Otter Creek Black IPA - Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver's

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ba Review #160
Served On: 04/29/2012
Glassware: Duvel Glass
Labeled ABV: 6.0%
Date/ Code: 3116101411

This was from a 24-bottle case I bought at Self Serve Beverage in York, PA - on sale for $19.99!

Look: The pour was black color with a nice creamy tan head. The sticky lacing was evident almost immediately. The head stuck around for the duration.

Smell: Aroma was a roasted herbal note with hops being predominant. Some juniper mixed with a slight toffee scent.

Taste: First was an almost dairy quality mixed with a gradual hop bouquet. The middle had a nice earthy bitterness that certainly justified the IPA component. The finish consisted of juniper berries and more bitterness.

In conclusion this is a solid Black Ale. There were many similarities to the 2011 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp#16 Juniper Black Ale which was almost a 4.0 rating in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 20:26:27 | More by CraftBeerTastic

magine

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a nonic.

Pours a near black with ruby edges. Good lace, decent pinky thick head remains. Nice layer remains, good patchy lace clings all the way. Good looks.

Brew smells of roasted malts, cocoa, and lingering hops. Good nose.

Brew is full bodied and has nice initial roasted malts, cocoa, and nutty flavors. Has some real good dry roasted malts backed up by some real nice oily hops. Very good complete flavors here, working well to make a full bodied brew. Finishes a little sticky and dry. Very good stuff here.

Brew is one of the best black IPA's I have had. The lower ABV makes this one you can drink all night. Great stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 01:09:52 | More by magine

irvan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a six-pack at Tri-Boro Beverage in Astoria.

A - Nice brown two-finger head, subsided quickly, small-bubble lace. Very deep brown, almost black

S - Strong caramel, coffee, almost porter-like, subtle hop aroma

T - The porter flavors come through strong, with lingering roasted dark malt, toasted grains, a bit of caramel. Pleasant, balanced, but definitely would not label this an IPA. Some bitterness, but not as much as expected.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, a little chewy

O - Enjoyable enough, pleasing balance, but more a lighter-bodied porter than anything else. Would buy again if I was in the mood for a darker session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 00:00:35 | More by irvan

Durge

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at My Place in Newtown, CT this brew shows a dark, deep brown-black color, opaque, with a thick creamy dark tan head and lots of strapping lace. The aroma is a delicious briney citrus malt with an edge of pine. Very enticing with healthy but tasteful hops. The flavor brings more of that briney, somewhat herbal hop over a decided charcoal malt. The hop bit evolves a little more toward pine but the charcoal is a big theme here. The hops do evolve as you go through it and it ends up being a nice marriage and providing a bit of a dry finish. It’s medium bodied with a fairly aqueous feel that includes that dry edge from the hops. And the hops do prevail in the end. Carbonation is pleasant as is this brew overall. Not quite as great as I recall from the bottle oddly, but it gets better and better as it warms.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 04:29:33 | More by Durge

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass- pours a dark black with a two finger mocha head. Beautiful lacing and nice retention.

Smell: dark malts, maybe a little coffee, and a nice little scent of hops.

Tastes to me like a hoppy porter not a "black IPA". Roasted dark malt, a little chocolate, and a nice dose of piney hops but not quite enough to really make it an IPA.

Mouthfeel is good- medium body, kinda thick, moderate carbonation. Definitely would get again- but again tastes more like a porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:32:38 | More by Hopdaemon39

Dave1999

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured an impressive solid black colour with a small light brown head.

Smells sweet and malty as well as hopy and grapefruit like.
There also a woody tobacco like smell.

The taste is roasted malts,coffee,clean with a little bit of bitterness.

The mouth feel is smooth,medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall an interesting beer,to me tasted more like a porter than an ipa but this is probably the best black ipa I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 23:56:52 | More by Dave1999

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought an Otter Creek snack pack tonight.... we shall see.

Served in a FFF shaped glass.

A: Pretty much black as coal, with a majorly sticky, icky, gooey off-white head that stuck to the glass and then some.

S: I got more char than actual hop here, but it actually smelled pretty good.... sorta like a burnt hot dog with citrus relish.

T: This teetered on the verge of being a porter, but not quite. To be honest, I dug that quality about this one. I got just enough citrus in the to dictate to me the style.

M: Great carbonation here, and more lacing than you can shake a stick at. My palate was stained with charred mandarin orange afterwards.

O: I'm usually not a big BIPA fan, but I dug this one quite a bit. The best in the Otter Creek snack pack IMO.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 02:41:33 | More by Chaney

MasterSki

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle thank to Greg (Reagan1984). Served in an Alchemist pint glass. I'm guessing there's some kind of meaning to the code printed on the neck - 3182011712. Perhaps this is from mid-January?

A - Nice two fingers of creamy tan foam that settles to a thick cap, leaving behind plenty of glass-coating lace. Body is a very dark brown that verges on black, with the faintest hint of transparency at the edges.

S - Nice blend of pine, roasted malts, cocoa, caramel, and perhaps a hint of floral hops as well. Quite nice, particularly if you let it warm up for a few minutes.

T - The taste isn't quite on the level of the aroma, but it's still quite good. There's a tad more bitterness than I prefer from this style but it's still at the low-to-moderate level. Pleasant cocoa, grapefruit, pine, sugar cookie, light roast, and the faintest hint of smoke in the finish.

M - Carbonation is medium-high and zesty - definitely tingles the upper lip. Resinous hop oils coat the mouth, with a bit of dry roastiness to the texture. Medium body is plenty ample for the listed 6%.

D - Really well done Black IPA that avoids the major pitfalls inherent to the style. Maybe not at the sublime level of Hill Farmstead's offerings, but pretty excellent for a beer available in six-packs at the local store. Would happily drink this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 03:52:14 | More by MasterSki

microbrewlover

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew pours black, looks very dark brown when held up to the light. It has a one finger kaki head and minimal lacing.

The smell is a nice clean floral hop scent with lemons and grapefruit in the forefront with coffee and chocolate in the background.

The mouthfeel is light and little chewy.

The taste first gives the drinker floral hops with a lemon and grapefruit taste, coffee and chocolate then malts on the back end. One the brew warms up a little, toasted grains can be tasted.

Overall this is a good tasting IPA; very good for those who would like to try an IPA but might be put off by the bitterness of some IPA's. Well flavored and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 22:53:49 | More by microbrewlover

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.23/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle purchased at Market Basket in Somersworth. Pours a black body with slight ruby-red highlights and and an impressive inch or so of khaki-colored head with some decent lacing. Espresso bean and grapefruit share the aroma fairly equally. Espresso hits the palate first with grapefruit and lemon hitting soon thereafter to balance. Medium in body and carbonation. A bit more malt-forward than other examples of the style I've had, but it's good. The roasty malt and citrissy hops compliment each other quite nicely. Terrific.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 02:40:46 | More by MrHurmateeowish

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this up at Sunday River, ME on tap and loved it. Called Tully’s on the way back to Boston and picked up a six pack. As good in the bottle. One of my top two Black IPA’s. Excellent beer.
A gorgeous looking beer. Deep brown in color with some light entering at the edges. The head is a dull tan color and is thick and creamy. Rises above the rim, shows excellent retention and also leaves clumps of lace all over the glass.

Aroma hints to a nice balance between an assertive hop presence and also a wonderful dark roasted bounty. More pine comes through as well.

Balance, Balance. Nice assertive pine hop flavors and then to a nice dark roasted malt. Not burnt or ash like at all, but smooth, dark and inviting. Then the blend of the two with some dark chocolate laced in between.

Very smooth, but not creamy… A touch of substance in the mouth feel.

I just love this beer. It’s a great departure from a standard IPA and/or Stout. Not sure what you’re in the mood for? This fits the bill. I will get this whenever I can.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 21:43:48 | More by Reagan1984

sayyad

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Overall: I thought this was a very well balanced, toasty and pleasant beginner IPA. None of the characteristic features were overly accentuated.

Appearance: Greyish brown head with a thin small-bubble lace. Pitch black color.

Smell: Toasted grains, a little bit of sweet malt, and piney hops. Overall pleasant but light smell.

Taste: Toasty nuts and grains really come through. The classic IPA bitterness is very indistinct and hence provides an opportunity for improvement.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation and thickness of the liquid is well balanced. This feature is a plus for drinkability. The lack of bitterness would make this IPA along with its texture a good match for a lighter flavored food pairing than the usual IPA recommendations.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 23:47:19 | More by sayyad

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Otter Creek : Black IPA

Pours a dark brown, blackish color. Off white mocha foam forms and leaves a sheet of lace. Aroma of herbal hops, pine and coffee. In the taste, bitter, earthy hops, unsweetened coffee, charcoal, and caramel. Bitterness is at an IPA level, with a nice one-two punch of hops and malt. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Overall, a prety nice black IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2012 04:44:55 | More by Stinkypuss

merc7186

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer on tap at Mr Goodbar in Buffalo NY, poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Off White Thick Head, Great Lacing

S: Milk Chocolate, Mild Floral, Mild Coffee

T: Black Bread, Mild Chocolate, Mild Coffee

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium to Full Bodied, Dry, Mildly Bitter,

Overall, a decent Black IPA with a nice smoothe mildly bitter aftertaste, drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 04:16:18 | More by merc7186

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into tulip.

A - Pitch black in color with a 2" tan head.

S - Pine, citrus hops mixed with sweet roasted malt.

T - Lots of sweet malt up front, followed by a subtle piney hop flavor. Ends with a pleasant roasty, almost coffee-esque flavor.

M - Smooth, medium bodied, dry finish. Some bitterness from the hops but not much.

D - The hoppy nose was rather deceiving, as the roasted malt was dominant all the way through. But it's still an enjoyable brew, and highly drinkable. I haven't tried many black IPAs but this one leaves a good impression of the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 03:54:57 | More by mooseo

ckollias

Maryland

4.73/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark black hue with mild amber highlights. Has a thick, 2-finger, white head that quickly dissipates leaving a nice trail down the glass and ending in a solid persistent lace.

S: Strong hoppy aroma with a great toasted malt background..

T: Hops meets toasted malts!

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: I loved this black IPA. Really enjoyed the combination of hops and malts.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 02:29:25 | More by ckollias

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass. Pours a black color with slight reddish hue. Thick foamy brown head and lasts the entire drink. Smells of roasted malts and hops; slight citrus.
Smooth mouthfeel. Not very heavy or bitter.
Taste is of roasted malts and slight hops. Taste like a mix between a porter, brown, and pale ale.
Its not bad at all, but I'm not jumping out of my seat.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 01:10:09 | More by DrinkSlurm

HopNelius

New York

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served out of 12oz bottle and into Irish pint glass.
Appearance- jet black, medium carbonation, small head, some lacing.
Smell- dark malt, notes of burnt coffee and grapefruit.
Taste- notes of coffee followed by stronger notes of grapefruit. Hops and malt are well balanced.
Overall- solid beer, not the best black ipa but worth a taste. I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 01:18:37 | More by HopNelius

beerbiatchMD

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Boda in Portland ME.

A: dark black brown with light brown head with about one finger head, good lacing.

N: nicely hoppy and citrusy up front, some roasty malts, pine. Actually smells like an IPA even with being so dark.

T: starts out with piny hops, citrusy, middle with a nice malt balance, finish with a bit of coffee bitterness.

M: nice and smooth. Well carbonated, no complaints.

O: this is a very good Dark IPA. The only other I've had is Hop in the Dark by Deschutes and this one is way better. Highly recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 23:59:59 | More by beerbiatchMD

neenerzig

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a very dark brown/black color. The tan head is about an inch thick when poured, before settling to a nice surface coating about 1/4 inch thick and a nice thick ring lining the inside of the glass. Good head retention with decent lace. Aromas of sweet roasted malt and floral, earthy hops. The taste is the same, a good sweet, caramel malt presence upfront, followed by nice earthy and floral hop undertones. The beer really balances as it sits and warms up. No one flavor dominates, which could be considered a flaw since with IPAs and off shoots of IPAs the hoppy, more bitter flavors should, to some degree, have some dominance over the sweeter more malt based flavors. A good beer otherwise. Has a nice smooth, frothy, creamy, slightly crisp moutffeel that really coats the palate. Easy to drink in a good way. A good beer all around, but certainly not the best representation of what this style is suppossed to be.

Eric

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 04:17:26 | More by neenerzig

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Not to be confused with their "Alpine Black IPA," which is now retired.

Into a pint glass:

A: black body with a quick dissipating tan/off white less than a half finger head, lacing graces the pint glass with some rings around it with a bit of spottiness as it goes down

S: hops up front, coffee coming through fairly strong in a roasty sort of way, light smokiness coming through once it starts warming

T: bittersweet through the hops and coffee, some pine in the back of it, and balanced

M: medium with nothing harsh on the tongue, balanced, dry and bitter aftertaste and finish

O: this is good for its style and great to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:06:20 | More by kangarooAdam59