In 2006, Jeff and Chris Althouse were the only employees at their newly founded Willamette Brewery in Eugene, Oregon. The Althouses brewed 300 barrels that year, far short of what they’d eventually brew after 2008 when they converted Willamette Brewery into Oakshire Brewing. The name Oakshire embodies the strength of an oak and the connection between people and place, which is a shire, an old name for a rural county. Oakshire operates a small, 4,000-square-foot production brewery in Northwest Eugene, the Oakshire Public House in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood, and the Oakshire Beer Hall in the Concordia/Cully neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Oakshire dropped a bunch of beer on Peaks & Pints’ doorstep; it was time for a flight. Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Oakshire is on!
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Oakshire
Oakshire Visit Ireland
5% ABV
Visit Ireland is a crisp and refreshing Irish-style lager that pays homage to Ireland’s long brewing history. Pouring a clear gold, it has a light, balanced body with a touch of citrus and spice from German hops, finishing clean and smooth.
Oakshire Overcast Café: Mexican Mocha
8.2% ABV
Oakshire’s love letter to one of its coffee house favorites, the luxuriously creamy and complex Overcast Café: Mexican Mocha stout features their signature Overcast espresso blend, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao nibs, plus a subtle kick from a few spicy peppers. The initial aroma of coffee and chocolate transitions into a smooth vanilla flavor, finishing with a pleasing spicy heat.
Oakshire Dark Umbra: Black IPA
6.8% ABV
This black IPA challenges expectations, appearing like a stout but drinking like an IPA, delivering bold, hop-forward flavors without a strong roast character. It’s brewed with 2-row barley and buckets of oats to enhance mouthfeel. Then, Oakshire incorporated Carafa Special 3, a dark malt made from de-husked barley., This malt offers color by contributing excessive roast character or dark malt bitterness. Simcoe, Citra, and CTZ hops provide an aromatic blend of citrus, pine, tropical fruit, and dank hop character.
Oakshire The Perfect Storm
8.6% ABV
This double IPA is brewed with Flex hop oil for bittering, followed by a heavy dose of CTZ at flameout. The whirlpool sees a heaping amount of Simcoe and Mosaic hops hop oil to get those fruity notes to pop. After fermentation with its house yeast, Oakshire adds a three-stage dry hop combination of Simcoe, CTZ, and Idaho Gem. Expect notes of citrus, cannabis, pine, resin, berry, bubble gum, tropical fruit, and dankness.
Oakshire Hellshire XIV
14.5% ABV
Enveloped in shadows, Oakshire Brewing‘s Hellshire XIV is a Russian imperial stout brewed with Chocolate Rye, Crisp Black malts, and Crisp Roasted Barley, then aged in freshly emptied 6-year-old Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels for a year. Expect layers of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and hints of caramelized sugar on the nose. The taste is a complex blend of rich malt sweetness, dark fruits, and deep, roasted notes of espresso and dark cocoa. The full-bodied mouthfeel is velvety, with slight bitterness from the roasted malts that balance the stout’s caramel undertones.
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