Heart Shaped Box
Oakshire Brewing

Deep, dark brown pour, appears black and opaque in the glass, very thin head which rapidly dissipates to a thin, tan ring inside the glass. Phenomenal nose; huge raspberry presence; dark roasted grains; notes of bourbon. Enormous flavor presence; dark, rich chocolate and fudge; bold bourbon note; a light sense of espresso in the background; sweet and mildly tart raspberry aspect. Heavy body; dense and viscous with an overall stickiness clinging to the palate; boozy warmth.

While only two years old at the time of this tasting, this monstrous beer still exudes a lot of raspberry tones, especially in the smell. Overall, this is a big, beautiful barrel aged imperial stout. The raspberry puree really sets this beer apart (although the barrel aging and other adjuncts aren't to be denied either).

ABV: 14.5%; pouring temperature: 48.0 °F; bottling info: 2023
Source: @snaotheus

 

 

2018-09-10
22oz bottle served in a tulip. 2018 bottle.

Pours black. Initially poured with a surprising brown head. Nice carbonation. Smell is so much chocolate. Dark roast coffee. I think I smell peppers.

Taste is more of the same -- thankfully, not as sweet as I was afraid. Chocolate comes through without being overwhelming, coffee and anise and maybe a bit of maple flavor somehow balance it out. It's nice.

Mouthfeel is thick, but not still. Overall, this is an excellent beer.

a unique barrel aged stout here, and another winner from oakshire, i am so glad these guys have made it stick in colorado, for the most part i have adored their beer, and this one is a lot of fun. the base stout is creamy and rich, packed with the sweetness and vanilla character of the bourbon, mellowed by the barrel, not boozy at all, and sporting quite a lot of earthy darkness both from the charred oak and from the dark malt and roasted barley that this is built on. the adjuncts are awesome here though, cherries and vanilla and coffee and cocoa, all of which work well with the base beer and well together. for me, the vanilla is the most forward in both aroma and flavor, owing in part to similar characteristics in the whiskey, but the vanilla bean is natural and sweet and well timed in the trajectory of this. the cherries are a little desserty, faintly medicinal, but well restrained, adding a jammy and baked quality here in the middle, but not making this over done at all. cocoa nibs are brilliant with the dark malt, bitter and rich at the same time, brownie batter and soil elements to them, a smart add. coffee is light here, i smell it more than i taste it, but i think it serves to unite some of these elements, and balance some of the sweet. overall a really nice layering of flavors, super chocolate forward, and awesome barrel character to it. did this get bottled? id love to see how this ages...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Belmont Station yesterday (the beer selection at the station during OBF week is flat out killer).

The beer pours a blackish brown color with very good head retention and considerable sticky lacing all around. The nose is likewise attractive, showcasing a boatload of coffee grounds and tobacco (cigar, in this case). The coffee flavor comes through very well on the palate as well, with some light chcolate and vanilla. Mouthfeel is surprising light in this fairly dry stout, yet the beer still has a very long, soft and creamy finish. For the abv., this beer really delivers a lot of flavor. Not surprisingly, the alcohol is well integrated into the flavor profile, and the beer is not at all heavy or tiring on the palate.

Very nice stout from the folks at Oakshire Brewing.

On tap at Belmont Station, $2 for 4 oz small glass 7.27.11.

Dark brown opaque body, no visible carbonation, cocoa brown head, quick dissipation resulted in thin sheet of head, not much lacing. Nose is pretty complex, coffee up front, a bit of chocolate, some vanilla notes from the barrel aging, small hint of cherries once it warmed significantly. Taste mirrors nose, certainly a nice version of barrel aged Overcast with some cherries added, the stone fruit added a nice subtlety to the experience but didn't overwhelm the palate. Mouthfeel a wee bit on the full side of medium, fairly dry finish (oats). Maybe the cherries have faded a bit in this keg, but I found this beer wasn't up to the snaps the PDX BA crew had laid out. Worth a try, but not earth-shattering.

On draught at the Bier Stein, Heart Shaped Box is black with a tan head leaving creamy lace.

Smell is surprisingly muted, mostly caramel and dark malt, and diacetyl.

Taste is crazy complex. It's a coffee stout. With (a hint of) bourbon, oak, vanilla, and (a hint of) cherries. Lots going on, but balanced and restrained, very well executed. There's a little diacetyl, butter pop-corn, that is the only knock.

Mouthfeel is on the still side, dry, medium bodied.

Drinkability is pretty good, a really stimulating barrel aged stout that is modest enough in alcohol that you can reasonably contemplate it's complexities over more then one glass. Highly recommended.

On-tap at Map Room. This one kicked but the bartender still have enough left to give me a nice pour, which was very cool of him. Poured into tulip.

A - Pours black, light tan-colored head, thin collar, large bubbles, no cap.

S - Huge coffee, roast, dark chocolate. I don't get a ton from this one, but I enjoy the nice coffee notes and roast.

T - Coffee beans, chocolate, oak, touch of cherries (?), slightly roasty bitter finish. Not nearly as good as the nose.

M - Light to medium (a bit too thin), good carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Besides the dark chocolate and coffee, I don't get a whole lot from this one. The thin body hurts this one as well. Not all that exciting.

On-tap at the Map Room. Thanks to Matt Van Wyck for hooking us up with some of his barrel-aged experiments. Served in a tulip glass.

A - A finger of creamy tan foam settles to a thin ring and a few wisps, leaving plenty of splotchy lace. Near-black body with a big of red-brown coloration at the bottom of the glass.

S - Huge coffee - you can tell the espresso stout was the base beer. Plenty of vanilla bean, light chocolate and dark fruits. Not getting a ton of overt cherry or cocoa nib, and the whiskey character is quite light other than some oaky vanilla - I'm not 100% sure I'd have realized this was bourbon barrel-aged.

T - Taste is quite similar, but the vanilla beans move to the forefront leaving bitter espresso and light notes of dark chocolate for the finish. A bit of tart cherry skin flavor pops up, but it's arguably more textural than it is flavor. Not much barrel presence, but I guess it was only aged for 6 weeks. Gets a bit saccharine after 6oz, but still quite enjoyable.

M - Body is quite light, although not totally inappropriate for a regular strength stout. Moderate carbonation, and a fairly clean and neutral finish.

D - Pretty flavorful stuff, particularly for the lower alcohol. Drinking multiple glasses might be a bit much with the caffeine and high sugar content, but it's also refreshing to have an intense beer that won't put me to sleep. Hope this becomes an Oakshire regular.

Described as a bourbon barrel aged oatmeal stout aged with vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, espresso, and bing cherries.

Draft serving into a tulip glass, review from notes.

Black body, dark tan mocha foam. Spotty lace clings to the edges, and the foam eventually dissipates in the center. Foam has a creamy texture, and the foam is sticky on the lips.

Huge espresso coffee aromas, very rich and deeply roasty, blended with the soft sweetness of vanilla bean. Minor brown sugar sweetness as well.

Deeply roasty and bitter, dark chocolate, fudge, double espresso shot, intense waves of roast and chocolate, rounded by a mellower vanilla character. Earthy dry roast lingers into the aftertaste, with a hint of barrel character. Medium to light bodied with supple carbonation. Surprisingly light in feel compared to the intensity of smell and taste. Very rich and packed with flavor, though the relatively low abv makes it deceptively easy to drink. Thanks Matt for sending this to Chicago!!