Bestway IPA, IPA Aged On Oak - Olde Hickory Brewery

fields336

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: caramel, light brown color with a 1/2 finger light foamy head that dissipates somewhat quickly.

S: pine, grapefruit, oak, vanilla, wood, spicy, earthy, very torpedo-esque

T: pine, grapefruit, wood, oak, citrus, slight peach/pineapple flavor. it's like SN torpedo-Lite. the wood flavor gives it a nice nuance

M: slick dry mouthfeel not the best. i like it dry but not sweet on the initial taste, not too balanced

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 01:30:18 | More by fields336

HuskyinPDX

Washington

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

Bottle opened on 8.15.12.

A - Pours a hazy dark orange with a huge, light tan head with great retention.

S - Pine first, then wood,then some citrus.

T - Pine and wood. Simple but nice.

D - Good caronation with a light wood body, dry light wood finish.

O - IPA on wood. Dark, nice simple finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 06:19:57 | More by HuskyinPDX

tdm168

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - dark orangish-amber with a quarter of an inch of soft, off white-brownish head that quickly fades to a thin lacing

S - orange peel, pineapple, bread, alcohol

T - bread, faint birthday cake sweetness, piny, earthy, bitter, faint citrus, oaky finish

M - smooth, well carbonated but with a very dry finish

This is a somewhat disappointing IPA. The appearance and nose were great, but the flavor just didn't follow suit. The potential is there. The malt character is on point but is subdued, I'm guessing, by the oak aging. The hop character is a bit heavily piny and bitter and clashes with the sweet malt. In my opinion a little more citrus character would do nicely here. The oak isn't very evident in the flavor, but it's very evident in the mouthfeel. It's very dry much like an oaky wine would be. I'm glad to have tried it because I love Olde Hickory and I was impressed by Bestway, but I'll pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 14:11:21 | More by tdm168

wcudwight

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper and amber in color with a thin sticky head that last until the glass is empty. Nice mixture in the aroma of sharp tropical hop smells with a vanilla oaky smell. First and foremost this is a solid IPA with a sharp hoppolicious bitterness. The oak ads some soft character but this is an IPA first, which is important to me. Mediumbodied with a sharp tingly mouthfeel. Goes down easy and the 5.5% abv just means you can drink more.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 03:22:57 | More by wcudwight

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured it a bit cold, but whatever.

No head at all. Body is a nice amber.

Smell has a bit of pine resin, lemon zest, and powdery malt. Spicy woody oak notes in the backround.

I think what sets this apart from other IPAs of similar ABV is the complexity. Grassy hops flash across your tongue only momentarily leaving a woody oak bitterness in its place. Its light and drinkable for sure. Theres just a small hint of lemon zest and grapefruit rind mixed in. The bit of the malt bill I get feels powdery like a light Two-Hearted.

The bitterness lingers for a while (from the hops, not wood). Feels undercarbonated and slick, but that compliments the bitterness quite well. All in all, a well put together beer from whats quickly becoming my go-to NC bottled beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 21:24:38 | More by VncentLIFE

cwguy5

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

reviewed from notes taken on 9.16.11.

A - clear amber color with a thick, white head; good retention; moderate lacing on glass

S - hops, green apple, leather

T - fruity and tropical at first then mellow oak notes including light vanilla and caramel; typical ipa bittering bite towards end

M - low-ish carbonation is very smooth; light bodied but not too thin for the style; moderate drying finish

O - very nice. the oak was done extremely well in my opinion. i thought there was a nice balance of fruity and bitter hops and mellow oak barrel. i hope that they make this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 07:18:42 | More by cwguy5

andrewinski1

Maine

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to Bendurgin for sharing. Poured into a tulip. There is a fluffy one inch head with a lot of sticky lacing. the color is orange-red.

The aroma has some sweet pineapple with a lot of woody malt.

The taste is light in malt flavor with a lot of minty hops, particularly in the finish. There is a smooth bitter finish.

This is very light in body and has a nice fluffy carbonation.

Not bad, not great. Definitely worth drinking though.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:57:57 | More by andrewinski1

Bendurgin

Maine

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of brent. Poured into a tulip. This one pours a clear amber with a finger of white bubbly head.

Oranges and pineapple in the aroma. Lots of tropical fruit with hints of spicy hops in the background. Lots of bitter hops here for sure but it kind of masks anything else. A little woody on the pallet but this is more or less a hop mess; just bitter with not much else.

A little bit sharp on the feel and medium bodied.

I gotta say I love hops but this seems to just be bitter. Not necessarily a bad thing but I would like a little more flavor diversity. Not bad, but a little one dementional for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:54:21 | More by Bendurgin

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle. Pours a dark copper color with a light white tan head. Malty, caramel notes in the nose with some hints of the woodiness that it was aged in, not overpowering but there. Some citrus in the nose as well. Sweet start with some minimal citrus rund notes that then turn slightly bitter. The oak adds a slightly tanic, earthy note that is a little overpowering to me. I like the appearance but the aroma and the taste is just ok. Medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 12:10:47 | More by kbutler1

GRG1313

California

2.98/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Best by date of January 2012/consumed 09/07/11.

Pours a dark amber with brown tones and a white head. Looks a bit dark for an IPA but not bad.

Nose is really pleasant with assertive fresh pineapple one might expect and hope for but there is also tones of oak and nice floral undertones.

Mouthfeel is medium/full and mouthfilling but there is no "brightness" to this beer that I favor so much in all brews.

Flavors are a bit of a disappointment, partly because the brightness is lacking but also there is a dull bitter; a "tree bark" herbal type of bitter that may be hops but remain somewhat unappealing.

The finish is big, bold and assertive but, again, there is a dull, "old grapefruit skin" character to the finish that is overwhelming.

Not a beer for me although I really appreciated the chance to try it from a brewery that I don't often see.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 17:55:50 | More by GRG1313

brstls4drmrs

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours an amber transluscent color with a nice white foam head. Some good lacing occurs and some foam sticks to the glass.

S - Oak hits right off the bat along with some pine/fruit notes and malty sugars. Smells really good.

T - Some oak and even cedar notes in there with bits of pine, hops and a nice earthy tone. A dry aftertaste which obviously comes from the oak and a very crisp finish.

M - Medium body with a good crisp feel.

O - A very good IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 01:43:37 | More by brstls4drmrs

brentk56

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a sparkling clear amber topped by several inches of foam; great retention and plenty of lacing drips along the side of the pint glass

Smell: One whiff and you know this beer has been oak-aged as there is a nice vanilla, woody character that blends in with the toffee malt; the hops are present, as well, adding an earthy bitter tone

Taste: Biscuity malt, up front, with the oaky vanilla and earthy/piney hop flavors arriving by mid-palate; after the swallow, the bitterness picks up in intensity, but the oaky elements linger on the tongue in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: This is a very flavorful beer with enough of a twist to be different; loads of flavor at a modest abv level and, unlike some other oak-aged beers, the malt and vanilla flavors are muted and do not battle with the hops for supremacy - that's the best way for me

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 01:15:28 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I spend alot of time on aisle 7.Roger (a true Michigan man) has made Greensboro a beer "destination" in NC.,for that he should be commended.Great to see OH make a beer like this,poured into an impy pint glass a clear rich copper with a one finger tight formed white head that settled into a frothy mass that took quite awhile.Leafy hops and unsweetened oak aromas,I like the fact that wood was added without hefty sweetness.Flavors are somewhat hop muted with leafy hops coming thru,the oak adds some dryness with I notice a light tinge of peppery spice in the finish.Hey its a solid ipa,it wont blow ya away but its complex enough to not take for granted.Hey Rog...Go Blue!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 22:52:41 | More by oberon