Hoppy Otter IPA

Otter Brewing, Savannah, GA
Tipple Time, Savannah, GA

Available: GA, NC, MA, NY, KY, OH, IN, OR, WA, MD, DE, DC, VA, PA, NJ

After a visit to the United States, the team from the Otter Brewery in England decided to create an Old-World-meets-New IPA that combines English floor malts with American hops.

ABV: 6.8
ABW: 5.4
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 65
Original Gravity: n/a

I have tasted beers named for almost every animal, from dogs to deer, but this is my first otter. I found it otterly delightful, with the brightness of a new penny and an otter-colored head of beautiful creamy tan. Nice earthy nose complements a balance of malt and hops, favoring malt more than most IPAs, though with a good dose of Northwest United States, not English, hops. Good roundness on the palate finishes malty and delicious. Citrus hop notes make this a good beer with seafood.
- Charles Finkel

UK drinkers might recognize the malty Maris Otter body, but those from America’s West Coast will be more familiar with the nose. It begins with a rush of Northwest hops, piney and woody, citrus arriving in waves, tangerines and grapefruit. Substantial on the palate (heftier than Otter Head strong ale), with underlying orchard fruits and caramel. Hops keep coming, juicy-fruity, grassy, leading into a long dry finish. Seems as if it would be more at home in California than the British countryside where it is brewed.
- Stan Hieronymus

Charles Finkel
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.

Stan Hieronymus
Editor at Realbeer.com, a professional journalist for 40 years and amateur brewer for 15, Hieronymus is the author of four beer books, including Brew Like a Monk.

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