Extra Special Oak (ESO) - Element Brewing Company

glid02

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased from Wine & Cheese Cask in Somerville, MA.

Pours a very hazy dark amber color with a tan head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of moderately sweet caramel malts with large amounts of harsh oak and lighter amounts of leafy and slightly floral hops. Also present are slight amounts of boozy medium fruits.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Sweet yet slightly grainy caramel malts up front are joined by hints of toasted malts and large amounts of oak. Midway through the malts fade a bit and booze-soaked medium and dark fruits with leafy hops come into play, carrying through with the oak to a moderately bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall the oak was really heavy and made the beer not enjoyable for me. I’d like to try the base beer for comparison as it seems like an interesting beverage, but the oak dashed any hopes of that.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 23:36:32 | More by glid02

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

05-23-2013 01:50:43 | More by mikeincharleston

PowderRay

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%

05-17-2013 18:54:40 | More by PowderRay

tneenan1

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

04-27-2013 23:33:23 | More by tneenan1

bluerabbit

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

04-26-2013 23:38:24 | More by bluerabbit

brentk56

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a cloudy apricot nectar color with a foamy head that leaves some impressive splashes of lacing behind

Smell: Malt and oak forward, with shortbread, earthy hops and vanilla/oak

Taste: Sweeter malt flavors, up front, with shortbread and toffee followed by a slightly lemony/earthy hop in the middle; the barrel builds after the swallow, bringing oak, vanilla and marshmallow to sweeten up the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Pretty good stuff for a sweeter style ale; like the balance and complexity

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 22:24:05 | More by brentk56

taez555

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Oak in your face. Its a solid beer, nice caramel backboned strong ale, but as it warms it is just completely dominated by oak. I love barrell aged beers, but all I taste is barrell. Needs to either kick up the ABV, or tone down the barrell. It simply smells and tastes like a platform for oak.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2013 17:12:17 | More by taez555

grumpygerman

Alabama

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%

02-07-2013 01:09:37 | More by grumpygerman

JTSingletary

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear, deep amber color. Fizzy carbonation that forms a narrow ring around the edge of the glass.

Aroma: Very mild aroma of oak and vanilla with hints of roasted malt. Toffee and caramel as the beer warmed. Somewhat phenolic.

Taste: Right away the taste is very solvent-like, but after that dissipates the malt and dark fruit character takes over. The aftertaste is floral and spicy (peppery).

Mouthfeel: Heavily carbonated with large fizzy bubbles (even though packaging described the beer as having "lighter carbonation"). Medium body.

Overall: Overall, the phenolic character is too over-powering for me. However, after the initial taste of solventy-plastic is gone there is a nice floral sweetness left behind. The second taste sensation makes me want more though, and I did enjoy the whole glass.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 03:46:48 | More by JTSingletary

nquigley16

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

12-26-2012 01:23:59 | More by nquigley16

innuendobrewskiman63

New York

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

12-10-2012 11:43:53 | More by innuendobrewskiman63

Bob6518

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +28.5%

11-30-2012 15:57:24 | More by Bob6518

durkle

4.75/5  rDev +22.1%

11-17-2012 21:52:54 | More by durkle

sneaks2210

New York

2.5/5  rDev -35.7%

11-15-2012 03:03:32 | More by sneaks2210

CalebHiliadis

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

11-10-2012 05:47:45 | More by CalebHiliadis

hopley

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +28.5%

10-29-2012 01:06:39 | More by hopley

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 10/06/12 notes.

a - Pours a clear amber color with one finger of fluffy off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells roasted malts, toasted malts, some vanilla, and oak. Also some bready and burnt malts, and some earthy notes. Nose is nice and malty, and the vanilla from the oak is nice too. Barrel element seems heavy here, but I like it.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, cream, vanilla, toasted malts, light sugar, light sweet fruit, oak, and burnt malts. Nice, though not as good as the nose.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Smooth, and pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a nice strong ale aged in oak barrels. It has some vanilla to it from the barrels which I liked. Not sure I'd want to drink a full bottle by myself, but splitting it with someone this winter would be nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 18:28:52 | More by mdfb79

Greywulfken

New York

4.36/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: poured into a nonic pint, deep amber brown ale body with a nice finger of foamy head

S: dry malts and hops; some oakiness and woodsy flavors; mild hard liquor aromas

T: pale malt flavors with a hearty rich bready character; some deep wood flavors added complexity and distinction to the beer; sweetness of vanilla

M: the body and feel of a sweeter beer; buttery on the finish, not quite butterscotchy - it stays dry and then evaporates into a near-clean finish

O: a highly driknable brew, that I would gladly buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 16:46:08 | More by Greywulfken

Gregwa

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +2.8%

09-24-2012 03:26:19 | More by Gregwa

guezarka

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +2.8%

08-13-2012 01:37:54 | More by guezarka

Dope

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle probably 2 years old.

A: Pours a reddish-amber with a big fizzy white head. Fades slowly, leaving no lacing at all. Common element of this brewery (see what I did there?). Oddly enough the second pour produced a solid wall of lacing. I'm not sure what to think about that but I did upgrade it to a 4.

S: Smells similar to an ESB. Toasted malt. Vanilla and oak. Swear I even get maple syrup.

T: Oaky for sure but not overpowering. Toasted malt and lots of bread. Some mild vanilla in the middle and through the finish along with some maple. Nice clean finish with just a touch of oak and vanilla that lingers.

M: Medium bodied and smooth.

O: Pretty much exactly as described. Tastes and smells like an ESB that's been oak aged but without the bitterness. Nice, clean crisp and balanced flavors. Relative simplicity keeps it from scoring higher but it's definitely a beer I enjoyed. Super malty and the drinkability is very high.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 02:36:20 | More by Dope

Casterbridge

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

07-07-2012 13:09:35 | More by Casterbridge

Exiled

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

06-16-2012 02:45:03 | More by Exiled

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Prime 16, served in a 25cl Duvel tulip.

A: Clear mahogany body under a creamy tan head. Ok retention, spotty lace. Not bad at all.

S: Very woody indeed, with tons of vanilla and coconut oakiness in front of some treacle, caramel, and toastiness from the malt. Quite nice.

T: Follows the nose pretty precisely, with wood up front, malt sweetness in the middle, and a bittersweet, vanilla-heavy finish. Perhaps a bit too sweet, but rich and enjoyable.

M: Creamy, gently-carbonated medium-full body. Pleasant.

O: I really enjoyed this one, although I wish I had checked the time before ordering it - happy hour had just expired, and this ~10oz beer rang up at $8. A bit steep for being under 8% and, while heavily oaked, not barrel aged. C'est la vie.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 18:07:28 | More by woosterbill

Shaggy9356

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%

05-05-2012 03:26:09 | More by Shaggy9356