01-2011 14:14:11 | More by mrand01

claspada

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -10%

11-28-2011 21:29:43 | More by claspada

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -16.9%

11-24-2011 14:38:55 | More by Rochefort10nh

DoctorB2B

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -16.9%

11-19-2011 02:21:02 | More by DoctorB2B

nmann08

Maryland

3/5  rDev -16.9%

11-18-2011 17:49:23 | More by nmann08

taigor

New York

2.53/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from growler into tulip glass.

A - Poured cloudy dark amber color with huge off white head that slowly dissipated leaving moderate lacing around the glass.

S - Mostly malts, grapes with hints of oak and very boozy.

T - This is where it pretty much went downhill. Very sweet with malts, brown sugar and caramel with slight oak and spicy flavor. Alcohol just comes through and takes over everything and makes a very boozy finish.

M - Medium bodied with high carbonation.

O - Very unbalanced and boozy ale. The flavors are all over the place with alcohol completely destroying the taste. I would not recommend it.

Serving type: growler

11-09-2011 15:41:19 | More by taigor

womencantsail

California

3.55/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer pours amber in color with a couple fingers of white head.

S: The wine/grape aroma really stands out on this. It's fairly sweet with some oak and vanilla notes coming through. Some citrus aromas as well as an almost Sauvignon blanc sort of scent. Also a hint of peaches. Really complex.

T: The flavor, however, does not quite match up. The grape is still there, as is the oak. But there is a definite oxidation to the flavor. A bit of booze along with brown sugar, bread, and toffee to round things out.

M: Medium in body with medium carbonation.

O: The aroma on this was fantastic, unfortunately the flavor did not even come close.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 19:39:50 | More by womencantsail