Monday, July 19, 2010

Otter Creek Quercus Vitis Humulus.


Limited release, on sale, tagged as a "strong ale", tee hee. Fermented with champagne yeast and French grape juice, aged in French oak, it's pretty ostentatious. It's also 12%ABV, which is also pretty ostentatious.

Rich copper, almost red, with a pretty luscious head that dies down to a tight cover, also curtains. Pretty malty but not real in-your-face about it, very mild. The 38IBU also helps. Leaves some warmth in the back of the throat. Rather sweet tasting, kind of reminds me of barley wine, but finishes a little sour (maybe that's the grape).

At $5 for the ABV, it's a good deal but a little heavy for boozing. I'd pick up a few more if it's still around just to have around for emergencies or to split and maybe for some aging. Yes, it's like that emergency bottle of cheap-but-not-so-cheap-that-I-can-see-through-it-but-is-kind-of-ok-especially-if-you-are-already-drunk-or-eating-food-with-it wine.

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