Oakspire (2021-)
New Belgium Brewing Company

L: Pours a dark amber orange with a small white head and a few fingers of lacing.

S: A stronger caramel mixes with notes of vanilla and bourbon, a hint of sweet malt. Nice but not overly complex.

T: Lighter caramel and some sweet earthy malt, followed by a medium to light bitterness. Decent but does feel like it s missing something, feels like barleywine light.

F: Medium body smooth carbonation.

O: Decent beer but nothing spectacular.

12 oz can. Pours amber with tall, long lasting white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of caramel malt, piney hops, vanilla and ripe fruit. Body is full and slightly crisp. Taste is of caramel malt, peppery alcohol, vanilla, herbal hops, red fruit and hint of wood. Finish is long and dry. Tasty brew.

 

"Enjoy by October 1st 2023" - doing so on April 23rd, 2023. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Faintly cloudy persimmon liquid with a dense creamy champagne cap. Fine, sticky, wavy lacing; very good retention.

Subtle aroma - figs, plums, green raisins along with light vanilla and floral notes.

Malt forward with hints of caramel and toast. Mild earthy/citrus-y bitterness is subsumed in the bourbon notes which have distinct spirit flavor without the heat. Cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, and floral notes. Low char around the edges of the medium-dry finish. Fairly clean overall - reminds me a little of a Japanese Highball or an Old Fashioned on the rocks.

Medium-bodied, modest carbonation, slightly thin perhaps. Gently warming.

A restrained strong ale base infused with bourbon flavor but without much heat or barrel character. Almost refreshing which is sort of strange for the style.

 

 

 

From Liquor Shed in Casper.

It pours a clear deep amber with a long lasting head of foam and excellent lacing.

I get a fruity malty nose permeated by the Bourbon.

The taste is Bourbon, semi sweet malt, little bit of fruitiness but overall, the flavours don't mesh at all. Kind of a mess, imho.

Barely medium bodied, good carbonation, somewhat watery in the finish and boozy.

I don't like this

 

 

 

12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a clear amber with a one-finger creamy white head that has good retention and leaves some lacing behind

S- malty caramel and brown sugar, peppery bourbon & oak, hint of vanilla

T- sweet and malty with notes of caramel, brown sugar & toffee. Mid-palate brings out some charred oak that adds a peppery note. The finish gives more malty caramel

M- medium body with medium carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a goblet.

L - Light copper color and excellent clarity. Off white head is fluffy but quickly dissipates. Some lacing on the glass.

S - Aromas are mostly sweet malt and bourbon notes, which emphasize gentle barrel aromatics, rather than giving a boozy impression.

T - The flavors are mostly mild, warm malt notes, with bourbon flavors overlaid on top. I get lots of vanilla and milder cinnamon. Hops don't really assert themselves.

F - Medium body with subtle carbonation. Moderate hops bitterness. Alcohol presence is milder than the 9% ABV would suggest.

o - This is a very nice beer. i appreciate the restraint with which the bourbon and barrel notes are overlaid onto the strong ale. The lack of distinctive hop character allows the spirit to take center stage.

Pours a deep amber, almost copper, with moderate cream-colored head that dissipates but doesn't fully disappear because of persistent carbonation. A very pretty beer in the glass. Smell is malt with a surprising amount of charcoal. Taste starts strongly malty, adds mild alcohol in the middle with a hint of oak and charcoal before ending with alcohol and herbal hop aftertaste. As it warms in the glass, it acquires more fruit in the middle of the taste. While the tastes of oak and char are very easy to discern throughout, there seems little contribution from the bourbon until it's almost room temperature. Overall, a nice beer, but I wonder if it would be better with more conventional barrel aging.

 

 

 

 

Poured a mahogany color with minimal head and some lace patches down glass. Aroma has notes of booze and wood with hints of malt. Strong, spicy, malty with a caramel or toffee sweetness and smooth. A bit boozy and the spiciness make it a slow sipper and finishes nice and heated.