Brewery unveils new 2009 brews Imperial and All-American redefine Otter Creek lineup

Author: Andrea Glaessner

While most Americans ring in the new year with promises to cut back on everything from carbs to cigarettes, Otter Creek Brewery shows no signs of holding back with the release of four creative brews due out this spring season. The local craft brewery has upped the ante on its selection of microbrews with the introduction of its new, high-alcohol content Imperial series. First up in the series is the new Russian Imperial Stout, containing 10.6 percent alcohol for the noblest of beer connoisseurs.

Balancing out the global with the local, Otter Creek has also just released the latest addition to the Farmers' Series - Pat Leavy's All-American, made with all-organic and all-American ingredients. Brewed with Leavy's organic Fuggles, Goldings and Magnum hops, Pat Leavy's All-American is the second beer from Wolaver's to be named in honor of an American organic farmer, following the Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale, which is brewed with local Vermont pumpkins. To top it off, the brewery is also bringing back two all-time favorites - the Kölsch style Spring Ale, as well as the infamous Mud Bock. As usual, the brewery is keeping its doors open for customers to stop by and sample the new (and old favorite) beers on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When a reporter was sent to weigh in on the four spring '09 brews, the response was overwhelmingly positive - two thumbs up for the new Russian Imperial Stout, the Pat Leavy's All-American and the returning Mud Bock. The Kölsch Spring Ale will not be out until next month, as it has yet to be tasted by brewmaster Mike Gerhardt. Originating from Cologne, Germany, the bright golden Spring Ale Kölsch is a pleasing brew for everyone - complex enough for craft beer aficionados but mellow enough for lightweights.

Pat Leavy's All-American Pale Ale

Tumbling into the glass in a rich caramel stream topped with a slightly frothy head, the floral aroma of hops filled the room. But instead of finding bitterness that is standard in most floral-smelling brews, the beer was surprisingly "biscuity" with hints of toffee and caramel. Crafted to showcase the organic hops grown on Pat Leavy's certified organic farm in Oregon, the All-American is loaded with a variety of hops that present unique characteristics to the pale ale style.

Determined to find hops closer to home, Otter Creek's owner Morgan Wolaver, who formed a relationship with Oregon hops farmer Pat Leavy years ago, recently offered to purchase a portion of Leavy's crop output and reserve it for use in Wolavers' all-organic beers. Leavy took up the offer, agreeing to convert a large portion of his commercial hops farm to organically certified crops, allowing Otter Creek to replace the organic hops that used to come from New Zealand with Leavy's organic hops grown right in the States.

"We were getting our stuff from New Zealand, so it's really nice to know where, I mean exactly what field, your hops are coming from," said Gerhardt.

Otter Creek hopes to boost the volume of organic hops coming from Leavy's farm over the years. "Now we have contracts with Pat and we're going up in volume each year, so that we're making a commitment to him and to the brewing industry as well to push it to become 100 percent organic," said Gerhardt.

Although the beer proudly boasts its American-ness on the label and in the beer itself with organic ingredients that hail from the homeland, Otter Creek brewer Ron Cotti explained that the brew is actually styled after the English pale ale. According to Cotti, the English-style pale ale provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the flavors of Leavy's hops and also serves to differentiate the Pat Leavy All-American from the Otter Creek Pale Ale.

"The body and alcohol content in the Otter Creek Pale Ale is greater, but the amount of hops is the same, so the result is that the [Otter Creek] Pale Ale has a more bitter aftertaste than the Pat Leavy," said Cotti.

The beauty of the All-American is its wide appeal to beer drinkers from novices to experts. It wins praise from the craft beer community for its unique flavor, yet at the same time, die-hard Bud fans will have a hard time turning their noses from this straightforward, flavorful brew.

Mud Bock

Next on the sampling tour was the Mud Bock, and this tasting took place behind the glass doors in the bustling brewing area where Gerhardt and Cotti's creative concoctions come to fruition. The beer was tasted fresh from the tank - the last stop before it is kegged or bottled into 22 oz. bottles for the World Tour and 12 oz. bottles for the variety pack.

The Mud Bock was resurrected this January as the 2009 stop on the Otter Creek World Tour, bringing devoted followers back from Japan - last year's selection was a sake-infused rice brew called Otter San - to the hills of Vermont.

A dark amber brew with a deep, roasted flavor that recalls the chocolate and coffee notes of stouts and porters, the Mud Bock falls somewhere in between the Stovepipe Porter and the Pat Leavy's All-American. And whereas the Pat Leavy showcases the hops, the Mud Bock is all about the malts. Light enough to be enjoyed with a hearty meal, but with a heavy set of complex flavors, Mud Bock has acquired a cult-like following since its introduction as a spring seasonal offering about five years ago. The last batch of Mud Bock was brewed in 2004, and devoted fans have been asking for it ever since.

Finding a niche for the beloved brew in the World Tour series, the brewery decided to put the global beer concepts on hold and focus on styles closer to home for the 2009 World Tour selection.

"This year we're staying American. It's like a staycation," said Otter Creek marketing manager Kate Corrigan.

Russian Imperial Stout

Boasting a much higher alcohol content than any other Otter Creek brew, the Russian Imperial Stout takes the meaning of Imperial to a whole new level. In this rich stout, the flavors and the alcohol were "kicked up a notch," according to Gerhardt, creating a rich, dark brew infused with chocolate and coffee flavors that pack a punch thanks to the higher-than-usual alcohol content created by using copious amounts of specially selected malts.

The new brew puts Otter Creek on the map along with other American craft brewers developing intensely flavored, high-alcohol content beers that only get better with age. Although the fine beer fad is relatively new to American beer drinkers, consumers are quickly picking up on the trend with more and more beer drinkers preferring better-tasting, fresher, complex, albeit pricier brews like the Russian Imperial over corn-pumped "Pilsners" like Budweiser and Coors.

"Years ago," said Gerhardt, "people were content with India Pale Ale. Now they want to know about the hops, yeast and malts used in their beer. It's actually kind of flattering when people want to take your beer and replicate it at home."

According to Gerhardt, the new craft beers like the Russian Imperial have complexities that rival a lot of great wines out there.

"Not to knock the wine industry but there's a lot more going on in these beers than many wines out there," said Gerhardt. Like wine, Gerhardt explained, the Russian Imperial gets better with age, making the brew a target for "vertical tasting" - beer tasting that involves drinking consecutively dated beer to pick up on the complexities and flavors that evolve over time.

Yet even amateur beer connoisseurs can appreciate the thick, frothy stout which makes for a perfect match with a chocolate dessert, a hearty meal, or, as Gerhardt suggests, poured over vanilla ice cream for a Russian Imperial float - a truly decadent dessert fit for the aristocracy.

"The whole idea is you're not going to drink a whole bottle by yourself," said Gerhardt,

"You're going to open it up among a few good friends over dinner
and really enjoy it, like how you would enjoy a good bottle of wine."

At $6.99 a bottle and a 10.6 percent alcohol content, the Russian Imperial Stout is not meant for penny-pinchers nor the faint of heart. But expensive ingredients often mean better beer, and Otter Creek brewers are not concerned that the price will deter beer aficionados.

"This is not your daddy Schlitz," said Ron Cotti, a brewer at Otter Creek. "People will pay that money because they see the value."

And as Kate Corrigan, Otter Creek's marketing director cleverly pointed out, the Russian Imperial is enjoyed differently than the chugging approach one might take to imbibe a Natty Light.

"In terms of alcohol content, one bottle is equal to about four beers," said Corrigan.

The Russian Imperial Stout is meant to be served in a glass, among friends, at cellar temperature, which is 55 degrees.