Sampling Otterly refreshing brews with Kimler

Author: Andrea Glaessner

As I stepped outside the car in the parking lot of Otter Creek Brewery, the warm, pungent scent of yeast filled the air. Even though it was Sunday and the factory was closed for the day, the slightly peculiar and homey smell of fermentation was rife. It was April 15, day one of the unseasonable Nor'easter storm swept across Vermont, and also the date of my 21st birthday. After two attempts to present my ID had failed, probably due to my emanating a vibe of over-confidence in my brand new legality, I was desperate for someone to card me and customarily confirm I had gone through the rite of passage to legally consume alcohol. I entered the brewery sampling center, which remains open on Sundays for visitors, and was met with a cordial welcome from a kind man behind the counter.

"What would you like to sample?" asked the man who had introduced himself as Kim. I requested a taste of the India Pale Ale and, to my utmost satisfaction, I was finally asked to show my ID. I breathed a long sigh of relief and told Kim about my predicament. He laughed and directed me toward a shelf on the opposite side of the room from which to pick out a free pint glass for my birthday.

I stayed at the tasting center for about an hour, trying everything on tap before sipping on a few other Otter Creek special brews that Kim Kimler, a part-time employee at the brewery, brought out from the cooler in the back. As he is a kindergarten teacher in Salisbury, Kimler only works a few times a week at the brewery, but catching him behind the bar is a real treat. Not only is his knowledge of Otter Creek beers vast, but he is also a delightful person to chat with and our conversation was certainly a highlight of my visit.

Kimler patiently summarized the intricate process of fermentation and gave a brief introduction to the world of beer tasting. I discovered that the delicate hints of coffee and chocolate in Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout actually resulted from roasting the malt used to brew this dark, rich beer. On the other end of the spectrum, White Sail, Otter Creek's brand new summer brew, has a light bite of citrus which comes from the actual addition of orange peel and coriander to the water, malt, yeast and hops that produce this Belgian-style white beer. The crisp, fruity flavor can be enhanced by the addition of an orange slice, creating a perfectly refreshing beverage for a hot summer day.

I was so intrigued after my visit, I was dying to take a tour to learn more about the process of brewing these delicious beers. Since tours are offered three times a day and everyday of the week except Sunday, I had to plan a return trip in order to tour the actual brewing factory.

When I returned a week later, this time on a weekday afternoon, I was thrilled to find Kimler behind the counter once again, offering a friendly greeting, this time recognizing me from my previous visit.

As he did the last time, Kimler asked what I would like to sample and was quick to call in the marketing assistant Kate Corrigan when I told him I was writing a profile on the brewery. Corrigan was equally friendly, offering a bevy of information about upcoming events and new beers set to come out in the upcoming summer months.

Along with Otter Creek's White Sail, the always-pleasing Summer Ale came out again this month. In May, Otter Creek fans can look forward to the release of Wolaver's Wit Bier, a Belgian-style white beer that is similar to White Sail but, like all Wolaver's beers, it is organic.

In fact, Corrigan mentioned that this year marks Otter Creek's tenth anniversary of producing Wolaver's organic beers. In the 1990s, Wolaver's was a California-based company that contracted other breweries to produce its organic brand of beer. Eventually, it grew large enough to buy Otter Creek in 2003. Otter Creek currently brews Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout, Brown Ale, Pale Ale and India Pale Ale as well as the Wit Beir that will come out in May.

Corrigan noted that Otter Creek is quite unique for having had such a long heritage of producing organic beer. "Budweiser just came out with its own organic beer so it's kind of cool that we've been doing that already for the past 10 years," Corrigan noted.

I told Corrigan how impressed I was with the new White Sail, confessing that I had tried a different brand of Belgian-style white beer called Blue Moon, which I initially enjoyed but now found bland and uninteresting in comparison to White Sail. I was shocked when Corrigan revealed that Blue Moon is actually produced by Coors. Corrigan, bemused by my reaction, said, "If there's anything your students get out of this article I hope it is to not trust what you see on the label. You have to be a real sleuth to figure it out, but many beers market themselves to seem like microbrews or specialty, organic beers, when they are really just big-name corporations behind the fancy logo."

Another new brew to hit the shelves this April is the Cuckoo Bock, one of Otter Creek's World Tour specialty beers. According to the Otter Creek Brewery website, "Brewmaster Steve Parkes procured Vienna malt, pilsener malt, two types of Munich malts, and hops and yeast all the way from Germany, in an effort to make this beer as authentic as possible. The Otter Creek version will be light and slightly sweet, with a fresh aroma." Even though Mai Bocks tend to be strong beers, the Otter Creek version was just strong enough. I bought one of the 22 ounce bottles and was pleasantly surprised to find there was no beer bloating aftermath that usually follows heavier beers.

After polishing off a few samples of the beers on tap, including the Helsinki Gold brewed with juniper and rye, the always favorite Copper Ale brewed with no fewer than six varieties of malt and the light, yet enticingly bitter Wolaver's India Pale Ale, I was ready for a tour of the factory.

Kimler led me, along with three other beer lovers, around the factory to experience how beer is made and to see first hand what goes on in a day at the factory. Otter Creek is the fiftieth largest brewery in the country and the third largest in the state, just behind Magic Hat and Long Trail. Vermont, interestingly comprises most breweries per capita out of any other state, boasting 19 breweries total.

Otter Creek's 35 full and part-time employees take various shifts to keep the Middlebury factory running smoothly almost 24 hours a day. Each day about five batches of beer are brewed. Beer is made in 40-barrel batches and there are 31 gallons in a barrel, which equals a whole lot of beer being pumped out daily.

Kimler went on to explain what the four main ingredients in beer are and how they function. Water, malt, yeast and hops each contribute differently to the beer. Malt is the sugar in beer, and it contributes to the beer's texture, flavor, color and foam. Hops provide the beer's bitterness, aroma and flavor and yeast is what Kimler called "the sugar eating fungus." During the fermentation process it is the life of the party, according to Kimler's metaphorical explanation of how yeast makes beer.

Along with having a lucid understanding of the science of beer, Kimler is also well versed in the history of beer. My ears perked up when he shared an anecdote about India Pale Ale (IPA), explaining its origin. According to Kimler, when the British used to bring IPA over to India it would spoil before it reached land. Eventually, the British colonists found that adding extra malt and hops produced a less perishable beer. Extra malt increases alcohol content, killing off the bacteria that causes beer to spoil, while the extra hops work as a natural preservative. Kimler noted that today we have refrigeration so the need to add excess malt and hops is no longer necessary, but brewers continue the tradition for the IPA because the flavor has become a favorite for many, this writer included.

I could share everything I learned on my trip but that
would defeat the purpose. Otter Creek Brewery is another Vermont gem of a local business and a tour is certainly worth every minute. Coming up on May 5, Otter Creek will be participating in the statewide Green-Up event in which Vermonters across the state clean up trash off the streets and dumping it at registered sites. Otter Creek will be hosting a free lunch on that day from 11:30 to 2 p.m. and will have a dumpster on the site to collect trash from people who participate in the event, offering free pint glasses to those who stop by to drop off their trash. If you have not visited Otter Creek, check it out on May 5th or whenever you feel like a good beer and some friendly conversation. Kim Kimler is waiting.