New Holland Oak Aged Hatter IPA

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Holland, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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The aroma is flowery and hoppy. I tried desperately to detect any trace of bourbon in the aroma, but all I could catch is a bit of wood. Despite this, it is earthy and inviting before one even takes the first sip. The head is fluffy white and the laces on the glass don’t stick around long. The brew is a typical golden brown, though attractive. The taste is not overly hoppy, though there is a bit of citrus there. Surprisingly, here is where the bourbon effects lie. Immediately following the fruit is the bourbon, though still not very strong. The wonders of bourbon aging is always interesting, but in this brew, it is subtle and almost entirely enveloped in the taste. Interesting! Also, this concoction is kind to the palate. There is little burn of carbonation, a silky smooth impact upon the tongue and a mild and marvelous aftertaste of bourbon. As consumers, we have been used to something aged in a bourbon barrel to be like a supercharged 1969 Roadrunner with the appropriate amount of subtlety: none. They are usually quite good, quite vulger in taste and overpowering in the alcohol content. None of that is a bad thing. We all want that Roadrunner to scream from the line with its front wheels a foot from the pavement. and leaving a cloud of white smoke behind it. Oak Aged Hatter is the antithesis to that expectation. It is elegant, reserved and balanced like a track car that can round a corner. This one is a very well done brew and should not be overlooked by those that are turned off by bourbon aging.

Pours honey amber with a nice head. Smell of orange marmelade, grapefruit, some vanilla note. Flavor of orange, grapefruit. oak aging takes the bitterness out but there is a nice hop presence. Excellent version!

Tap. Deep copper color with a small white head. This is the best part about this beer. Light citrus aroma with hints of vanilla, but at this point this beer seems like a mediocre ipa. The taste is where this changes. Maybe it is just my personal taste, but this beer is the absolute most vile beer i have drank. Starts off very bourbon forward and then fades to slight orange and grapefruit flavors. This does not work for me at all. Fairly flabby and just plain bad. Until this point the most disgusting alcoholic drink i had consumed was a shot of tequila mixed with mustard, but now this beer takes that spot.

Sample at a tasting at IlliniSmitty’s house. Flat amber appearance, very light. Aroma was of sour cherries, flavor was like tomatoes, cilantro, celery, V8. Very dirty palate, pretty bad overall.

Draft. Served at Pracna on Main. Pours a dark copper color wih a light tan 1 finger head. The bourbon barrel leaves a medium amount of note in the nose along with some hoppy aromas. Medium mouthfeel. Bourbon again in the flavor the entire time you are drinking it. Slightly sweet start with some grassy notes as well. The bourbon is well incorporated. Ends with a lingering bitterness. Some orange notes as well.

22oz bottle from Discount Liquor Milwaukee. Pours a deep amber color with an off white head and some lacing. Aroma is hoppy, with hints of oak. Medium on the palate with average carbonation. Flavor is all oak. Really don’t get much else. Not as complex as White Oak Jai Alai, but pretty tasty for a one dimensional beer.

Draft. Poured a copper color, average head. Aroma of subtle oak and some floral hops. Taste med-lite bitterness. Med body, sticky texture. Ave carbonation. Oak dominates this beer, even dominates over the hops. But still pretty good if u like the bourbon oak style flavor.

Bottle, shared at Carrboro Beverage Co. Thanks. Nose is a little muted, maybe from the barrel. Some oak, light citrus, pine, caramel. Flavor is a little more there, bourbon is lightly noted, some wood, light vanilla, light hops. Good, mainly because its not too sweet or alcoholic, but ultimately forgettable.

22 oz. bottle from SoHo Organic Market in Elizabeth City, NC. Rusty orange pour with a foamy off-white head. Aroma of light vanilla, oak, and roses with sweet caramel malts. The wood character is prominent in the flavor with a light amount of bourbon in the background. Otherwise the barrel aging mutes the hops to the point that this is more like an oaky, vanilla pale ale. Very drinkable though and pretty good overall.

Bomber. I thought the barrel would help the regular mad hatter out but it mad little difference. The hoppy bite is subdued by the oak aging. Very subtle and with some bourbon notes, smoke/vanilla/oak but still could use something else.