Hoppy Otter (Otter Brewery)

I've wanted to give this beer a try for awhile now. A lot of my interest, I must admit, is in the label. I really love the shot of the otter and the hops. Luke over at BlogAboutBeer brought a bottle of this over to check out. Cheers Luke!

The label reads:

"The purest spring water drawn from the River Otter is used to brew this traditional 19th Century-style IPA with a bit of a twist. Handcrafted with English floor malts and our very own yeast, we have added five of the US Pacific Northwest's most citrus-flavored, aromatic whole cone hops to create a new, complex, highly drinkable beer."

Pours a nice dark golden color with a very thin head. Very subtle carbonation and it settles very quickly.My first impression is that this beer looks very much like a lot of the IPAs I drink from this side of the pond. 

The smell is definitely different than I expected. I figured those Pacific Northwest hops would really come through in the nose. However the smell is sweet and more earthy and spicy. Not the citrusy C-hop smells I was hoping for. Its definitely got a more British IPA smell to it. By that, I mean its not the big fresh hop smell that American IPAs tend to impart. But, the label does say this is a traditional 19-century IPA and not a 21st century "San Diego-style" nuclear hop bomb.

Taste is sweet and rather syrupy. I guess one could say its "cloying". The earthy spiciness is definitely present as is some hop bitterness on the back of my tongue. If you are expecting an IPA that is similar to a hoppy American IPA this is not going to satsify that craving. I don't think its a bad beer and as it warms it definitely has a lot more IPA qualities. I guess I was hoping for something a little different. But hey, its a British IPA and it is likely to fit the traditional style better than most. Also, did I mention that the label is really cool.

Other Otter related breweries:

Otter Creek Brewing Company (Middlebury, Vermont)

Gilded Otter Brewing Company (New Paltz, New York)

BEER FACTS

Name: Hoppy Otter

Style: India Pale Ale

Brewery: Otter Brewery

Location: Honiton, Devon, England

Container: 500 ml bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 6.8%

IBUs: ?