Rating: 5.25/5

2011 Hellshire I by Oakshire brewing is a 10% ABV Barleywine aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 10 months and now bottle aged for 3+ years.

Label:
Deep within the recesses of the alcoves and antechambers of Oakshire Brewing lies another realm. It’s a place where beers are carefully laid to rest in oaken sarcophagi. They slumber for aeons and emerge as wholly new and unique entities, fueling the malformed creatures that populate those blasted and eldritch wastes. That place is HELLSHIRE. Hellshire I is an American Barley Wine Ale aged for nearly nine months in freshly emptied Bourbon barrels. Notes of vanilla, coconut, oak and bourbon intertwine with the beer’s complex malt and hop character. It’s ready to enjoy now or can be cellared, cool and dry for several years.
___

Long ago, I traded for this beer. I wanted to save one for cellaring and the other was reviewed in 2012. I decided to wait 3 years before trying this one again to see how it had changed. It seems that the beer has matured plenty and I wanted to give it a go since I had already tried the Hellshire III before. The only way to get this beer now is on online auctions or trading. I can somewhat recall what the experience with this one was like back in 2012 but I can only assume. Either way, I brought it back from the depths of NubiSanctum hell cellar to see the light again. Damn was Hellshire mad or what?! Either way, here we go!

Aromas:
Old Dark fruit forward like prunes, raisins, brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, musty oak, bourbon, toffee, fancy wine and cheese, old mango, old oranges, oatmeal, pecan pie, hazelnut, molasses, coffee cake, butterscotch, toasted coconut, rye bread, nutella notes, dark chocolate and maple syrup.

Flavors:
Dark fruits like prunes, raisins, figs, maple syrup, cherries, Caramel, Rye bread, coconut, vanilla, earthy notes, musty oak notes, bourbon notes, oatmeal, hazelnut, pecan pie, fancy wine and cheese party funky hints, rich pecan pie, toffee, pralines, old oranges, old mango, butterscotch, coffee cake, nutella hints, molasses, brown sugar, almond joy and dark chocolate notes.

Aftertaste:
Old Oranges,rye bread, nutella hints, caramel, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, earthy and musty notes linger for a bit. No alcohol in the taste. Age has made this one smooth, medium to full body, mildy syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall:
Age has made this one very awesome . It reminds me a lot of the Stone Bastard in the Rye but with a dark fruit and caramel forward flavor profile than the hidden hop notes found in the fresh Stone one. It also reminds me of the Barrel Aged Blockhead Doppelbock from the Coney Island Series. Would I recommend this one? Yes!! It really gets better with age or at least at this point, aging has done this one some crazy magic. If it is hard to believe this is still 10% ABV, Call it an 11% better.

Anime/Comic Corner:
Mystique from Marvel’s Xmen as well as her posing as Ms. Marvel was used in this pairing since the original time I used her was when I posted my first try at Hellshire. She pairs well with the label as well as the aspect of the beer history in terms of her appearance of death and hell. The colors she represents pair well with the colors of the beer label as well as some of the flavors including the dark fruit, caramel, red wine, and citrus and mango.

Sources:
http://thequarterbin.com/wp-content/uploads/76_ms__marvel_48.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5ov8jjewq1rydvyko1_1280.jpg