Otto's Hefeweizen

It seems like every time I go to Otto's for food and beer, I forget to snap a pic of my beer before imbibing.  Oh well.  So you don't get to see any pretty pictures of the Hefeweizen I had at Otto's.  I'm sure you'll survive.

Vittles:
Hefeweizen
5% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 33/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 83/100

Impression:
The beer pours a cloudy golden straw color, but by the time the beer got to my table, there was only a slim ring of a nearly-white head left.  The aroma was largely wheat, clove, and banana, with some herbal and earthy notes underneath.  The flavors followed nicely, with a bit of lemon and some spiciness added in.  A medium body and a somewhat dry finish round it all out very well.  This is one of my favorite kinds of beer, especially in the summer months, and Otto's does a fairly good job on this style.

Cheers!

Otto's Pallet Jack Pale Ale

I seem to be drinking a fair amount of Otto's beer lately.  I hadn't seen Pallet Jack Pale Ale on their tap menu before, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Once again, I forgot to whip out ye olde celle phone and take a quick pic before indulging, so I'll have to paint you a picture with my words instead.

Vittles:
American Pale Ale
6.3% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
I have to say I was fairly impressed with how well the Belgian yeast strain paired with the American hops.  I've tried a slew of Belgian-yeast-American-hops crossovers, and many of them were quite off balance, but Pallet Jack Pale Ale is pleasing to the eye, the nose, and the taste buds.  It's a cloudy, golden-straw color, but I can't really comment on the head since there was little of it left by the time I was served.  There was a fair amount of lacing, though, so I know it had a decently tall head at one point.  The aroma is pleasantly fragrant but mild, with hints of earthiness, fruitiness, and some floral undertones.  The major hops players were the citrus/grapefruit and pine flavors, but they weren't harsh like I've tasted them in other Belgo-American hybrids.  Instead, they nicely complemented the awesome esters that I love so much in Belgian yeasts.  The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and the carbonation brings a bit of a sting.  The crisp and dry finish round out the beer very nicely.  I would absolutely get this one again, especially on tap.

Cheers!

Otto's Arthur's IPA

I might sound like a bit of a homer here, but Otto's really is a great place to grab a meal and a couple beers.  I have yet to be disappointed by any of the beers that I get there.  I was there with some friends the other night, and I got myself some Arthur's IPA to go with my Reuben (which was awesomely delicious, might I add).  Unfortunately, I was enjoying myself so much I once again forgot to snag a pic until my glass was practically empty.  I don't like that that's starting to become a pattern, but then again, I'm sure my dinner companions aren't always thrilled with me snapping pics of my beers.  In fact, I'm pretty sure they get a little embarrassed.  But they're also very indulgent, wonderfully awesome and understanding as they are.

Vittles:

American IPA

6.3% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 20/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

Otto's makes solid beers in general, and this one's no slouch.  I was a little disappointed that the head had already settled by the time it got to my table, but it was a fairly busy time of day, and I was once a waitress at a bar -- I know what the crush can feel like, so it really doesn't bother me that much.  I liked the combination of toffee, caramel, and toasty malt, which served as a backdrop to the largely citrus-grapefruit flavors.  There's also a tasty earthy/herbal undertone that I like quite a bit.  The aftertaste clings a bit, but not too much.  And like I sort of covered before, anything that pairs well with a Reuben is A-OK in my book.

Cheers!

Otto's Arthur's Imperial Red Ale

I went to Otto's Pub and Brewery in State College with some friends the other day, and I wound up getting Arthur's Imperial Red Ale, mainly because it was one of the few beers on tap that I haven't tried yet, and I was in the mood for something different -- I haven't tried a new beer in close to a week, so I was jonesing for different.  Normally I'm pretty good about remembering to take pictures, but it slipped my mind.

Vittles:
Specialty Beer
6.9% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 84/100

Impression:
I had this beer on tap.  It was a mildly hazy coppery-caramel color, and the little head that remained by the time it got to my table was a very light khaki.  It had a fairly appealing aroma, lightly toasty maltiness underlying assertive citrus/grapefruit and mild earthy/herbal flavors.  The mouthfeel adds a not quite chewy consistency, with a decent amount of effervescence tingling the tongue.  The aftertaste is mild grapefruit and toasted malt, but it doesn't linger very long.  Fairly decent overall.

Cheers!

Otto's Apricot Wheat

Otto's Apricot Wheat is a good all around beer.  It doesn't have any overpowering tastes, and the style is enjoyable year round.  It does have a clear apricot flavor, so I could see why some people might enjoy it more during the summer months.

With a half-inch white head and slightly cloudy golden body, this is an appealing brew.  When the head settles, it leaves slight lacing on the sides of the glass, and mild carbonation maintains a small ring around the edge.  9/10 for appearance

The aroma is about what you'd expect.  The apricot comes through, as do the wheat tones.  The aroma is fairly faint, though, so if you're sitting near the kitchen door where the smells of cooking would be stronger, it may be difficult to pick up on the nose on this one.  22/30 for aroma.

The taste nicely matches the aroma.  There's a bit of nutty-grainy flavor under the apricot, but no flavors are overpowering.  It's smooth and mellow, with very little lingering aftertaste.  The only real downside for the taste is that the apricot flavor tastes somewhat fake or artificial, like that fruitiness is just a little too sweet or something.  On the upside, the malt flavors keep the sweetness nicely in check.  31/40 for flavor

I'd say this beer has a medium mouthfeel -- it isn't watery, but it isn't really full-bodied, either.  It's a fairly crisp beverage, and that crisp, clean mouthfeel works well with the flavors in the beer.  8/10 for mouthfeel.

This is very much a drinkable beer.  It isn't the kind of beer I'd savor, but it's a nice change of pace, it pairs well with a wide range of foods, and it's crisp and clean enough to enjoy on a hot summer afternoon.  Because it's suitable for so many occasions, that ups the drinkability factor.  8/10 for drinkability.

Overall that comes to 78/100.  This isn't a great beer, but it's tasty and it gets the job done.  It's one of Otto's beers that seems to have a wider distribution every year (maybe that's just my perception, or maybe it's just a local thing, I haven't really looked too much into it).  I'm looking forward to picking up a sixer of this come yard work season (which is hopefully just around the corner -- I hear birdsong in the mornings again!).

Cheers!

Otto's Sampler

Last night, the hubby and I went to meet up with a buddy at Otto's Pub and Brewery in State College, PA. We like to get a sampler when we go to places like that, so that's what we did last night:

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!