Hellshire II, Tart? It will depend…

It looks like the Eugene, Oregon brewery Oakshire had an uninvited guest to the barrel aging party for Hellshire II and the beer has been contaminated with lactobacillus. Although not harmful, it can (and usually does) change the flavor of the beer to be more tart and acidic. In a stand up decision by Matt Van Wyk, Brewmaster at Oakshire, anyone can chose to be reimbursed or swap your bottle of Hellshire II at the tasting room. You can read the Oakshire statement here.

I had a glass or two in the Oakshire tasking room back in November and thought that bourbon-coffee-chocolate tones in the beer were wonderfully complex, and I picked up a bottle for the future. I’ve had my bottle in the fridge since November so I might throw caution to the wind and open it up over the weekend. I’m actually a little intrigued with how it will compare to a sour.

...a few days later...

Review

It pours very thick, black with a hit of red/brown and next to no head. The last time I poured something this think was when we were reviewing Old Engine Oil.

With the first aroma I get a hit of bourbon and red wine with just a little maraschino cherry.

The taste is complex. It starts as a Stout with a little coffee but quickly moves to a plum/prune followed slowly by a light bourbon and dark red wine. The taste left on the tongue is the traditional Stout chocolate/coffee. It’s a 10 ½ percent ABV but it really doesn’t hit you with the alcohol, its more of an afterthought.

Mouth feel is right in line with an Imperial Stout. It’s thicker, coats the tongue and hangs around for a while. My personal preference would be to serve it a few minutes after its out of the fridge so the temp/carbonation balance is right.

Overall I’m a fan. There are a few barrel aged Stouts out there right now and I think this holds up with any of them. I don’t think it’s a beer for a novice drinker (they just won’t enjoy it), but if you like Imperial Stouts I think you’ll like the complexities the barrel aging adds to it.

Final Thoughts

The lactobacillus is a big downer but I’ve had to pitch a more than 1 batch of my own homebrew. I had a fear of opening an undrinkable beer but I thought my bottle was just fine. The effect on the beer will completely depend on the storage conditions and time. I had mine in the fridge since I bought the bottle at the OakShire tasting room on Nov. 23, 2011 and opened it on Jan. 8, 2012. So if you have a bottle and are thinking about taking it in for the refund think about how you’ve stored it, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on a good beer.