I first laid eyes on New Belgium Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale at Target sometime in 2019-I can’t recall exactly when. I didn’t pick up a six because, well, I had too much beer at the time (I always seem to have more beer than I can drink) and I had to make a decision not to buy.

Still, the beer intrigued, and a visit to Total Wine sometime later yielded a single bottle. Sales of singles have become the in thing for finicky beer drinkers that want to try a lot of new beers without buying a lot of each. I don’t put myself in that camp though-while I like to buy singles to try a new beer, I will go back for more of I like it.

New Belgium says:

A limited-edition collaboration between New Belgium and Knob Creek, Oakspire is a unique bourbon barrel ale aged with bourbon-steeped oak spirals and char from inside the barrel. Smooth notes of toffee, vanilla and caramel wrap up with a pleasantly warm finish. Oakspire: Where innovation meets tradition.

Ingredients from the website:

HOPS Nugget, HBC 472

MALTS Pale, Munich, Caramel 80, Rye, Roasted Barley

New Belgium Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale has an alcohol content of 9% by volume with 20 IBUs. It was running $11.39 a six-pack at Target when I saw it there. My bottle says Enjoy By 19JUL20.

New Belgium Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale pours to a deep caramel color with a thick creamy head and a big boozy nose packing bourbon and vanilla notes. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth malty and laced with boozy bourbon and woody oak notes. I get toffee and vanilla (again) and caramel malt and a smooth creamy finish that belies the strength.

You really get the bourbon and the toasty oak here with a kiss of vanilla and caramel. I very much enjoyed it, and I won’t pass up on a six-pack again, I assure you. It would be interesting to age a few of those bottles to see how it develops.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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