Innis And Gunn Oak Aged Beer - Innis & Gunn

warnerry

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours clear copper with one and a half fingers of off-white head. Head fades pretty quickly and leaves only scant lacing.

S - Unfortunately, a bit of skunkiness in the nose. Beneath that, aromas of caramel, a bit of vanilla, coconut and oak.

T - Sweet malt, with caramel and faint toffee. Also vanilla and a bit of skunk. Prettt tasty despite the off flavors.

M - Medium slightly sticky mouthfeel.

O - Pretty good overall, but not somwthig I would seek out. Despite the slight skunkiness, I feel like I got a goodrepresentation if what this beer is all about. Pretty easy drinking, with sweetness kept in check.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 23:21:30 | More by warnerry

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear coppery amber color, little cap of khaki froth, little retention. Scent brings strong vanilla, coconut, toffee notes, light hints of wood and whiskey, some hints of fruit. Taste follows scent, lighter based beer brings strong wood and vanilla notes from the front, settles into a delicious toffee flavor, sweet and nutty, light notes of whiskey and faint faint char, grassy and floral hops, faint off herbal presence. Medium bodied, slightly high in carbonation. Overall, nice scent and tastes, but lacks a touch of subtlety and complexity i'm accustomed to with those flavors. Highly approachable.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 15:53:00 | More by rfgetz

Squancho

5/5  rDev +32.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I feel bad my first review giving everything a 5. But, this is the closest beer I've ever had to perfection. It is just incredible. The aroma especially is astounding, toffee, caramel. The colour and appearance is fantastic, I particularly like the unique bottle shape which seems to work well with the label to compliment the golden, sweet nature of the beer.

Fine carbonation as well serves for a basically perfect beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 14:33:02 | More by Squancho

Mitchster

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

$10.99 for a 4-pack if I remember right. Oak aged "scottish beer" for 77 days. 6.6% ABV. Clear bottle.

Pours out to a brilliantly clear light caramel, forming a very nice creamy merigue like white head with excellent retention and solid lacing. Moderate carbonation. The aroma opens with skunked hops, followed by toffee, butterscotch, and a subtle touch of biscuit malt. Mouthfeel is smooth and soft with a medium body. The taste opens with the skunk followed by very brief biscuits, then honey, then toffee. Sweet overall, not to be confused with malt character, which is has very little of. Very mild hop bitterness in the finish and then some residual open fermentation yeast character. I don't taste any oak personally.

Interesting beer. Kinda reminds me of a weird Sam Smith Pale ale, but I prefer Sam Smith to this.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 03:39:20 | More by Mitchster

NODAK

Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First off, I have to say that I love the bottle. The aroma definitely has the toffee and vanilla notes that the bottle states it will, along with a sugary sweetness. It's nice.

Pours a dark amber color in the glass with a decent head at first that had very little staying power.

Taste is fairly sweet, with sugars, toffee and vanilla all combining together to give a pretty pleasing taste. Very quaffable stuff. Then, the oak barrel aging becomes noticeable, as it has kind of a whiskey type taste to it at the finish that gives it a slightly more boozy taste than what it actually is.

I really enjoyed this, though. It's an interesting idea with good flavor notes that goes down very easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 00:43:56 | More by NODAK

DrinkThis

4.5/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of our ideal beers. Very full body with a full mouth feel. Notes of vanilla, whiskey, oak, & smokiness. Medium head when poured into a glass, on top of a amber beer that is like stained glass. Best to drink around 45 degrees to release the natural flavour and aroma of the beer.

For more please check out our video with Innis and Gunn at the International Great Beer Expo NJ 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ap0U9KFLyk

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 19:01:19 | More by DrinkThis

Dave1999

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pored a dark orange with a thick foamy head. Lots of lacing.

Smell was of heavy malts and vanilla.

The taste was of oak, sweet vanilla, caramel and a little creamy.

Just the right amount of carbonation, very smooth.

Overall a very original and enjoyable beer. Probably the one of the best beers I've had from Edinburgh.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 23:46:46 | More by Dave1999

caisno

4.55/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance - from the bottle into a tulip and left me wanting for nothing, amber thick lacing.

Smell- Wood, oak mainly and a hint of pine with some honey and fig.

Taste- increadibly unique. A bit of malt flavored oak. A dose of wiskey and a hint of bread. A very spicy beer for the level of malt and sweet. A truely new taste. I'm grateful.

Mouthfeel- for the lvl of mild spice there is a greatly appreciated zing! There is a bit of boozyness too. Relatively thin. Pleasant.

Overall- A must. This and their rum cask are two must tries. However their rum cask is superior. Don't pass on either, you'll be cheating yourself.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 08:35:03 | More by caisno

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle was poured into a tulip glass. Got this earlier this month after volunteering at the EBF. Here we go folks.

Appearance: The poured a slight head that has reduced to a thin layer. A golden orange yellow with some clarity and bubbles coming up through the center of the glass.

Smell: vanilla, honey, oak, grainy and bready notes. Very interesting aroma, but it smells good.

Taste: Vanilla, toffee sweetness, scotch whisky, and oakey notes are fantastic. Alchohol, bready, and creamy notes too.

Mouthfeel: smooth, creamy, light to medium bodied, medium carbonation, boozy, and easy to drink.

Overall: I was impressed with this beer. At first, the aroma turned me off a little bit, but the taste and drinkability turned things around. Solid beer oveerall and can't wait to try some of their other brews.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 18:45:10 | More by Flounder57

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml clear glass bottle with a BB of Feb 2012. Oak-aged beer; an original idea (sort of) that was discovered by accident.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A rich golden-amber colour with plentiful carbonation. Yields a decent head of creamy white foam that lasts for a minute or two before subsiding. Aroma of sweet toffee, vanilla and oak, underpinned by an alcoholic, whisky-like note. Any malt or hop aromas are smothered, and the effect is rather cloying.

Tastes of light malt with a sweet, slightly woody character. Notes of toffee and vanilla upfront, followed by subtler hints of oak. Pretty sweet - like a dose of candy sugar has been added to it. A faintly spicy/fruity element, with hints of anise, bananas, bubblegum and whisky. A mildly harsh, skunky background character. The finish is slightly hot and boozy. Mouthfeel is light, smooth and pleasantly tingly. A little dry on the palate. Aftertaste of sweet toffee/vanilla.

An interesting effort, but I don't find myself falling in love. It's biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the excess of extraneous flavours rather than an emphesis on the 'beer' character. It has some complexity, but it's too sweet, with too much toffee and vanilla - these flavours dominate everything else. It would be improved by a more robust maltiness that stands up to the oak and creates a better balance. Anyway, try it for interest, once.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 23:20:20 | More by jazzyjeff13

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pint at Highlander. From notes.

A - Poured dark copper, bright, film of head, bright, mild carbonation.

S - Vanilla, oak, sugar, toffee.

T - Vanilla, oak, sugar, toffee, bread, sweet malt.

M - Mild carbonation, medium body, sweet oak/vanilla finish.

O/D - Not bad. Tasty. Lacks complexity and is too sweet but a tasty tipple nonetheless. I couldn't have more than one though.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2012 15:44:22 | More by tbeckett

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Well it's a clear glass so I can tell it's a bright amber brown but it's a beauty in the glass with a 1/2 inch of sticky foam that reduces to a moderate lace.

S - Well I do pick up faint notes of bourbon and oak barrel but mostly just sweet malts like the toffee and mild vanilla.

T - Wow very balanced. I am actually surprised I get very little bourbon in the taste which I enjoy. Sweet toffee and vanilla is good and light barrel makes this an easy sipping brew.

M - Medium bodied and coats the tongue very well for a beer under 7 percent.

Overall I wasn't expecting much since the clear bottle but I will be damned if this isn't the best Scottish ale I ever drank. Medium sticky body, nice sweet malt flavors, and a low ABV if it was found closer to me I would enjoy a couple a sitting. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 23:38:56 | More by DrDemento456

WankelEngine

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle into a nonic

A: Pours a clear amber color. There is a three finger head which relatively quickly bubbles away to form a small cap of off-white foam.

S: Starts off faint. I can make out some caramel and some vanilla-oak.

T: Very malty and smooth. First I taste toasted malt and caramel. Quickly a sweet vanilla flavor becomes very powerful, along with a bit of smoky oak. There is also a faint frutiness. The finish is sweet and malty. Overall, vanilla dominates the flavor.

M: Smooth and sticky. Very little carbonation.

O: An interesting beer. The vanilla flavor is a little overwhelming. Purely a sweet beer, nothing bitter here at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 01:08:46 | More by WankelEngine

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Finally getting around to this brand.

A- Poured out of a, oh it feels so wrong, clear bottle into a pint glass with an amber-brown body. A fizzy white head forms to a decent size but dies down fairly quickly. Ends up with no head or cloud and no lace in sight.

S- Like other reviews mention, starts off badly and somewhat skunked but improves with time. After some sipping, the aroma becomes mostly of sweet oak, butterscotch and toffee.

T- Sweet caramel, toffee and butterscotch sugar notes are the primary thing I get from this beer. Oak makes a nice appearance as well as some fruit, vanilla and some buttery hints.

MF- Foamy and highly carbonated body with a somewhat slick feel.

The oak flavor intensifies with time as well as a spicy sort of raisin note, maybe a bit too much for me. Always wondered about this beer, decent I suppose, on to the Whiskey version next.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 03:40:42 | More by cbutova

rangerred

Tennessee

3.15/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

330ml bottle poured into a nonic.

Appearance is a clear medium gold with a quick head that flares up and then goes away. No lacing.

Smells overwhelmingly of butterscotch. There is some vanilla along with this odd funky sour cheese smell.

Flavor is quite buttery along with caramel, wood, and vanilla. There is a good bit of sweetness tying all of this together but hardly any bitterness at all. Alcohol is also detectable which is odd for a beer of this strength.

Overall this isn't that great of a beer. It is too sweet without anything to balance it out. Glad I got to try it, though.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 00:46:35 | More by rangerred

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a nonic)

A- This beer pours a crystal clear copper, just as it looks in the clear glass bottles. There is a thin film of off-white head that fades to a thin ring.

S- The green oak and bourbon hints blend with a raisin note and some wet wood lingers in the finish.

T- The wet fresh-cut oak flavor takes on a wooden Popsicle stick flavor and some vanilla notes grow as the beer warms. There is some clean soft slightly sweet malt flavors but they remain underneath the wood. The finish has light bourbon and green wood characteristics.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a slight tight fizz in the finish.

O- The wood is the dominant player but it is not overpowering and gets some very nice subtle support from the malt flavor underneath. I was nervous about the clear bottles but it was tasty and didn't suffer any noticeable change.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 15:07:32 | More by rhoadsrage

tubacharlie

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The short head quickly dissipates, while light floral scents mix with hints of vanilla and oak. A nutty-brown color, the crystal clear beer is quite still, leaving no lacing or residual head.

Although it lacks any bubbly effervescence in the glass, this Scottish beer has a frothy mouth, with a nice balance of malt and hops. A smooth caramel sweetness in the first sip graduates to a creamy toasted flavor with good malt presence and just enough hops to give a light citric tang at the back end.

A satisfying beer overall that complements meat and potatoes type meals.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 07:04:53 | More by tubacharlie

zaphodchak

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Foamy white head, reddish amber body with a ton of bubbles. These dissipate and leave no lacing.

Smells BAD. Like skunky Heineken. I'm going to assume this is what skunked beer smells like, and move on. It's not nearly so bad once the head is gone. Then it smells more like oak and nice things.

To taste, I had to deliberately not inhale through my nose. There's a trace of the skunkiness in the taste, but it's sort of subdued. It's like bad spinach maybe, but it's not as bad as initially in the nose. Moving on past that, it's got a lovely oak character that delivers on the toffee and vanilla promised on the bottle with that hint of coconut I search for in oaked beers. Quite nice. Mellow and rather British (though I wouldn't say specifically Scottish) in character, but that cheap skunk is really cramping the malt profile. This is sort of like what Newcie Brown would be like if it were oak aged pretty well.

A bit fizzy, but not bad.

I want to bet this is skunked in spite of the low IBUs, but I'm going to fault it for that anyway because I didn't leave it out in the sun, and even though I can't speak for how long it may have been out on the shelf in the store, it's irresponsible to put beer in clear bottles, no matter low the hop content is or how nice it looks. (For the record, it does look nice, and I don't like hops anyway). Jury's still out for me-- part skunky macro lager, part Scottish ale, part lovely oak character. The pros and cons balance.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 04:21:03 | More by zaphodchak

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass.

A - Maybe the fizziest head I've ever seen. Puffed up to about a finger-and-a-half, but fizzled out before I could even get a look at the color. The beer has a really nice golden-amber hue, no wonder they show it off in the clear bottles. Ridiculous carbonation flowing up the glass.

S - Butterscotch, and tons of it. Really buttery caramel malt. Toffee sweetness too. There’s a big floral quality as well, but it combined with the sweet butterscotch/caramel is a little much. It’s nice, but a touch over-sweetened for me.

T - Lots of buttery sweetness, with the butterscotch, caramel, and toffee notes coming at you full force. The floral character is nice, but I feel like it’s a touch overdone. The Highland Park cask-aged version of this had a much nicer feel to it overall. The finish almost reminds me of cheap rum. No warmth from the alcohol, but I feel like I can taste it, which isn’t great with a 6.6% ABV beer. The oak character is present, but subdued; but it definitely adds to the flavor profile. Overall, the sweet flavors are nice, but aren’t balanced by some bitterer or darker qualities.

M - Over-carbonated, but that’s really no surprise. The body is fairly light, but definitely a little weighted down with the syrupy/buttery sweetness. Not a great combination with the high carbonation.

D - While I don’t mind the sweet flavor, an 11.2oz serving of it is a bit much. Like I said, it’s not that the sweetness even needs to be toned down, just balanced a little. It’s good, and I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I’ll go looking for, and it’s not something I could drink more than one of.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 02:14:32 | More by Converge

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.4/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into tulip Innis and Gunn glass. Part of the holiday 2011 Holiday Sampler.

Appearance – orangy-copper color with large head upon pouring. Large bubbles composed the head which faded rather fast leaving very little of its original presence.

Smell – Get massive amount of sweet toffee with a good serving of oak in there as well, which lingers in the nose.

Taste – Sweet toffee/caramel meet the tongue initially with a nice vanilla and oak flavor developing at the end of the tasting, leaving a very pleasant taste in the mouth.

Mouthfeel – A little low on the carbonation, but having a nice overall turbidity for the Abv and style.

Overall – This is a very nice beer. A very tasty beer. Better then the Christmas ale they make and on par with the Rum Cask Oak aged beer. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 01:19:07 | More by Darkmagus82

Seanont

Ontario (Canada)

2.15/5  rDev -43%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Bought in a bottle and poured into a pint glass..

I think this is a beer? that you will either like or hate my other overall feel is that I was not drinking a beer but having a water down glass of scotch. I drink beer to taste beer and for me this does not work but I can also respect why others review it so highly so take my review with a grain of salt and I would say if you enjoy scotch or whiskey then try it.

The smell is sweet oak

taste was very sweet butter scotch or toffee and vanilla with a shot of water downed scotch or whiskey

very carbonated and very little head and has a amber color but does not feel like a beer to my taste buds just to fizzy for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 18:04:25 | More by Seanont

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This poured out as a amber color with a cream colored foamed head that has a very thin retention on top. The smell of the beer was sweet, a little bit of wood on the nose and some other light earthy notes. The taste of the beer was much different than most Oak aged beers I've had. This one was sweet with some hints of vanilla and caramel. I was expecting a little more of a sour flavor to it but it was way sweeter than expected. The sweetness dies down a bit the more you drink. The finish is grainy and dry with not a lot of bitterness. The mouthfeel was a little on the thin side, the carbonation was low also. Overall I loved the look of the beer in the bottle but after having it I wasn't overly impressed. I have a bottle of the Rum Barrel version that I'll try one day, I'm hoping that one will have a little more depth to it.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 16:36:13 | More by Knapp85

bearsxco

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured an amber in color. Virtually no lacing with a very slight beige head. Nice smell of vanilla and oak. Very much a sweet smell. First sip offers more carbonation than it looked with the initial pour. Mouthful semi thick, must go with the sweetness of this beer. Nice mixture of oak and vanilla in taste. Neither one overpowering. Overall not a bad beer. Not one that I would have normally have bought. It was recommended by the owner of the local package store. Though I am new to this, I try to rate each beer on kind of beer it is rather than my personal preference. So that being said, this is not a bad beer. If I was into this style I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 22:20:36 | More by bearsxco

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11.2 fl oz clear bottle from a 4-pack. No need to worry much about skunking or being light-struck as these have low IBUs, around 10 according to the brewer. Poured into a tulip.

A: Gorgeous clear golden honey colored body with a smooth, creamy white head. Light touches of lacing remain behind and a few swirls bring back the head for some length of time. Wonderful on all fronts.

S: When I first smelled this beer I thought something was horribly off. A few more revealed it to be the strong oak character I wasn't expecting. Lots of woody oak notes, butter, vanilla and buttercream icing. There's a slight malt base in the background but the barrel really takes over the aroma.

T: Whoa - insanely smooth, complex and balanced. Sweet malt notes with hints of toffee are up front. The oak comes rolling in well throughout the mid-palate and has great vanilla flavors to take it into the finish. A bit dry but every changing as it sits on the palate afterwards. Perhaps even some honey, too.

M: Well carbonated, lots of tiny bubbles all over the palate gives it a nice silky smoothness to the feel. Again, somewhat dry but very drinkable. No detection of alcohol.

I've had a sample of the Rum Cask before and do remember enjoying that a bit more (I'll have to get some bottles to revisit), but I'm beginning to have a renowned appreciation for this beer. It's subtly complex and flavorful, while retaining an amazing balance. This will not be the last 4-pack of this beer my refrigerator ever sees.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 00:48:32 | More by ShanePB

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Grabbed the giftpack. I couldn't resist.

Wow. I like this.
Nice touch of sweet malt up front with a dry oaky finish. Good notes of toffee, caramel, and vanilla. Light boozy bite on the backend.
The beer is bright and clear. Coppery orange body. Smal head, no retention, no real lacing.
The body is medium and creamy feeling. Very nice.

I hope more of this beer is imported-- in solid boxes to prevent this from being lightstruck!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 03:03:45 | More by AleWatcher