Fort Collins, COLORADO – New Belgium Brewing and Four Roses Distillery today announced the highly anticipated return of Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale – a pioneering, and highly distinctive beer brewed using a custom-built, proprietary infusion method which pulls flavors from bourbon-steeped charred oak and marries it with a malty sweet, deep amber ale.
First released by New Belgium in 2018, Oakspire quickly became a favorite among beer and bourbon lovers alike. Seeking to up the ante with innovation and world-class bourbon flavors, the brewery again collaborated on this year’s release withFour Roses Bourbon, known for their smooth, fruit forward and slightly spicy bourbons, to invent a brewing process that would represent the absolute best of both beverages.
“We’re beyond excited to collaborate with the Four Roses team to bring Oakspire to life again in 2022,” said Jared Spagnola, Specialty Brand Manager at New Belgium Brewing. “Demand was so high for this beer in 2021, we spent all year collecting every last bit of Four Roses char we could so that we’d have more Oakspire in market for consumers to enjoy. Trust us, whether you’re a fan of bourbon or beer, you’ll want to get a taste of Oakspire before it’s gone.”
How exactly are those signature flavors extracted?To start, over the course of a year, Four Roses collects charred oak chips from inside their bourbon barrels as they are emptied. These oak chips contain caramelized wood sugars, which add notes of brown sugar, caramel, and toffee, and add color to the whiskey while it ages. Next, a barrel maker in Minnesota toasts a custom blend of oak spirals which are then soaked in Four Roses’ bourbon. Meanwhile, New Belgium’s world-class brewing engineers construct a series of custom, stainless steel vessels to hold the charred oak and wood spirals. New Belgium’s high-rye base ale then circulates through the vessels during maturation, infusing the flavor from the charred oak and bourbon-soaked spirals, resulting in a stunning, one-of-a-kind bourbon ale with a fan following.
“After the success of last year’s collaboration, we were thrilled to come together again with New Belgium to re-release Oakspire, created for beer and bourbon lovers alike,” said Four Roses Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Ashley. “The care that New Belgium takes into brewing each beer mirrors our commitment in crafting Four Roses Bourbon. We hope that drinkers taste that with every sip of Oakspire.”
THE beer for bourbon lovers, Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale is available for purchase at select retailers across the country. Oakspire will also be available to taste at Four Rose Distillery’s Visitor’s Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky later this year. For more information on Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale, visitnewbelgium.com. To find the nearest Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale or any of New Belgium’s other offerings, visit ourbeer finder.
Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale was brewed and bottled with the following characteristics:
- Alcohol: 9%
- Style: Bourbon Barrel Ale
- Hops: Nugget, Sabro
- Malt: Pale, Munich, Caramel 80, Rye, Roasted Barley
- Visual: Deep Amber
- Flavor and aroma: Expect notes of toffee, vanilla, caramel, and hints of coconut and dark fruit
- Availability: Select retailers nationwide
About New Belgium Brewing
New Belgium Brewing was founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colo., by Kim Jordan, a social worker, who built her company the only way a social worker would: People first. Over the past three decades, New Belgium has turned that ethos into a unique “human-powered” business model through practices that were and still are rare in the business world: fully paid healthcare premiums for all coworkers, paying a living wage, open-book management, renewable energy sourcing, a free onsite medical clinic and physician, a deep commitment to philanthropy and advocacy, and much more. With expansions to Asheville, N.C., in 2016; Denver, Colo., in 2018; San Francisco in 2021; and the 2021 acquisition of Bell’s Brewery, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., this people-centric model has led New Belgium to become arguably the most popular and fastest-growing American craft brewer today. New Belgium is famous for its flagship beer, Fat Tire Amber Ale; year-round favorites like Voodoo Ranger IPA (America’s #1 IPA brand), Dominga Mimosa Sour, and La Folie Sour Brown Ale; and an award-winning wood-aged sour program and innovative limited release beers.
About Four Roses Distillery
Established in 1888, Four Roses combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to distill and age 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, each with its own unique flavor profile. With distilling and warehousing operations in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, Kentucky, respectively, Four Roses is dedicated to producing award-winning Bourbons with smooth and mellow tastes and finishes. Four Roses is available in all 50 states.
For More Information:
https://www.newbelgium.com