I read back through several of my previous reviews of today's brewery, and I suddenly realized they all began with a mention of my visit to New Belgium Asheville, NC. While this visit was two years ago, it's obvious to me that it had a real impact on my beer outlook. From my visits to the Denver Airport facility many years ago to my recent trip to Asheville, there's a magic and an atmosphere at New Belgium that for me defines what good beer and great breweries are all about. If you get a chance to visit a New Belgium facility, do it; I promise it will have the same impact on you.
Today I'm excited to get an early taste of a new sour beer coming from New Belgium as well as a returning barrel-aged variant with new cocktail-inspired flavors.
Blackberry Black Tea Sour was brewed in partnership with Teatulia Teas in Denver, CO. The beer is a blend of 40% golden ale brewed with black tea and blackberries and 60% foeder-aged dark sour ale.
I'll also be sampling the cocktail-inspired Oakspire Old Fashioned Bourbon Barrel Ale. This beer begins as a malty amber ale "cycled" over fresh Bourbon barrel char and custom-toasted oak spirals; and it is finished with orange, cherry and bitters to mimic the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. Of course I can't wait to try them both….so off we go.
New Belgium Blackberry Black Tea Sour
ABV: 7%
Style: Blended Sour Ale
Packaging: 16oz cans
Appearance: Deep burgundy brown
Aroma: Fresh berries and subtle tea
Mouthfeel: Medium & effervescent
Taste: Dark cherries, tart berries and mild oak
Overall: Blackberry Black Tea Sour has a really complex blend of sweet and tart flavors. The mix of berries, dark raisins and the oak-like flavors from the black tea play nicely together. Overall the beer has a really nice balance and a really complex depth of flavors that make for a really drinkable and unique sour ale.
New Belgium Oakspire Old Fashioned Bourbon Barrel Ale
ABV: 9%
Style: Cocktail-Inspired Barrel-Aged Ale
Packaging: 12oz bottles
Appearance: Dark amber orange
Aroma: Bourbon, vanilla, citrus & oak
Mouthfeel: Rich and satisfying
Taste: Creamy Bourbon vanilla, charred oak, sweet citrus and fresh cherries
Overall: Oakspire Old Fashioned Bourbon Barrel Ale is a really exciting new Oakspire variant. This cocktail-inspired beer is one of the more difficult beers that New Belgium makes, and one sip will show you that it was worth the work. The beer has all of the classic Old Fashioned cocktail flavors and while the Bourbon and vanilla flavors really shine, the charred oak, bitters, orange, and cherry layers really compliment the overall blend. Oakspire has great depth and character and the complexity brewed in has made it one of my New Belgium favorites.
New Belgium Blackberry Black Tea Sour and Oakspire Old Fashioned Bourbon Barrel Ale are available now in 16oz cans and 12oz bottles respectively. These are really unique and enjoyable beers so get out there and try them for yourself. And when you do sample them, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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