Judge’s Review: 82 Rating – Three Oaks by Southern Revere Cellars

Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | Special Release | USA

By Sean Coughlin

Judges Rating: 82.00
Aroma: 18.00
Appearance: 5.00
Flavor: 34.00
Mouthfeel: 9.00
Overall Impression: 16.00

Three Oaks by Southern Revere Cellars is being evaluated as a Specialty Wood Aged Beer (2021 BJCP Guidelines, Category 33B) with the base style being an International Dark Lager and specialty considerations of being brewed with wildflower honey and then aged in a bourbon barrel. 
Upon the initial pour, the aroma is fairly pedestrian – some oxidized malt is noticeable but everything is faint overall. A very light oak character emerges after the beer approaches room temperature. No bourbon or honey characteristics are noted in the aroma profile.  
The beer pours a moderately hazy mid-amber with a dense and creamy off-white head that has excellent persistence. The flavor thankfully has a bit more to offer than the aroma; while oxidized bread-like malt is dominant, there is a hint of vanilla and oak that adds some complexity. The honey does not offer any notable flavor but factors into the mouthfeel by adding some alcohol warmth and dryness on the palate due to its high fermentability. Bitterness is well-balanced within the beer and there is an appropriate lack of hop flavor. The richer malt flavors found in this base style such as caramel, molasses, or cocoa are absent and would have been a welcome addition to add some depth of flavor/aroma. Any complex character that may have been present at one point in time has been sadly lost to oxidation.    
Not the greatest candidate of a base style to age in a bourbon barrel, but the results are decent. This beer would have benefited from a shorter aging time in the barrel or finding a way to utilize the honey post-fermentation to feature it.