2nd Annual Hellshire Day & Barrel-Aged Beer Fest and Hellshire V Bottle Release

The 2nd Annual Hellshire Day & Barrel-Aged Festival is upon us. Taking place a month later than its inaugural installment, this year’s festival will be held on Saturday, March 14th at Oakshire Brewing in Eugene’s Fermentation District. Tickets will be available at the door for $25 that includes a tasting glass and 5 drink tickets.

Last year we were fortunate enough to attend the first ever Hellshire Day. We managed our way through the rain filled day by keeping warm with the abundance of rare and sought after barrel aged beers from near and afar.

With less than a month from Hellshire Day & Barrel-Aged Festival its time to make your plans. Beer at this strength requires proper preparation, especially for those traveling from Portland. One option is taking the Bolt Bus or Amtrak for a day trip or looking at the various hotels in Eugene, with many being in walking distance.

The barrel-aged beer line up for Hellshire Day is insane. One of the best we’ve seen here on the west coast. The initial lineup includes Stone, Ecliptic, Haymarket, Three Floyds, Half Acre, Goose Island, Off Color, Revolution, Pipeworks, Perennial, Surly, Trinity, Firestone Walker, Beachwood, Pizza Port, Lost Abbey, Gigantic, Sun King, Naked City, Fremont, Logsdon, Breakside, Fifty Fifty, Hair of the Dog, New Holland, Crooked Stave, Cigar City, Hardywood Park, The Commons, De Garde and many more to be announced.

The beer festival will include offerings from Oakshire’s barrel-aging cellar, as well as dozens of barrel-aged beers from breweries around the country. Sales of 22 oz. wax-dipped Hellshire V bottles will be available at the festival at Oakshire’s Public House, beginning at 11a.m. for $15 each. But you may want to purchase more than one as this year’s bottles will feature two different labels from artist, Sean Äaberg.

Regarding the Hellshire V release, Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk said, “We received some very nice Knob Creek Bourbon barrels at the beginning of the year and formulated a Strong Stout that will marry perfectly with the bourbon and vanilla notes from the barrels. This year’s blend tastes great.”

Here is more from Oakshire’s press release….

Deep within the recesses of the alcoves and antechambers of Oakshire Brewing lies another realm. It’s a place where carefully fermented beers are laid to rest in oaken sarcophagi. They slumber for aeons and emerge as wholly new and unique entities, fueling the malformed creatures that populate those blasted and eldritch wastes. That place is Hellshire.

Hellshire V is a hearty Export-style Stout aged for 9 months in freshly emptied Knob Creek bourbon barrels. Soft vanilla and cocoa notes intertwine with oak, bourbon, and the beer’s complex malt flavors. We’ve aged it for enjoyment now, or cellar it dry and cool for a few. Cheers! Matt Van Wyk, Brewmaster.

Since its birth in the recesses of the Oakshire Brewery, Hellshire has always thrived on a symbiotic relationship with art. Whether it be the art form of barrel aging and blending, the dark magic of dipping a bottle into the perfectly hued wax, or the annual custom label, without art, there is no Hellshire. This year, as always, the illustrations of the talented Sean Äaberg. will mercilessly cling to the bottles of out fifth version of Hellshire. A wicked twist to this year’s incarnation Äaberg will lend TWO of his illustrations to our bottles. In the tradition of variant covers adorning comic book covers, you’ll get the choice between two different labels or you can wisely collect them both.

OG 19.74 IBU 25 ABV 8.3%
Export-Style Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels
Available in 22oz Bottles

The Hellshire Day & Barrel-Aged Beer Fest will include live music by local bands and food served up by local food carts. Entry fee to the festival will be $25 and this  include a commemorative Hellshire V tasting glass and 5 sampling tokens, with more available for purchase.

For the latest festival updates, follow Oakshire on Twitter, Facebook or their website.