Red Oak Big Oak

Brewed by Red Oak Brewery
Style: Vienna
Whitsett, North Carolina USA

Old rating on a crumpled piece of newspaper--somewhere around 2005. I tried to enter this beer as a "Vienna" which is what the rep from the distributor said it was, and I was rejected. Oh well... Draught at the Flying Saucer in downtown Raleigh. Amber-brown body, clear, with a small white head. Aroma is grainy, bready, and somewhat sour. Little caramel, some better malt balance that the "red oak," but still a bit thin at end. Hops are there, but not noticeable. Eh, still not that great, but a big improvement.

Per notes 3/29/05: Pours a ever-so-slightly cloudy amber brown with more emphasis on the amber. A shy cream head disappears to a thin ring of foam. Halfway though the pint the ring is no more and a completely headless beer is before you. Aromas need a little nudging to come out to greet you. Toasted malt, some biscuit, the smallest hint of caramel. As it warms, a fruity yeast tone rises. Malty backbone washes the palate. Biscuity and modestly full. A more pronounced toasted grain feel kicks in post-swallow. A nut character rears its head as it warms. Not quite the "big" beer that Big Oak refers to, but it definitely has more oomph than the Red Oak Amber. And guess what, no sourness! There shall be dancing in the streets! Smooth creamy feel; glides down the throat. Just a token hoppiness to this to provide some semblance of balance, otherwise this is malt-driven. And no sour notes at all. ’bout time!

A decent beer from Red Oak! Yay! This is the souped up version of the normal Red Oak that they make. I think it is around 7% or 8%. Same Coppery sheen. Very reflective and clear as a bell. No head. Nothing. watery surface. nose is very fruity for a lager. Apricots everywhere. Nothing but fruitiness. However clean and not too estery, infact the sweetness from the malt is truly complex and subtle and not just a saccharine wallop. Hops aren’t present. Flavors take in the full orbedness of the fruit adding a little tinge of mintyness. No corny adjunct flavors like with the regualr Red Oak. most impressive, I thought, was the lack of presence in the alcohol. Very smooth. Deceptively good beer.