BY MATT STEVENS for WEEKLY VOLCANO 6/5/26 |
This week, I made the trek down to Odd Otter Brewing in downtown Tacoma. Sadly, I again chose the worst day of the week for my brew outing, so I did not get to enjoy the small patio area that faces out onto Pacific Avenue, as there was a light sprinkle and it was chilly. Odd Otter is a long-established brewery that went through some financial complications in late 2025 and looked like it was going to close down. But it was saved by some new investors and has continued to brew a variety of delicious beers. It is most well known for its Watermelon Hefeweizen, but I wanted to try something new, so I went for a hazy IPA, “Otters … From Space!”
The beer pours a gorgeous straw yellow with a minimal, very white head. Spot on from BJCP specifications for a New England hazy IPA. They pour the hazy into a can-shaped glass, which I’m not a huge fan of. I love these glasses for appearance, and they are obviously better than the old shaker-style pint glasses. I generally prefer my beers with big noses to use tulip glasses so they can capture the nose of the beer and direct all that beautifulness into my smelly glands.
Smell-wise, this hazy is spot on. I sense big tropical notes, peach and citrus. Very inviting for the first sip.
Taste-wise, the first taste has almost too much going on. I miss everything. The second sip is fantastic. Peach and yuzu, along with some underlying flavors I associate with mango. The notes from Odd Otter don’t mention mango, but man, it’s delicious. There is also a fullness or a robustness in this beer. It reminds me of that time I ate an entire pineapple by myself and just felt full. While my mouth recovered from the pineapple, I felt so full I had to push away from the table and take up an extra space on the bench.
This beer, thankfully, is not trying to eat me with acid like a pineapple does. It is delicious.
Mouthfeel-wise, this beer continues to grow on me as I work my way through it. I would say that, as it is an IPA, I would expect a tiny bit more hop bitterness in it. Otherwise, it’s just a hazy pale ale. That’s not a complaint about the beer, as it is delicious, just a distinction. It does come in at 6.4 percent, so that is more IPA than pale ale territory. I think the yuzu and peach could benefit from a tiny bit more of a punch.
Overall, a delicious beer. I would heartily recommend getting down to Odd Otter on a Friday or Saturday night and snagging a spot on the patio to watch the Pac Ave crowd.
Odd Otter, 716 Pacific Ave., Tacoma WA.
