Oxtoberfest - Blended
Oxbow Brewing Company

Oxtoberfest - BlendedOxtoberfest - Blended
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From:
Oxbow Brewing Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
6%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 15.01%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
61
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 05, 2018
Added:
Mar 10, 2013
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  12
Sour, smokey biere de garde. A blend of multiple vintages of barrel-aged Oxtoberfest.

2015 Blend = 2012, 2013, 2014
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of hopley
Reviewed by hopley from Massachusetts

3.92/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Rating for 12 / 13 / 14 blend - 500 ml bottle drank December, 2018

Standout characteristics - tart, dry and sour - taste was a little off or weirdly bitter for some reason, could have been that it didn't hold its age well. Would be interested in trying a fresher bottle (of newer blends).
Dec 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.15 by doremite from Vermont

Aug 21, 2016
Photo of crispycracker
Reviewed by crispycracker from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I had this '11/12/13' blend at the brewery on their 5th anniversary (08/16/16), during our annual family vacation to Lincoln County, Maine.

It was poured in a 5 oz. taster.

L: Copper orange with deep, amber red hues; little haze; rapidly vanishing head.
S: Smoky, with a pervasive musty and barnyard-like, horse stable smell; old leather and tobacco.
T: Black pepper upfront; mostly tart, slightly sour or vinegary (?) raspberry midway; subtle and smooth cheesy finish, almost reminiscent of a creamy blue.
F: Medium body; medium carbonation; tingly.
O: An unusual, yet interesting rendition of the bière de garde style; a pleasant cold(er) weather, slow-sipper; a definite sharer among friends.
Aug 17, 2016
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
500 mL bottle. Clear amber body with a small off-white head. Smell is an interesting combination of smoke and acidity. Acidity is a touch vinegary, but it seems to work with the smoke. Tastes smokey primarily with a nice dose of sourness behind it. Again, just a tinge of vinegar in the sourness. Some maltiness. Oily mouthfeel. High carbonation. Interesting, as always, from Oxbow.
Jul 12, 2016
Photo of AMCimpi
Reviewed by AMCimpi from New York

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark Amber. White fluffy head, looks like a solid BdG. S: Smokey, that BdG funk, some basement with a touch of lemon. T: Smoke at first, then a touch of biscuit maltiness, finishing with a salty lemon. M: Pillowy, almost creamy, medium feel. O: First oxbow beer and it's great. Just a great representation of the BgD style. Very impressed
Apr 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Skellbop from New York

Mar 10, 2016
Photo of frekky
Rated by frekky from Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12/13/14 btl
Feb 21, 2016
Photo of KEEPonPOURING
Reviewed by KEEPonPOURING from Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
500ml blend 12'/13'/14' into a Cantillon balloon pours a beautiful slightly opaque reddish brown with a very short lived eggshell head and minimally light lacing. It smells of charred smokey heart of the cedar tree. A rich turpentine is found naturally in the heart of a cedar and has an incredibly pleasant earthy aroma that reminds me of my childhood growing up rural. Truly one of the few things I can name that tastes exactly as it smells, of a beautiful smoked wood and citrus on the back end. The brew is well carbed and floats around the mouth and goes down with an awesome tingle. This isn't for everyone, but I'm in love with it. Pair this one with bbq, thanksgiving dinner, or a nice cold night to welcome the weekend. Well done!
Jan 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by jbarletto from Massachusetts

Nov 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.59 by IPAchris from Pennsylvania

Nov 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Jho3325 from Indiana

Nov 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by bobv from Vermont

Nov 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by SocalKicks from California

Oct 29, 2015
Photo of RichD
Reviewed by RichD from Rhode Island

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 500 mL bottle into a tulip glass.

L: Pours a deep reddish brown color with a finger of suds. This bottle actually gushed a little after I opened it. No big deal though, and I didn't really lose any beer.

S: Smells of a vinous, funky aroma. As I dive my nose into the glass I also catch some prominent smokiness. There is a faint scent of malts that come through as well. Definitely not as strong as the funky, smoky notes.

T: The flavor starts off with the sour grapes/apple flavors and evolve into the smoked malts. This is quite the interesting combination. The flavors are really nice. It's a bit two-dimension, but honestly the flavor that these two dimensions contribute is more than enough. I really like this.

F: This doesn't feel like it's 6% at all. The mouth feel is a bit creamy, but medium bodied. It's not a sipper, but not something I can drink multiple bottles of in a sitting.

Overall: This is an interesting beer from Oxbow. Having had their original Oxtoberfest, I was able to pick out the differences between the original and the blended version. I really think that Oxbow could be on to something here with the blends of different vintages. Reminds me of what the Belgian brewers do with their gueuzes. I think this beer could be really great with some rounded edges. Nice beer overall though.
Oct 14, 2015
 
Rated: 2.3 by fredmugs from Indiana

Oct 07, 2015
Photo of BastardFromABasket
Reviewed by BastardFromABasket from Massachusetts

3.81/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Label: "Blended 11/12/13"
Purchased July 2014, opened on Sept 9th 2015

L - Hazy, caramel color. Light off-white head that fades quickly.
S - Vinous, funky, spicy. Love the smell.
T - Tart followed by barnyard. A bit of oak and pepper. Tartness overwhelms.
F - Medium bodied and effervescent.
0 - I was expecting something mellower considering the age. Maybe another year would've done it. Ce'st La Vie!
Sep 09, 2015
Photo of rodmanfor3
Reviewed by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

3/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I had heard great things about Oxbow Brewing, so I was sorely disappointed to experience this mediocrity as my introduction to their collection.

This beer is essentially an overly smoked sour beer with an off-putting earthy flavor. Probably something that should not have been bottled.
Aug 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by hoppymcgee from Maine

Jul 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.96 by mltobin from Connecticut

Jun 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.49 by Faxmesomehalibut from New Hampshire

Apr 23, 2015
Oxtoberfest - Blended from Oxbow Brewing Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 61 ratings