Craft Beer Happenings

     With a new brewmaster, a new line up of brews, and a new look, Otter Creek has truly reinvented itself and is quickly becoming a well respected brewery in the Vermont craft beer scene.  Mike Gerhart became the brewmaster in 2009 and his since given the brewery a completely new vibe.  With big names like Dogfish Head and Magic Hat on his resume, he clearly knows what he is doing. This knowledge is reflected in the almost completely new line up of brews offered by Otter Creek.  The packaging features cartoon drawings of either Mike, his dog, and or his VW bus; and are very eye-catching and inviting.  As we know, packaging is certainly not everything and the real question is do the beers measure up?
     The answer is most definitely yes.  Mike knows what he is doing and this shows in his final products.  He has a small line up compared to many other craft brewers but he uses it well.  His flagship beer, Backseat Burner, is of course an IPA.  With vibrant grapefruit flavors and a pleasant, hoppy bitterness that doesn't overwhelm, this has quickly become one of my go-to IPA's.  Over Easy, which is his take on a session ale, is flavorful and easy to drink.  It's for the most part a toned down version of Backseat Burner yet retains the qualities that many session ales tend to lose.  The current seasonal is Fresh Slice, which is a White IPA brewed with Belgian yeast, clementine, and coriander.  With tons of funky fruit flavor and a refreshing finish, it's a great summer beer and a great alternative to those lemon flavored beers that dominate the market.

     The other Otter Creek seasonals worth checking out include Kind Ryed, a Rye IPA; Citra Mantra, an India Pale Lager; and Over Grown, a Pale Ale.  All are generously hopped and have tons of flavor. Also, keep an eye out for collaborations with other highly notable brewers which appear from time to time.  Mike has pretty much resurrected a dead brand and made Otter Creek new and exciting again as it was when the brewery first hit the growing craft scene back in the 80's.  All of these beers are definitely worth a try! 

Duclaw Brewery, Neon Gypsy IPA

DuClaw Brewing Company
Neon Gypsy IPA
www.duclaw.com
6.5% ABV
Package: 6pack 12 oz. bottles
Personal Rating 9.4/10
Style Rating 8.9/10

New for 2014, DuClaw has released yet another IPA to add to their already fantastic lineup entitled
Neon Gypsy! A citrusy blast of lemon and grapefruit with notes of pine hops blends very nicely with
their new creation and lends itself to fall in line with their IPA gallery, yet stand apart with its unique
attributes. This is a must have for summer time and has quickly become a best seller for DuClaw.
Dave Benfield, creator and owner of DuClaw, began brewing beer in college and soon after changed
his mind about following his major in school and pursued the world of brewing craft beer. DuClaw
was founded in 1996 outside of Baltimore, MD and within a few years time expanded to 4 locations
with state of the art brewing facilities taboot. With their catchy branding and marketing, they have
risen to the top and have become highly respected as a peer and competitor in the craft beer
community.

DuClaw has yet to let me down on any of their beers. Every brew in their catalog has a personality
of its own and characteristics that differentiate them. In the past, I have sampled multiple recipes
from one brewery and discovered only slight variances from beer to beer. However, DuClaw has
managed to really hit the mark in individualizing every beer they produce allowing them to cater to a
vast audience and truly stamp each beer its own distinctive role.

I am thoroughly impressed with the Neon Gypsy IPA. It’s a citrus bomb of grapefruit on the front
end blended carefully with piney hops and a well-rounded, smooth finish. Copper gold in color, the
Neon Gypsy pours with a nice foamy, white head followed by the perfect amount of carbonation. It
commands the rules of an IPA with its bitterness and also adds just a touch of sour providing an
atypical mixture that is quite enjoyable. I highly recommend this new creation from DuClaw. Some
have argued this is not a session IPA due to its 6.5% ABV, but I strongly disagree. For me, this is
exactly what I want in a session IPA and the alcohol content does not intimidate nor deter me in any
way. The Neon Gypsy is a very well balanced, refreshing, zesty beer, and lives up to the respected
reputation from DuClaw. Cheers and enjoy!

Wanna try it now? Order it online at whitehorsewine.com

Terrapin Brewing Company, RecreationAle Pale Ale

For all you Terrapin fans out there, here is the latest and greatest.... RecreationAle. This is the first Terrapin beer to be put into cans. The concept is that this is a beer you can bring camping, biking, hiking or any other outdoor sport. I was able to enjoy this after a long day of running around with the kids (kind of like a sport). It was very satisfying and refreshing but not devoid of flavor.

The brewers at Terrapin made an impressive Pale Ale here. They used Bravo, Centennial, Zythos and Amarillo hops with an addition of Galaxy hops for the dry hopping. It came out at 4.7% abv which is a nice "daytime" beer. The malts used to brew this beer give it a nice medium bodied mouthfeel without being heavy.

I was really impressed by this beer. As a canned craft beer advocate, it is great to see awesome breweries like Terrapin branch out and make a flavorful canned beer. The hops were nice and fragrant with a slight piney and light resiny quality. This is not an IPA, but it still packs a nice hop bitterness to make it a very flavorful Pale Ale.


Personal Rating: 9 / 10
Style Rating: 8 / 10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=899539000090

Victory Swing Session Saison

A new Spring seasonal from Victory Brewing Company. This is a "Session" Saison which means it is lower in alcohol then most beers so you can drink alot of it in one "session". This sounds like a very promising beer.
Saisons are light citrus driven beers that are very refreshing and perfect for warm weather drinking. Hopped with German and American Hops and then spiced with peppercorns, orange peel and fresh lemon zest, this beer has potential to beer a great Summer sipper. Full disclosure, Victory's Summer Love is one of my favorite Summer beers as it is easy drinking but hoppy enough to satisfy so I have high hopes for this brew.
When I first cracked this beer, I was expecting to be hit with the classic citrus aromas of a typical Saison or at least a little citrus hop aroma. Neither are present even when poured into a nice Sam Adams glass (engineered to bring out more of the subtle aromas found in beer). The aromatics are more woody, with light pepper spice and a slight almond smell. The first sip is interesting. It is not light and crisp, which would be great for a Spring beer. It is also not hoppy enough to satisfy a hop head as a lighter pale ale. I find this beer neither refreshing nor enjoyable. I have to say that I like a lot of Victory's beers, but this one falls way short of my expectations and severely disappoints. I really thought this would be another home run from one of our local breweries. Great idea but poor execution.


Personal Rating: 2/10
Style Rating: 4/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com

Founders All Day IPA

Hmmm. A super hoppy but light IPA? I'm skeptical, but if anyone could do it right Founders has a good chance at it. This hopped up IPA is clocking in at only 4.7% and is described by the brewery as: "The beer you’ve been waiting for. Keeps your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp. An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatics and a clean finish. The perfect reward for an honest day’s work and the ultimate companion to celebrate life’s simple pleasures." I was interested enough to crack a bottle at the end of a long day.
The aromas coming out of the glass are amazing! Really spot on for a killer IPA. Nice grapefruit, citrus notes with a rich herbal hop aroma. This reminders me alot of a Lagunitas or Stone beer (both known for their amazing work with hops). As much as I am blown away by the aromas the first sip is decent, but very light. From the nose, I was expecting a bitter hop kick after the first sip but it never hit. The flavor is light with a hint of hoppiness (42 IBUs). Overall, it's a nice beer to drink out of a nice glass because you definitely want to get all the aromatics of this beer. I would drink this all summer long, especially when mowing the lawn (gotta stay sharp for that). The biggest drawback is Founders put the price of this beer up with the rest of its everyday line ($10.49). I think this is pretty pricey considering this is a beer you would want to buy by the case for drinking all day long. I would say if your in the mood for an aromatic IPA and have things to do the rest of the day, it is a great choice. I would even say it beats Stone's classic levitation IPA if put to the test. Perhaps that will be a nice choice for a hot middle of summer post. Cheers!


Personal Rating: 6.5/10
Style Rating: 5/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com