It's not the best picture, but you get the idea. The four around the circle are, from left to right, Winter Warmer, Ottonator, Beer Engine #2 - Arthur's Rye-IPA, and Beer Engine #1 - Jolly Roger Imperial Stout. The fifth sample was their guest tap, which I believe was Troegs Nugget Nectar, but don't quote me on that. I'm sure I'll review the Troegs in a future post, so I'm going to focus just on Otto's beers today.
I was impressed with the Winter Warmer. The beer list on the table described it as a "Belgian Raspberry Porter," and it was delicious. I would almost suggest it as more of a dessert beer, since the raspberry nose and flavors are fairly prominent, and it has a sweet-chocolate undertone. I tasted a roasted coffee flavor that blended nicely with the other more prominent flavors, and it had that breadiness and a mild spiciness that I enjoy in many Belgian styles. At 8.2%, this brew will definitely help you shake that winter chill.
I've had the Ottonator and the Jolly Roger before, but both were slightly different this time around. The Ottonator is a doppelbock with a broad, malty taste, caramel and coffee undertones, and slight residual sweetness to balance out the hop-spiciness. It weighs in around 7.7% ABV, so it leaves a nice warmth in your throat that's perfect for those cold winter days. Or for the last night of winter, when it's below freezing and snowing out... The Ottonator is a good, solid, very drinkable beer that pairs well with a wide range of foods. I prefer it with the reuben and sweet potato fries they make at Otto's -- they go very well together.
The Rye-IPA was decent, too. My tastes seem to go in cycles, and my preferences lately have been for more malty beers. Give it a few months, and I'll probably cycle back to preferring hoppy beers instead. My own preferences aside, I found this beer to be just a little off-balance. I don't think the rye spiciness melded well with the hop flavors. The beer list at the table said this one was made with Palisade and Amarillo hops, and while the herby/citrusy aroma of those hop varieties was definitely there, I don't think they were the best choice to match the flavors of the rye. I think something grassy like Fuggles or earthy like Hallertau Hersbrucker might have gone better. Or, maybe a longer conditioning period would have helped the flavors blend more smoothly.
The Jolly Roger Imperial Stout, as I said above, was better this time around. I had it last year, as well, but wasn't terribly fond of it then, since the flavors did not seem well-blended. This year's batch, however, tastes much better overall. Last year's version tasted too wood-chippy, and while those flavors are still present in this year's, they are more mellow and subdued. You still get the woody dryness on your tongue, which adds to the other earthy notes, like chocolate, roasted coffee, and a bit of vanilla. I could have sworn that the Jolly Roger was aged in oak bourbon barrels, but I can't find anything this year to back that up, so maybe that's just my whimsical memory playing tricks on me again, though I do taste some of the same undertones in this beer as I do in bourbon. This IS has about 10% ABV, so of course it's another one that warms up your gullet nicely.
All in all, it was a satisfying evening. If you're looking for a good meal and some above average beers, check out Otto's in State College, PA. Cheers!
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