Oakshire Hellshire I

Brewed by Oakshire Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Eugene, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Thanks to ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle. The beer pours a hazy brown color with an off-white head. The aroma has a ton of bourbon and toffee notes, with some oak notes mixed in as well. I also get a little bit of vanilla. There is no mistaking the fact this is a bourbon barrel aged beer. The flavor follows suit. The dominant flavors are bourbon and oak, with some vanilla, maple and toffee mixed in as well. The alcohol in the beer is somewhat hot and could use some mellowing out. Still, I think all of the flavors work very well together and make for an enjoyable beer. Medium to thick mouthfeel and low carbonation. Very glad I got to try this one.

Cheers to Tooch4321 for hooking me up with this one. Cheers, Adam! Pours a hazy orange-brown with a white head. Nose is caramel, toffee, dates, booze, oak, and whiskey. Flavor follows with booze, toffee, bourbon, and caramel all over and a hint of raisiny-dates in the background soaking in whiskey. Light to medium in body and boozy but redeemable overall. Decadent and rich, but still has another year or two.

at Fobab. pours amber with white head. nose is hoppy, citrus grapefruit, and caramel. flavors are sweet caramel, grainy citrusy, a bit hot. couldn’t even tell this was aged in a barrel.

UPDATED: APR 24, 2011 Bottle graciously shared by a member of the Portland beer media with a bunch of us ecstatic BA/RB folk... Poured an amber, burnt orange/copper with a thin beige-ish head. The nose had lots and lots of whiskey and scotch tones. Very in your face, it gave off a muted whiskey character. Amazingly it was quite smooth with a thick body and low carbonation. Your typical barleywine flavors of malt sweetness and dark candied fruits with a hint of whiskey soaked pastries. The hops were in the background as the oak, woody tones, whiskey, and wine-like tannins really shined and balanced the sweetness. This will age amazingly and makes me really want to hoard as much as I can.

HUGE thanks to Nate for this... medium brown with light tan head, not much to looking at... nose is typical ba bw, mostly malty, caramel with lots of bourbon on the finish... the taste just really isn’t that good, TONS of oak, pheynol alcohol, bitter chemical finish, just really not that good... I probably wouldn’t have this again unless its free, don’t give up much for this at all

Draft at FoBAB 8. Pours a very English looking murky amber. Nose is intensely hopped with perfumey bourbon intermingling. The nose is quite nice with floral hops playing well with the vanilla of the oak. On taste, big bitterness that is necessary to stand up to what is going on. Bread and donuts are propped up by the huge blast of still fresh tasting hops and superb bitterness. One of my favorite barleywines. Fantastic!

Oakshire hellshire. 22oz bottle suplied and shared by Todd at beer mongers... Pours a mostly transparent lighter toffee hue and topped with a thin wispy light beige head... Toasted malt, a touch of coconut, and a semi-sharp bourbon note. Assertive and somewhatabrasive... Flavors are pretty sharp and boozy with deeper charred bourbon bent which hits upfront and finishes on a larger bitter emphasis that totally detracts away from its experience. Thinner bodied overall. Touch too hot, well maybe more than a touch. This one certainly needs time to settle down a bit. 8/3/7/3/13

22oz bottle pours a hazy, caramel brown with one ring of white head. Nose is nice, oxidized, leather, orange, caramel, a little vanilla, vodka, honey, malt. Flavor is sweet, leathery, mint, orange, raisin, caramel, some apple sauce, brown sugar, cardboard. Full bodied, sticky finish.

22 oz bottle. Cloudy brown with a ring of bubbles and a haze. Nose is wet oak, caramel, raisin, slight citrus and bourbon. Slick medium body with a soft buzz. Initially i get cinnamon and bourbon; sweet apple and caramel mostly countered by grapefruit and orange peel. Just as easily a DIPA or a strong ale.

murky tan, thin wispy white ring head, light lacing. Oily body, cookie nose with light soy and sugar. Lots of sugar and booze, gritty mid with caramel throughout. Dead body, better and watery.