Last night at Barley’s we had a flight of Oskar Blues beers that had been aged in Stranahan’s whiskey barrels and served from casks: Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Old Chub and Ten Fidy.

If you have never had a barrel-aged beer, or a beer served from a cask, please, I beg you, find a cask night or a barrel-aged beer at a fancy beer store and drink it. It will change your life.

Now, I’m a huge fan of Oskar Blues regular selections. I think Dale’s Pale is a staple for any session or camping trip, and Old Chub is one of my favorite choices when I’m looking for something sweet and malty. The whiskey oak-aged versions of these beers did not disappoint. They were delicious.

Mama’s Little Yella Pils

I started with the Mama’s Little Yella Pils. This was a very unique selection, as I’d never had a barrel-aged pilsner before.

The whiskey aroma was dominant, but more of the oak came through in the flavor. I would not have guessed this was a pilsner. It was a very tasty and unique combination.

My only criticism is that the body seemed a bit watery. The regular Yella Pils has a nice body and mouthfeel, so my only thought is that this was due to the cask. Either way, it was tasty and I wouldn’t call it a failure.

Old Chub

The Old Chub was the opposite of the Yella Pils. I noticed a lot of the oak in the aroma, but the whiskey came through wonderfully in the flavor.

Perhaps from the combination of malt, oak and whiskey, but I tasted a banana malt milkshake thing going on. It was smooth and delicious.

Ten Fidy

The barrel-aged Ten Fidy was a huge malt bomb wrought with whiskey and oak aromas. It was sweet, bready and smooth. Excellent, although if I had another, it may have put me on another planet.

My choice for best of the night was the Old Chub. It was somewhere in between the Yella Pils and Ten Fidy in terms of intensity and body, which made it a very smooth drink. The flavor was simply amazing. That’s the kind of beer that I could nip on all night.