Castle Island & Otter Creek Special Delivery

The Stats
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.6%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.57/5
- Untappd: 3.74/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"The world is full of excellent people. The team at Otter Creek Brewing is no exception, and we had the incredible opportunity to join forces with them on Special Delivery, our first ever collaboration beer. Brewed with locally-grown whole cone Cascade wet hops, that were picked fresh from Addison Hopyard in Vermont and driven down overnight in the Otter Creek van, Special Delivery is more than just a clever name. This wet-hopped pale is fermented with Sacchromyces Trois, a brett-like yeast strain that creates pungent fruity, estery aromas during primary fermentation and leaves the resulting beer crisp and dry. The finished product is funky and provocative, but balanced enough to bring you back for one sip after another. Along with the team at Otter Creek, we raise our glasses to collaboration, creativity, friendship, and excellent people!"

Pours golden yellow with a mostly transparent body, but some haze. I got a healthy 2-3 fingers of pure white head.

The aroma is clean and herbaceous with green tea and mint at the front of the line. A grassy, mossy, earthy aroma is starting to dominate, but there is enough room left for a small bit of melon.

Interestingly, a juice extract was the first thing I got on the taste despite the fact that there was no trace of it on the aroma. Immediately following was a huge pop of bitterness, but on a dime, it switches back to the familiar earthy notes from the aroma. Notes of wet moss and dirt with moments of pine and sap are like a forest after a rain storm. I get some more fruity notes, but it is sweet citrus like blood oranges and tangerines. The finish is rather malty, but pleasant with more grassy flavors.

Mouthfeel is full and relatively calm. Carbonation is low, but the beer isn't flat. The abv is hidden and this drinks easily. Some residual matliness is left behind, but it isn't too bad.

Special Delivery was a great example of a wet hop ale. Lots of earthy notes with a strong malt presence didn't deter the drinkability and it had some good complexity for the style. A good collaboration.

Rating
8.0/10