Some new beers!

Since I had the day off, thanks to Presidents Washington and Lincoln, I ran some errands and found myself at the Total Wine store in Orlando. I picked up a couple of nice assortments. The first one is Saranac's current "12 Beers of Winter" selection. F.X.Matt puts out a new version of this assortment each year, so it's something I look forward to. This year, it has 6 beers, 5 of which I have never had before. The assortment includes 3 new beers - Bohemian Pilsener, India Brown Ale, and Vanilla Stout. The other 3 are not new, but still interesting - Belgian Ale, ESB, and their "Season's Best" Nut Brown Lager. I'm most anxious to try the India Brown Ale, which sounds like a cross between a Brown Ale and an IPA. I'm also looking forward to the Vanilla Stout, since my own vanilla beer went seriously awry.



The other assortment is also from the Northeast, from Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, VT. It includes three 22 oz bottles of their special edition "World Tour" beers, as well as a nice Otter Creek logo glass. The glass looks like a nice size, and will probably hold a full pint - unlike the "pint" glasses that will only hold a 12 oz bottle. The three beers that make up the collection are as follows:

Otter Kilter - a Scottish-style Wee Heavy Ale
Otteroo - an Australian-style Sparkling Ale
Otter Mon - A Jamaican-style Stout



Now I just need to get all my new beers chilled! Check back as I try them out.

Otter Creek Copper Ale

Tonight's beer is the final selection from the Otter Creek variety pack my sister brought for me when she came down from NY. It's their Copper Ale, which describes the exact color when poured into a glass. It had a near-nonexistent head. The main flavor was sweet malt, with just enough hops to balance it out. I really enjoyed this beer, but it had one minor flaw. The finish was a little bit metallic and bitter. This is an easy-drinking ale, with a moderate alcohol level as well. It's brewed by Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, Vermont.

Wit Beer Taste Comparison - Japan vs USA

In the spirit of the Olympics, I decided to open up two different Wit beers, or White Ales in this case, and pit them against each other. The one on the left is Otter Creek White Sail Belgian Style White Ale from Middlebury VT. The other one is Hitachino Nest White Ale from Ibaraki, Japan. The Otter Creek poured a medium gold color, and was nearly crystal clear. It had a smallish white head that evaporated rather quickly. The Japanese contender poured a cloudy orange-gold color, with a larger white head. It too dissipated rather swiftly. The Hitachino Nest had a very strong orange flavor, almost like it had added orange juice in it. The coriander was also very obvious. The Otter Creek was more subdued, at least as far as the orange flavor, and had more maltiness to it. Coriander was still evident, but less obvious. It also had more hop flavor and is sweeter in general. I don't think there was a clear winner here, because the beers were so different. I think I preferred the tangy strong orange of the Hitachino Nest, but the rest of my taste testers preferred the sweeter, maltier Otter Creek. You can't go wrong with either one.

SURPRISE!!

Today started out as a pretty normal Sunday, except that my sister and brother-in-law are down from New York, on vacation. Being a good sister, she brought me some Saranac, and some beer from a brewery I was unfamiliar with - Otter Creek Brewing, which is in Vermont. We ate a late breakfast, and had plans to do an early dinner at my daughter's house, so my sister could see her niece's new home. I decided to go do some shopping, in preparation for my 50th birthday, which is coming up in a week, so my sister and her husband and I jumped in the car and took a ride. Our shopping trip ended just in time to get to my daughter's home at the designated time. I knocked on the door, and as I was let into the house - SURPRISE!! My family had thrown me a surprise birthday party for my 50th. I was floored! Totally clueless! I never suspected a thing. It was a great party, with good friends and family, lots of good food, and plenty of good beer. I was touched that they had planned this for me, and I had a great time. When I knew I would be just in time for "dinner", I asked my wife to bring one of the new Otter Creek beers with her to go along with my meal. So the first beer I had was Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter, a roasty robust version of the style. I then switched to Flying Dog's Snake Dog - a very snappy, hoppy IPA. I cut myself off at 3 beers, so I picked a classic - Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I think this is one of the best lagers on the planet. The time flew by, the party ended, and I think everyone left smiling. I had a great early birthday! And now I know why my wife wanted me to get a haircut!