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Otter Creek Helsinki Gold

Otter Creek Helsinki Gold

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 Percentile 
64
overall
A Traditional Ale brewed by
Otter Creek Brewing

Middlebury, Vermont USA

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
533.25/5.03.23/5.0Special6.37%50.8Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Helsinki Göld, Otter Creek's fifth beer on the "OTTER CREEK WORLD TOUR," is a golden ale brewed with juniper and rye, inspired by the Finnish beer "sahti." In the “Sahti Belt,” just north of Helsinki, the Finnish beer sahti is still being brewed the same way that it was 400 years ago. According to tradition, bags of rye and barley are soaked in the rivers and lakes to germinate, and then malted in the family sauna. The Finnish brewers use juniper branches to filter the malt from the wort. The juniper berries add a gin-like bitterness to the brew and the rye imparts a malty creaminess. As they say in Finland, Kippis!

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 Rastacouere (5409), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
2.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/102/59/20
Sep 10, 2008  
Thin white head quickly disappears atop the opaque muddy pale orange hue. Rye grain feel rather dull, straight cerealic with no spicy depth and dominates the aroma. Feeling more spicy in mouth with the flowery (not perfumey) and peppery grainy notions of juniper, but also extremely husky in its strong graininess. Disturbingly husky, coating the mouth with a drying effect that is not astringency, just coating and lingering unpleasant after-texture. It had started out sweet indeed with that vanilla and cereals blast, bready and sourdough reminiscent, because there is an acidity trace in there, though it fits. Medium bodied, low carbonation. I guess it’s not at its freshest.


 blklab2007 (570), Connecticut, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 20, 2007  
bomber poured a hazy amber in color with minimal head on the pour but nice clouds of foam pooling at the surface and slow moving carbination. aroma is sweet malt, spice, a sharpness that i believe comes from the juniper berries, and some green apple. nice looking brew in the glass. taste is medium full mouth feel, hits with a ginger like sharpness, well balanced malt, spice, and some underlying fruit notes. very complex malts in here that are very complementary and the snap that comes from the juniper adds real interest. not the average beer and that is why i like it so much really has something interesting to it that makes me continue to find new flavors as it is sipped.


 michael-pollack (1488), King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/513/20
Nov 13, 2007  
22oz. Bottle: Aroma of rye, malts, caramel, honey, biscuit, and some yeast. Poured amber/gold in color with a small, creamy, off-white head that lasted throughout. Good lacing. Hazy. Very sparkling. Flavor of rye, caramel, sourdough, and herbs. Light to medium body. Dryish texture. Lively carbonation. Dry rye finish. Juniper???


 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Sep 25, 2007  
Bomber drunk some time in July ’07
As others have done here, I am not rating this to the Sahti style, as this shares few resemblances with that, but more a "Sahti-inspired" ale.
Strong white head tops a butter-colored, clear body, with plentiful bubbles rising. Retention and lacing are moderate to low.
Sweet, cookie dough-like malts are prominent in the nose, as is a fair dose of sweet cream and vanilla. You’d think it would come off too sweet, but there is some crackery, dry, bready malt notes that arrive late to somewhat balance things. Pleasant fruitiness helps build up complexity and distracts from the overeager malt sugars (peach, nectarine, apricot). Can’t say I find all that much juniper or rye, though the rye may account for some of the dryness. There is more of a light, white pepperiness than an actual, abundant juniper note. Aroma strength is medium, no flaws or alcohol noted.
Impressed to see that the flavor is quite flawless, with slightly less sweetness than the nose would suggest, though definitely still some notes of vanilla cake icing. Light spices (white pepper, and assumedly juniper) dot the finish, with a strong breadiness that helps balance the sweet malts. Carbonation is a bit insipid, but drinking the beer chilled proves beneficial, as it fends off some of the sweetness and keeps the carbonation in solution longer.
A solid, tastefully spiced golden ale, is all it really is, but it’s quite drinkable and full of substance (malt, mainly).


 puzzl (1821), New York, New York, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/105/514/20
Sep 22, 2007  
Bomber. Very different than other Sahtis I’ve had. Has a strong malt backbone, much like an amber, except obviously the "hopping" is more floral and berry like. It doesn’t say whether they put any hops in this, although I suspect there is still a small amount. Pours with a supple head, and has a full, complex aroma. Tons of different malt sugars in there. Body is really really soft and pleasant, and it is easy as sin to knock this one back. Very interesting, very enjoyable.



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