Quercus Vitis Humulus by Otter Creek Brewing
Beer #58 is Quercus Vitis Humulus by Otter Creek Brewing from Vermont. Say what? Quercus Vitis Humulus is latin and literally means oak, grape & hop. Sounded good to me! Brewed in the style of an American Strong Ale, this beer has an ABV of 12%. One interesting fact about this brew is that it was fermented a second time with Champagne yeast.
It poured a orange amber color with nice size head. Grape juice was the most prevalent aroma along with a smell very much like what I experienced on a winery tour a few years ago from an oak aged wine. I picked up on some sweet malts also. Taste was a malty sweet grape juice (heavy on the grape juice) concoction with a bit of a bitter hop ending, at times reminding me of a highly carbonated wine. Mouthfeel was thick and syrupy with a ton of carbonation. Lots of alcohol make for a sipping drink. One bottle was enough for me.
To me, this seemed like a beer that wanted to be a wine and at times a champagne. I thought there was way too much of that grape sweetness. I really didn’t like it all that much. It took me quite a while to finish it but finish it I did.
Rating: D
I thought looking at the name of the beer that I was going to read a great review about a beer I would jealous that I cannot get. Quite the opposite: I am glad I can’t get it here. LOL!
Cheers,
Scot
I agree with Scot – I thought it was going to get a good review!
Sounds like another case of identity crisis.
I also thought this was going to be good judging from the reviews on BeerAdvocate. Don’t get me wrong, I like wine (but not wine spritzers) but I not a big fan of Champagne.
Identity crisis, that is a perfect way to describe this.