Otter Brewery - Otter Head

Having bought this from the same place I bought "Core Blimey" (maybe the worst beer I've ever had) I was sceptical about what would greet me when a popped the cap on a bottle that had little in the way of hints to its' contents apart from saying that it was a) definitely beer and b) "dangerously drinkable." Now that is a rather bold claim! They weren't entirely wrong though, the moment you have a whiff you are instantly accosted with the warm aroma of fresh banana bread, the colour is a very dark, very satisfying, brown and the taste follows the smell with a sweet, bready, cakey, sensation that keeps the ball rolling with a hint of tobacco and light hops. It's such a relief to be back to drinking GOOD beer, even if it isn't EXCELLENT beer, it is at least in and around, if not slightly above, the bench mark. However, I got this for nearly £3 and for that you can get yourself a bottle of Chimay or most vintages from most of the big brands, with the possible exception of Fullers, I seem to remember that one being much closer to a fiver.

So is it "dangerously drinkable" as the bottle had claimed? Well no, there are very few beers that I would attribute that moniker to, the top of that list being Chapel Down's Curious Brew (but only on tap,) Augustiner (which I have yet to find in this country) and Palm (which you can find in most Belgian restaurants.) Those, however, are the kinds of drinks that I can see myself chain drinking until my liver suddenly, and inexplicably, implodes. Is this a rival? Sure! Yeah, why not? It has an enjoyable taste and I definitely wouldn't think twice about cracking open a bottle or 8 of these in an evening and drinking until the otters on the bottles came to life and started their own gospel choir featuring Whoopi Goldberg.

I guess what you want to know is whether YOU should buy it. It depends what you like. Do you like beer? Good beer? Do you have £3 on you? Yes? Good. Then yes, you should buy this, buy it, love it for an evening and then forget about it until you rediscover it several years later, just like that girl you fell in love with who had intermittent alzheimers and kept wandering off (don't worry, that's not a real thing.)

Food Suggestion: A sandwich! A big beasty sandwich! The kind that you make when you've got the house to yourself, the kind of sandwich that's thicker than a labradors' massive grinning head but with twice the tongue. A sandwich filled with meat and beef tomatoes and salad and mature cheddar and LOADS MORE MEAT! Yeah, that'd suit this beer. That'd suit it down to the ground!

Drink this if you like: Well's Banana Bread beer or are generally a fan of bitter. This is much more subtle than the banana bread beer but is ever so slightly sweeter than most bitters... I guess if you're a fan of otters then you'd probably like this too.