Established in 1990, Otter Brewery began brewing its beer from a farmhouse location in the heart of Devon’s Blackdown Hills. Since then, the whole family has been involved in developing our award-winning range of beers and our widely recognised Otter brand.
With over five generations of brewers in the family, the building of Otter Brewery was, and still is, without a doubt, a labour of love. We believe this is why our beer tastes so great and why more and more people are drinking it. Our product offering is constantly evolving to suit the needs of both traditional and modern ‘craft’ drinkers. A range that provides something for everyone.
By 2003, we realised that we were rapidly outgrowing our original production facilities and we took the plunge to invest in a fantastic new, state of the art, brewery and cellar – both of which are award-winning in their own right. The business still occupies the same rural site and now the old brewery barns are used to feed the troops rather than brew beer. In 2007 we built the underground cellar which was certainly the first of its scale in Devon.
Most importantly, all our growth has been organic and we remain proud to be family run.
Cask at Hogshead, Wolverhampton. Pours a golden amber with a small white head and good lacing. Malts and orn to the fore in the aroma. Barley sugar and caramel are the initial impressions in the mouth. Malts and a slight sharpness come afterwards, and there are also traces of summere fruits. Finish is slightly dry. This is OK – a good swiggable bitter.
Pours a clear golden amber colour with a small frothy white head that settled. The aroma is leafy hops and pale malts; a similar taste with some caramel and light fruit, moderately sweet and moderately bitter.
Cask. The Old Spot, Dursley, Gloucester. Clear light amber. Fully lacing white foam. Sweet caramel toffee malt and pleasantly bitter leafy hop. Smooth and really sessionable bitter in perfect nick.
Bottle from Morrisons. Pours a clear deep copper colour with a medium sized throthy off-white head. Aromas of toffee, caramel, biscuits and toasty bread. Taste has the same notes again with some dark fruits and a touch of peppery spice. A subtle earthy hop on the finish. Beautifully balanced. Medium body with a smooth slightly oily mouthfeel. Nice flavourful ale. Re-tasting: 06/01/23 Taste has lots of toffee and caramel with toasty bread. Malty with subtle earthy hop on the finish.
Bottle from Morrisons. Pours a straw colour with a thin white head. Faint aromas of hay, biscuits and floral. Taste has the same subtle notes from the aroma with some added citrus lemon and herbal tones. Gentle hoppy finish. Thin watery body, low carbonation with smooth gentle mouthfeel. Nothing outstanding but a simple elegant tasting ale.
Cask at The Plough, Taunton Nov 2014. Pours clear amber with a white head. Aroma: malt, caramel, orange & hedgerow fruits. The taste follows, light sweet & light to moderate bitter. Quite twiggy. Medium body with soft carbonation
A typical best bitter, but with a rather fantastic taste of digestive biscuits on the first sip. It didn't come back, but it left a smile on my face and I really enjoyed it.