10 Barrel Brewing Goes Retro with The Classics Beer Box

With many breweries always chasing the trends it’s a bit refreshing to go back to some of the OGs that turned you on to craft beer. 10 Barrel Brewing has done just that with the release of The Classics Beer Box.

This new variety pack brings back some of the original beers brewed by the Bend, Oregon brewer back in its early days. The Classics Beer Box includes Sinistor Black, OG Wheat, Joe IPA, and Oregon Brown. Many of these beers have not been packaged in many years and are only available in The Classics Beer Box in old school 12oz brown glass bottles. The one exception is Sinistor Black just recently returned in 12oz cans from 10 Barrel.

It’s been nice to re-visit these beers over the past few days. All four offerings still hold up to this day. Our two favorites of the bunch are Oregon Brown with its hop forwardness for a brown ale and OG Wheat with its hoppy, yet refined wheat flavors.

Here are descriptions on all four returning beers as provided by 10 Barrel Brewing.

Sinistor Black – Black Ale (Original Release 2008)
Best described as “the gateway to the dark side,” Sinistor Black boasts a rich black color with all the smoothness of your favorite golden ale. Using a German de-husked black malt to give the beer its obsidian hue without the thickness or bitterness of many traditional dark beers, you’ll notice notes of roasted coffee and chocolate that go down easily regardless of the season or occasion. The result is a light-bodied, unexpectedly mellow black ale that defies all “meal in a can” accusations. 5.7% ABV / 28 IBU

OG Wheat – Wheat IPA (Original Release 2013)
OG Wheat gives props to the original gangsters of the PNW beer scene. Wheat beers and IPA’s tend to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. We beg to differ – this beer combines the best of both worlds. 6.6% ABV / 70 IBU

Joe IPA – West Coast IPA (Original Release 2015)
Loaded with Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic hops, this West Coast IPA was originally going to be named SAM IPA. To avoid any, erm… potentially legal issues, SAM was scrapped in favor of an even more straight forward name. (Re)introducing… JOE. 6.9% ABV / 70 IBU

Oregon Brown – Brown IPA (Original Release 2015)
The traditional brown ale formula needed the 10 Barrel treatment. By adding hops to separate Oregon Brown from the rest, this brown IPA is light, hoppy and marches to the beat of its own drum. 7.0% ABV / 68 IBU

10 Barrel’s The Classics Beer Box retails at $19.99. To locate this new retro variety pack, visit the 10 Barrel Beer Finder.