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Otter Creek Brewing
Company typePrivate
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded1991
HeadquartersMiddlebury, Vermont
United States
ProductsBeer
The Otter Creek bottling line in action
Finished bottles of copper ale

Otter Creek Brewing is a brewery in Middlebury, Vermont, that produces two lines of beer: Otter Creek Craft Ales, and Shed Brewery Ales. It brewed Wolaver's Organic Brewery beers from 2002 until 2015, when it ceased brewing that line.

Otter Creek

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In March 1991, Otter Creek brewed its first Copper Ale at 616 Exchange Street in Middlebury and shipped its first keg of beer shortly thereafter.[1] Four years later, the brewery expanded and moved down the road to 793 Exchange Street where they expanded production[1] to 60,000-barrels. Otter Creek Brewing distributes its year-round and seasonal beers to fifteen states in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

Otter Creek brews and bottles all of its beers in small batches and uses natural Vermont water; domestic malts and hops; and its own top-fermenting yeast. In 2005, Otter Creek Brewing produced approximately 30,000 barrels of beer and distributed in 22 States.

Otter Creek brews three year-round beers:

  • Free Flow, a 6% American IPA
  • Berner, a 7% American IPA
  • Ella, a 5.5% India Pale Lager

This current line-up follows a major production overhaul that saw Otter Creek do away with all of their original flagship beers, including their Copper Ale, Stovepipe Porter, and Black IPA. Otter Creek also produces a number of seasonal and occasional beers, almost all of which are also of a hop-forward nature.

In 2010, Massachusetts private equity firm Fulham and Co. acquired Otter Creek Brewing through their Long Trail Brewing Company subsidiary.[2]

Wolaver's Organic

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In 1997, Wolaver's (based in Nevada City, California)[3] became the first USDA-certified organic brewer. The Wolaver's line only contains organic beers.[4] The company started in Santa Cruz, California[5] but was brewing their ales in several locations including the Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah, California, Goose Island Brewery in Chicago, Illinois and Otter Creek in Vermont.[3]

About two years later, Wolaver's moved to Nevada City, California and began looking to buy a brewery in 2001.[5] Wolaver's purchased Otter Creek in 2002 to consolidate production.[5][6] The brewers worked with the organic barley and farmers in the area to create a market for organic hops.[5] All the Wolaver's styles are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers,[1] and featured wheat and oats grown locally in Addison County, Vermont. Since 2002, all Wolaver's Organic were brewed in Middlebury, Vermont.[6]

Wolaver's brewed three year-round beers and several seasonals. Their year-round beers were:

Long Trail ceased brewing Wolaver's in December 2015.[7]

Shed Brewery line

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Otter Creek/Wolaver's acquired the Shed Brewery in 2011 when the former owners decided to close and continues to brew Shed Mountain Ale and Shed IPA.[4][8][9] Shed Brewery brews include:

  • Mountain Ale[10]
  • The Shed IPA
  • Profanity Ale
  • Nosedive Vanilla Porter

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Otter Creek Brewing Company - Pale Ale". Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  2. ^ Ben Keene (15 January 2014). Great Northeast Brewery Tour: Tap Into the Best Craft Breweries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Voyageur Press. pp. 222–. ISBN 978-0-7603-4448-4.
  3. ^ a b Motavalli, Jim (January–February 2002). "Green Beer: Delicious Organic Brews Offer a Healthier Alternative. (Eating Right)". E Magazine. 13 (1): 42+.
  4. ^ a b c d e Norman Miller (7 August 2012). Beer Lover's New England. Globe Pequot. pp. 130–. ISBN 978-0-7627-8764-7.
  5. ^ a b c d Morrill, Keith (February 2008). "Home Brewed: Morgan Wolaver led the way for organic beers in the United States". Business People-Vermont. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  6. ^ a b DK Publishing (20 October 2008). The Beer Book. DK Publishing. pp. 60–. ISBN 978-0-7566-5007-0.
  7. ^ "Wolaver's Organic Ceases Production". 30 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Otter Creek to brew Shed beer". Stowe Reporter. November 3, 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Otter Creek acquires The Shed Brewery". Rutland Herald. November 1, 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  10. ^ Dzen, Gary (2 April 2013). "Go-to beer: The Shed Mountain Ale". Boston.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.

Further reading

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