Few places exemplify complete devotion to Wild Ale brewing and blending like Maine’s Oxbow Brewing. If you haven’t heard of them yet, here a few important things to know:

1. Their mastery of European-style Farmhouse Ales inspired Hop Culture to name them “one of the most highly regarded and well-respected producers not just in the state, but the whole region!”
2. Oxbow crafts everything with ingredients sourced from their rural location in Newcastle. Each bottle is a unique taste of their farmhouse grounds and the “enchanted forests” that surround it.
3. Oxbow brews in EXTREMELY small batches — small pockets around the world do offer their treats, yet they still brew just 5,000 barrels of beer a year. That’s microscopic compared to other famous craft breweries!

And, we can think of no better introduction than a coveted taste of Arboreal. It’s been an Oxbow favorite since the brewery released it in 2011 as their first Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale! 

To make this 2020 Vintage, Oxbow aged their mixed-fermentation Farmhouse Ale base in Jim Beam Bourbon Barrels for an entire year. 

Interestingly, they sourced these barrels from their buddies at Allagash! And, because Allagash had already used them once, Arboreal takes on more neutral oak tones and subtle notes of whiskey caramel.

The legendary brew delivers potent flavors of lemony tartness amid gentle waves of soft vanilla and dried cherry. Hints of barnyard funk appear on the dry, vinous finish, making for a sipper that deserves to be savored.

Rated 4.23 on Untappd; 91/100 on BeerAdvocate

*Thrillist ranks Oxbow as one of the 10 Best Breweries in Portland, Maine, alongside some of the most prolific Wild Ale breweries in the nation!