Oscar Worthy - Coffee
New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 7.6%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4.05 | pDev: 11.85%
- Reviews:
- 14
- Ratings:
- From:
- New Belgium Brewing Company
- Colorado, United States
- Avail:
- Retired (no longer brewed)
- Wants
- 5
- Gots
- 8
SCORE
90
Outstanding
90
Outstanding
Notes:
This is a single source from one special foeder of perfectly soured Oscar, our dark base beer. We then 'dry beaned' it with 50lbs of freshly roasted coffee from The Bean Cycle of Fort Collins.
Reviews: 14
| Ratings: 86
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GuyFawkes from Illinois
3.84/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Late 2014 vintage; drank on draft 2/14/15 @ Three Floyds.
Plum appearance.
Tan head; strong lace.
Roasted coffee & tart cherry nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Fresh coffee bean flavor up front; a tart cherry finish.
As this warmed it got slightly puckering.
A unique pairing that's enjoyable, but 6oz is enough.
Jun 30, 2019
3.84/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Late 2014 vintage; drank on draft 2/14/15 @ Three Floyds.
Plum appearance.
Tan head; strong lace.
Roasted coffee & tart cherry nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Fresh coffee bean flavor up front; a tart cherry finish.
As this warmed it got slightly puckering.
A unique pairing that's enjoyable, but 6oz is enough.
Jun 30, 2019
John_M from Oregon
3/5 rDev -25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
You have to give NB an E for effort, and I appreciate their willingness to experiment. Unfortunately, this particular beer struck me as a failure. On tap (of all places) at Beachcombers in Florence Oregon this past weekend.
The beer pours an attractive blackish brown color with good head retention and decent lacing. When I ordered the beer, I was not aware it was going to be sour, but one sniff gave me a tip off. On the nose, you really pick up a lot of coffee, along with a sour, vinous component. The combination is not bad at all. However, on the palate, the sour component completely overwhelms the flavor profile. The coffee is still there as well, but that's all I get. If the base beer has any separate flavor, I'm not picking it up. The finish is very dry and sour, and the mouthfeel is (unfortunately) very thin.
It was a chore drinking my 12 ounce glass, and the $7 price tag only added to my pain. Nice try guys, but IMHO, this beer sucks.
Oct 13, 2015
3/5 rDev -25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
You have to give NB an E for effort, and I appreciate their willingness to experiment. Unfortunately, this particular beer struck me as a failure. On tap (of all places) at Beachcombers in Florence Oregon this past weekend.
The beer pours an attractive blackish brown color with good head retention and decent lacing. When I ordered the beer, I was not aware it was going to be sour, but one sniff gave me a tip off. On the nose, you really pick up a lot of coffee, along with a sour, vinous component. The combination is not bad at all. However, on the palate, the sour component completely overwhelms the flavor profile. The coffee is still there as well, but that's all I get. If the base beer has any separate flavor, I'm not picking it up. The finish is very dry and sour, and the mouthfeel is (unfortunately) very thin.
It was a chore drinking my 12 ounce glass, and the $7 price tag only added to my pain. Nice try guys, but IMHO, this beer sucks.
Oct 13, 2015
TypsiYpsi from Michigan
3.69/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Smell is mostly coffee, with a bit of acidity. Tastes more sour than the aroma, definitely coffee up front followed by oakey tartness.
Not sure how I feel about the combination of coffee and sour, but this is certainly one of the more unique beers I've ever had. I love La Folie, and the sour part of this beer is similar. But as I drink it, the coffee just seems to be taking away from the sourness as opposed to complementing it. But I applaud the creativity from New Belgium.
Sep 05, 2015
3.69/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Smell is mostly coffee, with a bit of acidity. Tastes more sour than the aroma, definitely coffee up front followed by oakey tartness.
Not sure how I feel about the combination of coffee and sour, but this is certainly one of the more unique beers I've ever had. I love La Folie, and the sour part of this beer is similar. But as I drink it, the coffee just seems to be taking away from the sourness as opposed to complementing it. But I applaud the creativity from New Belgium.
Sep 05, 2015
wedge from North Carolina
3.75/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
@ Glass Jug
Mostly clear chestnut with a ring of big bubbles around the edges. Aromas of ground coffee mostly...chocolate bread and a slight tart edge. Coffee meets juicy tart flavor. The coffee tastes cheaper, but it's more subtle here meeting up with some vinegar and brown malts. Thin-ish and drying with decent acidity. Not bad, but maybe not my thing.
Aug 01, 2015
3.75/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
@ Glass Jug
Mostly clear chestnut with a ring of big bubbles around the edges. Aromas of ground coffee mostly...chocolate bread and a slight tart edge. Coffee meets juicy tart flavor. The coffee tastes cheaper, but it's more subtle here meeting up with some vinegar and brown malts. Thin-ish and drying with decent acidity. Not bad, but maybe not my thing.
Aug 01, 2015
oceanman907 from Texas
4.08/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On Tap @ Apex in PDX
A interesting brew here. Dark cloudily brown ale, with a small amount of thin mocha head. really an unblended old bruin aged on coffee beans. as a result this thing is really weird, but good. The noise is super powerful with the coffee flavor and the lactic quality shinning through. The beer itself has some coffee notes upfront, but there is very little on the mid-palate and the finish as this thing is quite lactic. still my first foray into a coffee sour and it was pretty damn good. something to seek out, even though i think there were 8 kegs made, so good luck...
May 22, 2015
4.08/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On Tap @ Apex in PDX
A interesting brew here. Dark cloudily brown ale, with a small amount of thin mocha head. really an unblended old bruin aged on coffee beans. as a result this thing is really weird, but good. The noise is super powerful with the coffee flavor and the lactic quality shinning through. The beer itself has some coffee notes upfront, but there is very little on the mid-palate and the finish as this thing is quite lactic. still my first foray into a coffee sour and it was pretty damn good. something to seek out, even though i think there were 8 kegs made, so good luck...
May 22, 2015
StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.45/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
definitely one of the best new belgium beers i have ever had. this is the kind of stuff that keeps them relevant and they kind of stuff that needs to get packaged. its a coffee infused foeder of beer they use to blend into la folie, and its absolute amazing. the coffee aroma is incredible, super earthy and rich, and acidic too, no attempt to hide it. i smell notes of chocolate with it too, and the sour of the base beer, which seems at least conceptually like a really weird match is actually tantalizing. the taste too is just that good, sweet chocolate moves into heady coffee, but its not a dark beer, barely amber to brown in color, and the lightness of the grain bill allows flavors in the coffee usually covered up by roasted barley bitterness to come out. thats where the cocoa comes from, and the combination is splendid. heavy lactic sourness in the finish, but it comes right out of the coffee middle, seamless and easy, very natural for something so uncommon. carbonation is expressive and both the coffee and the sourness linger on the palate after the swallow for quite awhile. interesting, but it works in an after dinner context. its inventive and close to flawlessly put together. knowing that new belgium is capable of beer this good almost makes some of their beer seem lazy, but this is inspiring. i have never had a coffee sour, at least not one that does both parts so well. i hope to see this for sale in the market down here at some point. an absolutely must try for the curious palate!
May 10, 2015
4.45/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
definitely one of the best new belgium beers i have ever had. this is the kind of stuff that keeps them relevant and they kind of stuff that needs to get packaged. its a coffee infused foeder of beer they use to blend into la folie, and its absolute amazing. the coffee aroma is incredible, super earthy and rich, and acidic too, no attempt to hide it. i smell notes of chocolate with it too, and the sour of the base beer, which seems at least conceptually like a really weird match is actually tantalizing. the taste too is just that good, sweet chocolate moves into heady coffee, but its not a dark beer, barely amber to brown in color, and the lightness of the grain bill allows flavors in the coffee usually covered up by roasted barley bitterness to come out. thats where the cocoa comes from, and the combination is splendid. heavy lactic sourness in the finish, but it comes right out of the coffee middle, seamless and easy, very natural for something so uncommon. carbonation is expressive and both the coffee and the sourness linger on the palate after the swallow for quite awhile. interesting, but it works in an after dinner context. its inventive and close to flawlessly put together. knowing that new belgium is capable of beer this good almost makes some of their beer seem lazy, but this is inspiring. i have never had a coffee sour, at least not one that does both parts so well. i hope to see this for sale in the market down here at some point. an absolutely must try for the curious palate!
May 10, 2015
Stevedore from Oregon
3.99/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap at Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Served in a snifter.
Appears lighter brown, transparent, not particularly substantial, almost looks like a watered down La Folie. Half finger white head, dies down quickly, no lacing. Smells primarily of wet coffee, a bit of oak. Tart acidity in the background, but the damp coffee is the driving aroma. Flavour actually works quite well here; the coffee flavour blends in with the acidity and tartness of the base beer; a bit of that La Folie brown malt sweetness, a bit like a more sour Flanders Red with coffee. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, slightly watery, but the coffee follows through into the finish. Overall, a very interesting experiment as a coffee sour, and I thought it worked quite well.
Apr 27, 2015
3.99/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap at Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Served in a snifter.
Appears lighter brown, transparent, not particularly substantial, almost looks like a watered down La Folie. Half finger white head, dies down quickly, no lacing. Smells primarily of wet coffee, a bit of oak. Tart acidity in the background, but the damp coffee is the driving aroma. Flavour actually works quite well here; the coffee flavour blends in with the acidity and tartness of the base beer; a bit of that La Folie brown malt sweetness, a bit like a more sour Flanders Red with coffee. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, slightly watery, but the coffee follows through into the finish. Overall, a very interesting experiment as a coffee sour, and I thought it worked quite well.
Apr 27, 2015
REVZEB from Illinois
4.21/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
So this was a strange offering for sure, and a fun innovation with the sour black ale on top of intentional coffee flavors, but overall it worked for me. I thought the coffee, chocolate, and sour notes played well with each nicely.
Mar 29, 2015
4.21/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
So this was a strange offering for sure, and a fun innovation with the sour black ale on top of intentional coffee flavors, but overall it worked for me. I thought the coffee, chocolate, and sour notes played well with each nicely.
Mar 29, 2015
zeff80 from Missouri
3.79/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery. Poured a clear, golden amber color with a small, off-white head of foam. It smelled of roasted coffee, caramel and subtle sour notes. Coffee taste is the lead with a tart finish.
Mar 26, 2015
3.79/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery. Poured a clear, golden amber color with a small, off-white head of foam. It smelled of roasted coffee, caramel and subtle sour notes. Coffee taste is the lead with a tart finish.
Mar 26, 2015
Phil-Fresh from California
4.04/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Huge coffee aroma followed by notes of chocolate cake, with a sour finish
A: Deep brown, with garnet highlights, slightly opaque, with a thin ring of carbonation around the edge of glass
F: Upfront coffee flavor with stone fruit notes, followed by sourness on finish
M: Medium Bodied, medium carbonation
O: Oscar is a foeder aged brown ale and one of NB’s base sour beers they use for making blended sours, such as La Folie. Every so often NB will highlight one of these base sour beers (like Oscar or Felix) and add a twist. I was a little skeptical that a beer that’s been moderately to heavily soured from a foeder would be able to complement coffee. However, this beer is enjoyable and highly-drinkable. Cheers Eric & Lauren!
Mar 10, 2015
4.04/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Huge coffee aroma followed by notes of chocolate cake, with a sour finish
A: Deep brown, with garnet highlights, slightly opaque, with a thin ring of carbonation around the edge of glass
F: Upfront coffee flavor with stone fruit notes, followed by sourness on finish
M: Medium Bodied, medium carbonation
O: Oscar is a foeder aged brown ale and one of NB’s base sour beers they use for making blended sours, such as La Folie. Every so often NB will highlight one of these base sour beers (like Oscar or Felix) and add a twist. I was a little skeptical that a beer that’s been moderately to heavily soured from a foeder would be able to complement coffee. However, this beer is enjoyable and highly-drinkable. Cheers Eric & Lauren!
Mar 10, 2015
BeerOps from Illinois
3.79/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Didn't completely work for me, but that's ok, I appreciate the attempt at something out of the ordinary here. Strong coffee on the nose and initially on the pallet, moves quickly to sour with lingering roasted coffee. Finishes tart and hangs on for awhile.
Feb 17, 2015
3.79/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Didn't completely work for me, but that's ok, I appreciate the attempt at something out of the ordinary here. Strong coffee on the nose and initially on the pallet, moves quickly to sour with lingering roasted coffee. Finishes tart and hangs on for awhile.
Feb 17, 2015
seagullbeer from California
4.89/5 rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Beautiful sour. Smells like freshly roasted coffee. No signs of sourness until first sip. Starts with rich coffee flavor, tartness takes over, ends nice and smooth with richness of coffee smoothing out sour. fan-tastic
Feb 09, 2015
4.89/5 rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Beautiful sour. Smells like freshly roasted coffee. No signs of sourness until first sip. Starts with rich coffee flavor, tartness takes over, ends nice and smooth with richness of coffee smoothing out sour. fan-tastic
Feb 09, 2015
PaulyB83 from Michigan
4.02/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
5oz. flight pour at BFD Clubhouse in Rochester Hills, MI
A- Deep amber, brown, no real head, slightly hazy.
S- Light coffee mixed with a light notes of tart and oak. Very interesting.
T- Similarly interesting. Mostly getting the base sour beer with a light taste of coffee, good job keeping the coffee understated in this beer.
M- Medium to light.
O- Really glad I tried it as I have never seen a sour beer with coffee before and may never again. Thought it would be gross, and despite what others at the table thought, it wasn't. It did take a bit of getting used to the flavor profile but by the end of the small serving I was sold.
Jan 02, 2015
4.02/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
5oz. flight pour at BFD Clubhouse in Rochester Hills, MI
A- Deep amber, brown, no real head, slightly hazy.
S- Light coffee mixed with a light notes of tart and oak. Very interesting.
T- Similarly interesting. Mostly getting the base sour beer with a light taste of coffee, good job keeping the coffee understated in this beer.
M- Medium to light.
O- Really glad I tried it as I have never seen a sour beer with coffee before and may never again. Thought it would be gross, and despite what others at the table thought, it wasn't. It did take a bit of getting used to the flavor profile but by the end of the small serving I was sold.
Jan 02, 2015
usmakusma from Illinois
4.75/5 rDev +17.3%
I thought this was fantastic! I saw the coffee sour and thought it sounded terrible, but it worked so well together! I want MORE!
Good coffee nose, then nice sour followed by the coffee taste.
Dec 12, 2014
4.75/5 rDev +17.3%
I thought this was fantastic! I saw the coffee sour and thought it sounded terrible, but it worked so well together! I want MORE!
Good coffee nose, then nice sour followed by the coffee taste.
Dec 12, 2014
Oscar Worthy - Coffee from New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
86 ratings
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