Dominion Oak Barrel Stout
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
By Oiznop
I have this friend named Bill. Bill is a Budweiser drinker. Strictly Budweiser. Oh sure, sometimes Bill will extend his complacency and order a Milwaukee’s Best or a Meister Brau when he is short on his dough. But for the most part, Bill doesn’t budge from the Budweiser realm. Bill likes to make fun of me and our mutual “quality” beer drinking friends by making comments such as: “Oatmeal? I eat oatmeal for breakfast, I don’t want it in my beer.” Or: “Chocolate, in beer? Why don’t you just order a milkshake?” I guess some people get it, and some don’t. Bill does not seem to realize that there is a world out there beyond the Budweisers, Coors, and Millers on the market. Nor does he appear to understand that there are brewers who use multiple ingredients in their products that exceed the limits of water, grain, hops and yeast. One such suds creation that my friend Bill probably has no intention of trying any time soon is the full flavored and aromatic Dominion Oak Barrel Stout from the Old Dominion Brewing Company.
Founded in 1989 in Ashburn, Virginia, north of the Washington-Dulles International Airport, the Old Dominion Brewing Company is a craft brewer that has established itself as a maker of some very fine malt beverages in a short period of time. Lagers, ales, and seasonal beers complete Old Dominion’s list of exceptional drinks. They include various amber ales, pale ales, gold lagers, and an Irish stout that has nothing to do with our featured refreshment.
Oak Barrel Stout is a complex and unique drinking experience. As a lover of fine stouts, I was intrigued to learn that Oak Barrel’s primary unorthodox ingredient is vanilla and that the two-row pale and Munich malts, among others, are roasted over oak chips. I can hear Bill now. “Vanilla? Roasted over oak chips? What, are you baking cookies?” Not quite, old buddy, but this stout certainly has a pastry like quality to it. The other intriguing characteristic of this stout is that after it has been through the brewing process, Oak Barrel is conditioned and aged in, well, you guessed it, oak barrels, which are normally used for aging bourbon!
The first thing the stout lover will notice after the pour is that Oak Barrel has a very dark black body with a very sub par head for a stout. However, I have to add that the thinner head is more common when it is poured from the bottle, as opposed to being tapped. Fragrant aromas of roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and, of course, vanilla waft from the pint glass and tantalize the nostrils.
On the tongue, Oak Barrel’s silky smooth complexities explode. The distinct vanilla and roasted malt tastes are very prevalent. Varying degrees of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and toffee flavors are ever so noticeable, with tiny hints of raisin included. The oak barrel conditioning gives this stout a whiskey-like and pseudo-smokey biscuit quality, with wood notes (oak, more than likely) in the body.
The mouthfeel is velvety smooth, almost like a milk stout or a Young’s Double Chocolate. The difference is in the aftertaste, which is where the oak chips and the barrel conditioning come into play. As a result of those items blending with the added Perle and Willamette hops, you will notice that Oak Barrel’s finish is semi-dry and slightly bitter, but not objectionable once totally consumed.
Overall, this is an excellent 5.2% ABV stout that comes highly recommended for those who enjoy the style. I suggest that you seek this one out on tap instead of from the bottle. The complex flavors come out more, and the mocha like head is fuller and creamier when extracted from the keg. Dominion Oak Barrel makes for a good match to hearty meals that include various beef dishes, but more so, it is a perfect desert drink to imbibe with a hunk of black forest cake or a piece of chocolate pie. If a heartily sweet, yet subtly woody stout is what you crave, you can’t go wrong with Old Dominion’s Oak Barrel Stout. Again, I can hear Bill: “Woody? Did they grind sawdust into the brew kettle?”
