Four Roses announced on Tuesday that the brand partnered up with New Belgium to unveil Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale. The legendary whiskey brand refers to the collaboration as “the beer for bourbon lovers.”
For the release, Four Roses sources oak chips from the inside of its charred bourbon barrels. The caramelized wood sugars imbue the beer with aromas of vanilla, toffee, and brown sugar. The New Belgium team added the wood chips to custom-made stainless steel vessels used for aging the beer. The brand additionally sources oak spirals from a barrel maker in Minnesota and then soaks them in Four Roses bourbon before subsequently adding them to the tanks.
Interested parties can pick up the ale at New Belgium’s Liquid Centers in Asheville, North Carolina and Fort Collins, Colorado.
New Belgium shares that the “fan favorite” beer’s origins go back to the holiday season of 2018. Four Roses joined forces with the craft beer brand known for the ever-popular beer, Fat Tire, for the 2025 release, sensing an opportunity to use the distillery’s fruity and spicy bourbons. New Belgium shares that Oakspire boasts an ABV of 9%. The brewery used ale yeast and Nugget and Sabro hops to give it a spicy kick. New Belgium chose to use Pale, Munich, Caramel 80, Rye, and Roasted Barley malt in the beer, and the final beer possesses a relatively modest IBU of 27.
2025 Marks a Return to Form For Four Roses
In August, Four Roses dropped its highly coveted Limited Edition Small Batch. The brand’s Master Distiller, Brent Elliott, claimed that the 2025 Edition of the brand’s Limited Edition Small Batch signified a return to form for the brand and featured a more classic profile. Elliott claims that this year’s release features Four Roses’ signature interplay between fruit and oak, offering up a sweeter profile.
“I think this one’s really going to speak to people who enjoy the core Four Roses flavor,” Elliott explained in a statement. “It’s kind of an homage to that classic profile — and I think it really captures that.”
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