Arboreal
Oxbow Brewing Company

(500 ml crown-capped bottle, 9% abv, bottled 07/31/25; purchased at Oxbow in Portland 2 weeks ago... decanted at 54 F into a snifter)

L: murky, dark tawny liquid; kind of tight, but messy faded white foam... laces a bit, but the top-off removes them... the liquid remains unappealingly murky all the way

S: bourbon barrel character front and center, some vanilla and wood; pretty strident cherry-tinged tart/wild fruity background note... at it's best, it's a cherry vanilla ice cream overtone

T: rather dry and wood-tainted... very little depth to the fruit in the aftertaste, a touch of sherry? to the dried cherry / vaguely grapey essence... gets mild-moderately or more malty as it goes... it tastes good, but it's a jagged mess of a sequence and shape

F: alcohol envelope, stinging with the tart slime in the finish... very airy middle, but not crazy carbonated... the vacuum of its body compared to its expression/legs of alcohol, creates a unique stretch of textures and sensations in the aft

O: remarkably dry, austere wild-aged ale... the flavor expressions seem past prime, it's strange... they do open up a bit of its course, but don't take on a ton of dimension... glad to have tried it; wouldn't beg for another (2537)

 

 

 

Big tartness in this one. Funk and oak. Past five years and holding in flavour. Dark fruit. Acidic. Worthwhile, but a style that's losing popularity.

An absolutely fantastic sour, reminiscent of some of the best Flanders Reds and Oud Bruins. Musty and funky, sharp and sour. Tons of oak wraps around funky notes of earth and cheese, along with a vinegar-like sourness along with a dash of citrus.

Quite puckering; not a sour for novices, but very rewarding for sour aficionados.

Appearance: Pours a clear dark amber color with a one finger head that fades; squiggles of lace

Smell: Caramel, vanilla, Bourbon and apple confronts a tart, acetic and funky aspect

Taste: The caramel and vanilla flavors are first to arrive and underpin throughout; it doesn't take long for the acetic, tart, cider vinegar elements to assert themselve; the Bourbon emerges, mid-palate, to round out the edges; a blend across the multiple elements in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; somewhat puckery

Overall: A lot of complexity here with many aspects in the flavor profile; among the better beers I have tried from Oxbow

 

April 2018 bottle from the brewery in Portland during 2020 trip to Maine. Pours dark amber with a finger of yellowish head and nice lacing, smell is bourbon fruit punch, plum skins, cherry flesh, fruit by the foot, prunes, hints of strawberry and lemon, taste follows the nose with warm bourbon with strong oak character throughout, bitter sour cherry, plum skin, hints of fresh leather and lemon flesh, taste is light, well carbonated, and dry. A distinguished, complex, and bourbon forward treat. Yum!

Jan, 2016 vintage

Pours hazy amber red with a creamy frothy off-white foam head. Smells like acetic red wine, oak barrel funk, bourbon, caramel malts, cherry, red fruits, dark fruit, apricot, with earthy herbal floral piney grassy hops. Tastes like acetic leathery red wine, oak barrel funk, bourbon, apricot, tart cherry, red fruits, dark fruit, caramel malts, some spice, with floral earthy herbal piney grassy hops. Feels medium bodied, creamy with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a nice bourbon barrel fermented sour ale.

 

 

 

 

When extreme is the norm, everyone is out to be memorable. The craft beer scene is a stark reminder of our curiosity with polarizing flavors whether it's sweet, sour, bitter, roasty or spicy. Oxbow brewing hopes to become not just memorable but downright addictive with the combination of sour and spice.

Pouring a rusty, ruddy brown, Arboreal gets real with a nose piercing twinge of acidity that rocks the olfactory senses with the very first pass of its scent. Stone and sour fruit come with a piquant whisky scent and remnants of vinegar, cider and red wine. Scant sweetness flies over the tongue with the steely caramels remiss of peanut skins, oak drawn char and a modest sourdough character.

And then the sourness simply batters the middle palate with an acetone rich taste of sour red grape, red wine vinegar, cherry, plum and cranberry- all of the booze soaked, macerated variety. Sourness soon turns to spice as the bourbon nuances of steely caramels, toasted oak, nuttiness and a serious punch of nail polish remover-type spice. An aura of saddle leather, weathered attic woods and wine aged cork swirl above the palate in retro-olfactory fashion.

Medium light in body, the sour ale trends drier and lighter during the session as its acidity creates an intense enamel ripping sense of drinkability and refreshment. Nearly sweat inducing and jaw tightening, the ale has a medium short aftertaste laced with faint balsamic and tannic bordeaux wines.

Bottle: Poured a brown color ale with a medium size off-white foamy head with light retention and no lacing. Aroma of light caramelized malt with some intense Brett notes with some bourbon and oak notes also perceptible. Taste is also a mix of fruit Brett notes with some light caramelized malt notes, no residual sugar notes with some pretty intense woody and bourbon notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. Enjoyable but Brett was maybe too strong and overtaking the bourbon flavours.