New Belgium Brewing Company Oakspire: Four Roses

Oakspire: Four Roses

 

New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸

  Strong Ale Rotating
Score
6.90
ABV: 9.0% IBU: 27 Ticks: 21
We first began brewing Oakspire in 2018 as a special release around the Holidays and it has since become a fan favorite. In 2022, we're thrilled to partner with Four Roses Distillery again, known for their smooth, fruit forward and slightly spicy bourbons. Oakspire features a custom-built, proprietary infusion method to pull the flavors from the bourbon-steeped charred oak and marries it with a malty-sweet, deep amber ale.
 

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7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

12 oz bottle. Pours a largely clear amber with a white head. Dark fruit aroma, molasses, bourbon. Flavor is bourbon forward with notes of oak, dark fruit, molasses, caramel, and some booze. Body is fairly restrained for a 9% beer. I think I'd like a bit more body. Overall tasty, though.

Tried from Bottle on 24 Nov 2025 at 03:49


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle from Binny's, "Best by 6 Oct 2024". Strong ale nose under the cap and after pouring. Ruddy brown color in the glass, a few bubbles feeding a thin head. Taste has some lighter malt than expected, maybe because barre-aging usually is used for stouts. Comes in like a Bourbon & water. No strong alcohol, just some nice bourbon and beer notes mingled.

Tried from Bottle from Binny's Beverage Depot - Downers Grove on 19 Mar 2025 at 03:50


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle. Copper in color with a two finger head. Aroma is mostly bourbon barrel. Taste is also bourbon barrel.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Jan 2025 at 05:38


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Caramel brown with a large foamy head that lingered. Sweet, toaaty, honey, tangy, fruity and a moderate boozy whiskey note. Very long finish. Moderately full bodied

Tried on 12 Oct 2024 at 00:50


6.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Mild earthy and boozy aroma. Taste is minimal sweet malt and minimal bitterness. More of a woody flavor than bourbon itself. Underwhelming, easy drinking for a 9% beer.

Tried on 01 Jan 2024 at 04:22


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Rich amber beer with a dark cream head. Citrus and bourbon aroma. Bourbon and vanilla flavor with malt and light citrus. Medium bodied. Bourbon and citrus linger with vanilla and light malt.

Tried from Bottle on 19 Aug 2023 at 21:47


5.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

From Liquor Shed in Casper.

It pours a clear deep amber with a long lasting head of foam and excellent lacing.

I get a fruity malty nose permeated by the Bourbon.

The taste is Bourbon, semi sweet malt, little bit of fruitiness but overall, the flavours don't mesh at all. Kind of a mess, imho.

Barely medium bodied, good carbonation, somewhat watery in the finish and boozy.

I don't like this

Tried from Bottle on 03 Apr 2023 at 22:13


7
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Clear copper colored pour with a small beige head. The aroma is quite strong with sharp booze and perhaps a bit of caramel. The taste is caramel, vanilla, some hot alcohol and a bit of rye bread. The palate is full and viscous. Finishes relatively short with lingering sweet caramel, and peaches?. Overall: decent, nice quaff.

Tried from Bottle on 25 Mar 2023 at 19:47


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle. A- Oak, vanilla, malt, caramel, fried bread. A- Copper color, clear liquid, off white head. T- Malt, faint bitterness, oak, vanilla, waxy. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, malty finish. O- The best oakspire variant I've had. Lots of sweet oak on the nose and more malty on the palate. Drinkable for sure and the abv feels lighter than it is.

Tried from Bottle on 08 Feb 2023 at 00:12


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle from Total Wine in Folsom, CA. Pours clear, dark amber with a large foamy near-white head. Aroma of floral, toffee and a note of bourbon. Med plus body or better. Flavor is the aroma with some wood and a rather strongish toffeeness. Fairly towards dry. Not very bitter, but wood and bourbon substitute. Quite entrancing.

Tried from Bottle on 03 Feb 2023 at 01:16