Ottos Ottonator

Draft at Otto’s. Deep coppery color with off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, brown sugar, figs, some spices and hops. Tastes dark malty, with brown sugary notes, some nuts, figs, blackberries, and a rich, smooth finish. The blackberry notes don’t overtake the malt, which remains throughout in full force. Another well done brew from one of my favorite brewers of all time.

Growler courtesy of Nate. Pours dark amber, small, off white head that lingers. Nose of malt, very little from growler. Hops start with big malt middle, carmel and toffee, touch of biscuit, then a rather surprising hop finish that lingers with a nice aftertaste. Not bad, I’d have it again, but a little below my expections from Otto’s. Not much, but a little.

On tap at Otto’s. Very mild aroma. Sweet malt, macerated raisins, and a tangy soy component. Light fruity hops. Caramel and toffee. Coppery amber, crystal clear, with thin head. Medium-heavy body with medium-light carbonation. Starts sweet, with a ton of malt, light alcohol notes, raisins, plum, and toffee. Sweet, almost cloying, with a bit of dry bitterness at the end. Decent, but falls short of what I’ve experienced in other doppelbocks. Soy tangy after.

On tap at the brewpub. Aroma is a real brushy grain husk, with the raw sugars and tingling alcohols. Very laid down. Pours a beautiful florid hickory, with wonderful maroon tones. Atop a silky, fading browned butter head. Flavor is a sweeping, detailed and rich. Yet another somewhat quiet, but beautifully painted rendition from this brewer. Some great oaty, fresh grain, bread bites, but then a higher level of matured fruits and liquers running through with bread pudding. Nicely layered. Delicate. Fresh, of course, and bursting with balance. Finishes long and strong with great leafy hop detail and sweetened lemongrass. Finds a wonderful nestled home amongst the noticeably caramelized sugar pattern. Good stuff.

Draft into a gowler. Big malty monster. This poured a nice black body with thin head. Aroma is of malt and a weak nutmeg smell. Taste is a nice balance of malt, nutmeg and some fruit. Noticable fruit: tart cherries, plums, globe grapes. Slight alcohol burn. Good dopplebock.
Earlier Rating: 12/16/2005 Total Score: 4.7
Wow! Great Doublebock. Well balanced malt. Aroma is unmistakable. First wiff tells the brain that this is a great beer. Smooth. Really smooth. A comforting medium palate. One of the best doublebocks I’ve ever tasted. You gotta try it to believe it. Kudos!

Really has a wonderful smell and taste to it, as if it’s infused with some dried black cherries and cranberries. The toasted wood, rum and sweet molasses and maple are just astounding. Flavorwise it’s disimilar from the aroma, heavy and full on the tongue, a perfect blend of roasted chocolate-like malts and sweet maple and dried dark fruit. Really good, without being insanely different or highly hopped or high gravity. Color is dark brown, almost a bit red as well.