Gilded Otter Back Porch Summer Lager

Brewed by Gilded Otter Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
New Paltz, New York USA

Serve in Flute

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Pit sop on the way back from BCTC. So a weird thing happened with this beer. First of all it was listed all the way at the bottom of the beer list, weird for a summer lager. I did not even think about it twice. But my girlfriend found it interested when she read about the blueberries. Heck, I didn’t even get that far in reading the description. So when it comes to the table, it’s a big surprise, well it’s dark, not just dark but black. Now a few things are starting to fall into place. More surprises, it comes with actual blueberries in the glass. Not that you could see them through this dark black with navy tints colored beer. A small white head but I could swear it has a blue hue to it. Aroma is of course full of blueberries and it’s hard to distinguish what’s coming from the berries and what’s coming from the beer. A slight earthy feel to it and fortunately nothing artifical or corny (usual suspects in fruit summer lagers). Taste is surprisingly (another one) not sweet and very, well, beer-y. Good clean lager maltiness, refreshing and crisp. A light bitterness with light fruit acidity. Leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste.

On tap at brewpub as part of sampler. it seemed really popular and i saw several people come in and request growlers of this, and they put a handful of blueberries in each pour. the pour looks like grape soda. its just there regular lager mixed with blueberry juice in my opinion. tasted like fizzy soda pop beer. not undrinkable but not a beer drinkers beer.

Draft at the brewpub. Taste like their lager with blueberries squeezed in, which could very ell be what they did. Blue tainted light lager colour. A little head and lace. Sweetish. Soda like carbonation, watery. Avoid this creation

Growler filled at the brewpub and consumed the next day. Pours a hazy but translucent blueish-purple with lots of blueberry bits floating about. The head is brilliant white with a slight blueish tint that makes it almost seem electric. Looks pretty in the glass. Pleasant aroma of blueberries. The flavor begins with blueberries, but is quickly truncated by some astringent hops. The hops bitterness is basically flavorless and contributes nothing to this beer. Watery body. No lager smoothness at all. Disappointing.

unique color. looks like dirty water - dark but translucent. Strong, delicious blueberry flavor and arouma. Lager yeast is subdued and actually balances the sweet blueberry and malts well. pretty tasty

on tap–pours a white head with purple tint and straw purple color. Aroma is blueberry. Taste is blueberry, grain, some spice hops (hallertau?).

On tap at the Gilded Otter. Pours a hazy but mostly clear brownish purple blue with a medium lightly purple white head. Slightly disturbing looking… comes served with a spoonful of blueberries in it which bounce around the bottom of the glass in the carbonation. Big blueberry aromas, with a little spicy grain in the background. Thin to medium bodied, somewhat empty flavorwise at first, then slowly a big grainy lager flavor builds up. Finishes lightly, but heavy on the grain again. Not something I’ll be repeating. Very watery.

Sampled @ Otter: Not a fan of fruit beers, but this one nailed it. The aroma is a great blend of blueberries and wheat. The color looks pretty authentic to me, giant berries floating at the bottom. Taste is delicious, not offensive like I thought it would be, although this was a sample size... could see it being a bit much in a pint.

Oddly this is one of my favorite GO beers. Clear blue color with a blueish tinted white head. Blueberries floating and sinking in the glass. Aroma is light with some fruit and grain. Taste is smooth and sweet and noticeable blueberries. Crisp and clean. Not bad and fun.

Sample at the brewpub: Pours an odd purple color (looks like melted grape ices) Aroma is perfumy blueberry notes. Not very natural, rather, chemical-like. The flavor is the same. Perfumy blueberry presence with the base beer masked completely. Doesn’t have a natural fruit character.

sampler @ brewery - left this strange looking one for last; dark brown with long lasting thin white head; decorated by a swirl of purple frosting that i’d have to assume now to be blueberry syrup; aromas are very fruit, some dry malts and cloves; drinks very smooth and yummy with unique fruity flavors and strong cloves; i thought cloves were in the bottom, but they were in fact blueberries; overall, a little on the strong side, but a A for effort