The Twelve Brewers of Christmas 7: Otterbank

I wasn't a big fan of the first release from Otterbank as a standalone brewery. Numbers two and three are here, and in the spirit of the season I'm prepared to give them a fair shout, and at least they're not so strong.

To begin, Stick The Kettle On, a no-boil (geddit?) Brettanomyces-fermented pale ale of 5% ABV. It's a perfect clear gold in the glass with a steady head and an enticing stonefruit aroma. It's a little thin, which I think affects the impact of the flavour, but the flavour is gorgeous. It's a busy sequence of floral tastes; a wholesome meadowy blend of violet, lavender, clover and honeysuckle. The apricot and nectarine come later, bringing a different sort of sweetness. A white pepper spice finishes things off. And even with the lees from the bottom poured in, it's clean and bright, each taste polished and distinct. Half way down I remembered that Brettanomyces was involved. It's not funky, there's no farmyard, but instead it's that peachy Brett flavour, except without the sticky gumminess. It's a lovely beer; accessible but deliciously complex. I'd love to see it in regular production and for sale by the pint.

We move up to 6.5% ABV for What Time Do You Call This?, a saison created from a blend of four-year-old Chardonnnay-barrelled beer and a fresh one. It looks and smells like a gueuze: cloudy yellow with a sharply bricky nitre aroma. The flavour isn't especially sour, however, there's just a pinch of lemon and a little saltpetre. My favourite feature is the busy fizz: a cleansing scrape on the palate, and the reason for the beer's thick and lasting head. I was afraid this would turn a bit cloying but like the previous one it's fantastically clean and easy going. It lacks complexity, however: the flavour hints at the peppery, waxy joy of saison and lambic but doesn't follow through on either. While it's nice, I expected more. As the third beer from a new brewery I think it can be forgiven: everyone else would do well to produce something this good this early.

I'm back on board with Team Otterbank. These two have restored a faith which was wavering after the first beer. While I'd be perfectly happy if they just churned out more batches of these two, I'm intrigued for what comes next.