Son of Otis – Auburn Alehouse

5.7% ABV
Purchased at Old Town Pizzeria and Tap House in Elk Grove ($4/16 oz. pour) and served in pint glasses.

This unlisted-on-Beer Advocate offering from Auburn Alehouse pours a clear Tootsie Roll brown with some plum highlights and a mid-sized, cream-colored head.   The unmistakably sweet smell of English malts leads the nose, along with toffee and a grassy, earthy character.  Son of Otis has a tea-like taste on the first swallow, with some toffee on the periphery, and coffee, soil, and grass on the finish.  It has a flavor profile that gains strength on subsequent swallows, eventually folding in toasted nuts and twigs.  Overall, this feels like an English-style bitter with an enhanced West Coast hop presence, as the beer is not particularly sweet despite the malt-forward flavor.

   3.5 Toasts

   3 Toasts