The appearance has a nice looking black colored body with a decent looking lightened brown to super light black colored head that dies within about thirty seconds.
The smell has a large coffee maltiness invading the bitter hops that desperately try to come through - for the most part - it seems to me that the bitterness tries to come through in the coffee part.
The taste is bitter and sweet at separate times and good for the most part. The aftertaste is sticky and tries to be sweet with some sort of element of sweetness to come across what really wants to be a dry finish. However, is this a dry finish? I will say, its a lingering dry finish for the most part.
The palate is about a light to medium in body, and comes across somewhat sessionable. Carbonation is good for the style and for me as its not exactly defined for the style (hahaha), anyways, well, I like it for how it feels inside my mouth and tongue.
Overall, for an American Black Ale, hell yeah, good job Oakshire. In my opinion, I think you did what you were supposed to do.

Bomber. Pours a dark reddish color with a large off-white head. A sweet nutty nose, some toffee and citrus. Rich, initially more chocolate and toffee flavors, some toasted malt, light metal, floral and sweet hops, oranges, tangerine, some tangy bitterness. A full bodied rich CDA. Very good.

Pours pitch black but thin...huge creamy espresso / creamy head. The nose is 100% coffee just coffee on and on and on.Pretty interesting. Wish there was more ABV but it’s silky, creamy and velvety with a huge burst of non-acidic coffee. really great stuff.

Sampled at Whole Foods in Beaverton
Clear copper with a small off-white head and some lacing. Aroma is piney, fruit and caramel. Flavors of pine resin, caramel and candy
Nice, easy drinking.

12 oz. can. Pitch black appearance with lasting head. Nose is roasted malt, light espresso bean and sugar. Flavor is show cases a solid amount of roasted coffee bean first, followed by bitter chocolate, light touches of ash and sweet caramel or molasses notes in the finish. The body has a nice chewy feel from the flaked oats the brewer uses. Carbonation provides a slight creamy texture. Nice level of flavor in such a low ABV stout. If you are looking for a session stout this is a nice option.

On tap at The Beer Mongers, pours an opaque dark orange with a medium beige head. Nose is pretty hot, with caramel, booze, and brown sugar. Flavour is similar, but without a big blast of piney hops in there to balance things out and conceal the alcohol burn - so there is an astringency from the hops on the finish, as well as a slight alcohol burn. Solid barley wine - perhaps it may improve with age.

Bomber from Belmont. Pours a clear dark copper color with a small white head. A sweet nose of toffee, some berries and spice. The flavor is mostly dry, yeasty, some mulled wine like elements, toffee, caramel, dust. Finishes sweet with berries. Warm.

9th December 2013
Tasting at Bruce’s pad. Thanks to Leighton. Opaque dark brown beer with a good pale cream coloured head. Palate is soft and airy and a little dry. Soft dark malts, trace of coffee. Light piney hops, little spice. Light finish. Decent.

Bottle thanks to Leighton. It pours darkest brown with a thick off-white head. The nose is dank, quite a lot of soap, fairy liquid, lemon, orange, roasted malt, toast and earth. The taste is roasted malt, toast, varnish, plenty of soap, orange peel, spice and dirt with a dry finish. Medium body and fine, foamy carbonation. Soapy aspect dominates unfortunately.

A nice wooden barrel scent comes to the forefront at first sniff. Lots of dark goodness in here, all blended seamlessly. Pours dark brown/ruby with creamy beige head and sticky lacing. Taste is smooth, rich, slightly spicy, roast grains, toffee, peat, pipe tobacco. Nice gingerbread lingering on the palate afterwards. Really nice! 2015 re-rate: not as impressed this time around, standard English ale characteristics, just average