Otter Creek Brews Beautiful Beers

Author: Matthew Christ

Vermont is blessed with a wealth of outstanding micro-breweries sure to satisfy any beer enthusiast. Burlington's Magic Hat is probably the most widely known with its hearty, Irish-style Humble Patience and its fruity, "not quite pale" #9. Long Trail is another high-quality brewery located in Bridgewater Corners (just minutes from Killington Resort) with a terrific selection of any beer style imaginable. Both breweries merit a visit, either to marvel at the precise craftsmanship or to indulge in the freshest recipes of the brew master.
Fortunately, traveling 45 minutes for an incredible brewery experience is unnecessary. Otter Creek Brewery on Exchange Street, just minutes from downtown Middlebury, rivals any other Vermont brewery for best suds in the state.
Actually, Otter Creek is much more than a local brewery. In the 12 years since its inception, Otter Creek's distribution has expanded to include 13 states that stretch as far west as Ohio and as far south as North Carolina. Despite its constantly expanding size and distribution, Otter Creek Brewing remains true to the town that it calls home. A Winter's Ale, Otter Creek's latest creation, features a sketch of downtown Middlebury covered in snow on the label.
The Otter Creek story begins with Lawrence Miller, a former student of Reed College in Portland, Ore., who fell in love with the art of brewing. After experimenting with a home brew kit, Miller traveled to Germany to study the process of making beer. In time, Miller developed his own recipe for what would be his ideal beer. What brought him to Middlebury was the water.
Because beer is primarily water (about 90 percent), it is the most important ingredient in the beer making process. Good beer is literally dependent upon good water. Miller searched the world for the best water, and he found it in the taps of Middlebury. The town's water had the exact ph levels that Miller was looking for. He then combined his newfound water with his own secret strain of German yeast, a strain that Miller only described as "German style ale yeast."
In 1991, under Miller's leadership, Otter Creek Brewing began with just one beer: Copper Ale. In that year, 250 barrels of their flagship ale were produced and distributed in the Middlebury area. Soon, the brewery expanded to produce different beers and a new factory was needed, prompting the move to their current location.
Otter Creek uses only four ingredients: malts, hops, water and yeast. The hops add bitterness, aroma and flavor to the beer. The beer is not pasteurized and is completely natural. Natural preservatives that are derived from hops are, used and every beer produced by Otter Creek is hand crafted by their team of brewmasters.
Any grains used at Otter Creek are recycled and sent to local farms to be used to feed animals --nothing is wasted.
This process is markedly different than beer production at any major factory. Budweiser plants are completely mechanized and many more ingredients are used, such as rice and unnatural preservatives. Puanai Dimaggio, an employee of Otter Creek, stated that "Budweiser throws away more beer in a day than we produce in a year."
Each day, Otter Creek produces 40 barrel kegs and hundreds of bottles. Each beer is bottled in brown glass to protect the precious contents from sunlight--"the worst enemy of beer," said Dimaggio.
Last spring, Wolaver's Organic Ales, another Vermont-based brewery, acquired Otter Creek in what was described as an amicable merger that left both breweries fundamentally unchanged. All Wolaver beers are 98 percent organic, and now both brands of beer are produced under the same roof.
Otter Creek produces three beers constantly throughout the year: Copper Ale, Pale Ale and Stovepipe Porter. Copper Ale, Otter Creek's most famous, is brewed with "six different malts, three hop varieties and the special house yeast." It is a very balanced beer with a slight bitter taste.
The Pale Ale is a truly American beer that is golden in color, extremely refreshing and very aromatic. The Stovepipe Porter is Otter Creek's heaviest year-round brew and is ruby-black in color and hearty enough to go with any meal.
In addition to their traditional beers, Otter Creek has four seasonal ales that are available at various times throughout the year. A Winter's Ale, "has a sweet caramel maltiness and is refreshing yet warming." according to promotional materials. After the winter thaw, Otter Creek introduces it's Mud Bock Spring Ale that is sure to get consumers through the long winters. Summer is ushered in with the Summer Wheat Ale, a light bodied brew and made with a large proportion of malted wheat. The brewery recommends drinking this beer with a slice of fresh lemon. The final seasonal ale is the Oktoberfest Autumn Ale with a deep golden hue to match the New England foliage. Its hearty texture is perfect for a chilly fall day.
Time, effort and care are put into every bottle and keg produced by Otter Creek and the difference is truly in the taste. Otter Creek and its partner Wolaver's Organic Ales are more expensive than the majority of beers on the market, but the product is worth the price.
Winter Term, because we all have extra time on our hands, is truly a great time to sample Otter Creek's wares.