Samuel Adams Mighty Oak Ale
Samuel Adams Mighty Oak Ale is the winner of our 2011 Beer Lover’s Choice® campaign. This brew combines the malty sweetness of an ale with the complexity of oak aging for an overall well-balanced beer. The aroma has a subtle earthiness from the UK hops, while distinct notes of oak come through in the flavor of this amber brew. The vanilla and caramel oak character is balanced by the sweetness and subtle roastiness of our blend of malts for a smooth dry finish.
3.1
200 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Color is amber like good old normal sam adams. Aroma is caramel and vanilla oak with bread dough. Taste is light wood and sweetness and slight bourbon finish. A medium body with medium carbonation. Good to see a wood aged beer that is mild.
A - Pours a fairly clear amber-red with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving bedhind some light lace.
S - Aroma is a mix of toasted and caramelized malts with some vanilla, oak, and a touch of dark fruit.
T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramelized malts with some light vanilla, and a touch of noble hop. Through the middle, some oak comes through with a touch of dark fruit. The finish is a mix of toasted caramelzied malts with some vanilla, oak, and earthy flavors.
M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and oaky finish.
D - Very drinkable. Pretty good amber ale with the oak flavor adding some complexity. A bit off balanced though.
12 oz bottle. Pours a dark reddish amber with a large off-white quickly vanishing head. It has a doughy aroma with maybe a little oak. I taste caramel, vanilla, resin, oak, bread & cereal. There are a lot of tastes in this beer but they blend well, with none of the individual tastes standing out too much. I’d drink this one again.
This is a great ale. Nice rich color, dark copper like; aroma is deep, the oak is very pleasant and the finish is good. Def. a top choice if you can find it when it’s available.
Caramel on the nose, malty caramel definitely in the flavor. Decently full beer. Don’t taste the oak, but it is a bit dry. A bit one dimensionl, somewhat lacking in depth. Still, a pretty solid beer.
Pours a cloudy amber with a white head. Aroma is a nice combo of wood and vanilla. Flavor is really dominated by vanilla, but also has hints of oak and maple. Very nice offering. Much better than I expected from Sam Adams.
Pours as nice copper color with a decent head that dissipates quickly. Initial flavor is sweet with a nice oaky flavor following. Aroma is sweet but not much else. Palate is clean and slightly fizzy. Like many Sam Adams beers, this is a good everyday session beer or something to enjoy with a meal. Might Oak Ale is interesting but not overly special.
Bottblw from Wegman’s leesburg. Pours brown with a thin khaki head. Slight int of oak on the nose which quickly fades into a maltiness. Taste is fairly sweet and one note. Finishes clean. Did this stuff age in oak or just graze the surface?
Taste is wood, hay, malt, hops and tree bark. Hell, this one is all over the map, kinda like a beer dreamed up in a junk yard. Still, not so bad.
Draft @ Portsmouth Gas Light Co. Nose of Caramel malt and wood. Very much identical to the brewers description. Malty caramel, sweet bread with the oak noticeable throughout the sip. Hops do show up however I never would have known they are “British” Carbonation gives you a lively mouthfeel. Body being on lighter side of medium. Creamy texture. Nothing you have to go out of your way for but still nice overall.
Found this left over from SA’s spring pack. Pours a clear amber, small white head. Aroma of caramel sweetness mostly, some vanilla and oak. On tasting the vanilla and oak stand out more. A little on the sweet side but not bad, would drink again.
bottle - Pours clear amber with a small off-white head. The aroma is mainly caramel malt. It tastes very sweet with caramel, a touch of vanilla, and maybe some subtle oak. There’s slight bitterness in the finish. This brew is mostly a sweet one though. Medium bodied. Okay.
Fizzy quick dissipating beige head. Burgundy colored and clear. Smell is caramel, sweet, very fruity, apples, and warm fermentation. The taste is overly sweet, fruity, apples, a little oak.
Poured copper in color with a thin, flat head. Aroma is faint biscuit and toast. Taste is wood and bread with a subtle sweetness on the tip of the tongue.
Big fan of oak aged beers and I think this is a good version from Sam Adams. Found this one in armed’s fridge on the first night of our annual golf trip. Dark mahogany color with a solid mocha colored head. Very malty taste with lots of caramel and vanilla. The oak flavor lingers on the palate - very solid enjoyable beer.
Reddish-brown in color, nice head. Caramel malt aroma but its pretty faint. A little wood too. Taste is lots of caramel malt like a scotch ale. Some hints of wood too. I was expected more. Ok beer.
Bottle in a mixed 12 pack. I am looking forward to the mighty oak! Pour has a light red amber color and a thin covering of off white head. Aroma has sweet malt, dusty hops, vanilla, and as I stretch the imagination a bit there it is the oak goodness. Mouth feel is light but not without body and the carbonation average. Flavor is where the barrel kicks in! Nice malty richness, plenty of sweetness, caramel, earthy hops, and there truly is some light vanilla with oak. Not really a mighty oak but it was enjoyable and I appreciate them playing with oak on this type of scale.
12oz bottle poured into a shaker. Pours a clear copper with about a finger of off-white head. Aroma of bready malt with a little vanilla and dark fruit. Not sure if I can smell the oak in there or not. Taste is light bitter and very lightly sweet. Bready caramel malt with a little vanilla and dark fruit. I think I just get the hint of oak in the very end of the finish. Medium-full bodied with a somewhat thick texture. Lively carbonation and a decently long finish. Overall, not bad. I got this one for free so I can’t complain too much, but it is nothing I would seek out.
wow. its been a long time since sam adams has come out with something that has impressed me. this one was above and beyond. toasty caramel aroma, slight brown sugar and dark breadiness with some butterscotch notes. very cream finish. really nice.
12 oz. bottle. Pours a dark red-brown with a small tan head that disappears quickly. Aroma is fairly muted, very sweet, generically malty, just a hint of hops. Flavor is only slightly more apparent, again quite sweet, a little watery tasting, the oak comes through a bit with some dryness. Some mustiness from the hops does show up towards the finish, which also has a hint of the oak again. All in all a very average beer, with very little of the oak showing. The palate is a bit watery, but very nice with the light carbonation.
Decent malty ale, couldn’t taste the oak-aged bit. Not something I’d go out of my way to drink again.
Delicious oak ale from the Spring collection. Very evident oak flavors from the aging and hints of floral and vanilla. Wouldn’t mind picking this up in a 6-pack
Light sweet hoppy aroma, sweet beginning with cherry and caramel finish, lightly carbonated and wet mouth feel. A very drinkable beer but maybe a bit too sweet.
Bottle. Aroma is very malty with some brown sugar and caramel. Palate is light finishing dry. Taste is alot less sweet than the aroma let on.
drank on 2/02/12 in a Sam glass. Pours a clear amber; nose is slight, malty; solid malty ale, a bit of maple, no hops bite at all
Aroma has malt, and a little vanilla, and a lot of wood--overall, it’s a little on the harsh side. Flavor starts out sweet and malty with caramel and vanilla, like a really good amber. Again, somewhat harsh wood flavor dominates the finish. A little better balance and this would have been a great beer.
Bottle (best by Jun 12). Poured copper with a quick off-white head. Aroma of caramel, vanilla, and hints of toasted malt and oak. The flavor found dark fruits and vanilla. Medium body and sweet.
Finally a Sam Adams product I enjoy. The amber color is matched with a modest head. It had a lightly, sweet taste with a smooth earthy finish. An enjoyable ale.
I don’t really know what the deal is with Sam Adams Mighty Oak ale. Maybe it’s aged in oak barrels. Maybe it’s cooked over an oak fire. Maybe it’s filtered through the beards of the Oak Ridge Boys. I don’t know. I don’t care. Whatever. I can say, though, that Sam Adams still hasn’t let me down. I’ve had Adams brews that I thought were only OK, but never one that I thought was bad. This one is better than OK. It’s an ale that I’d describe as hearty, with a lot of rich, malty flavor and just enough hops to satisfy hops fans. I didn’t pick up on any ancillary flavors, but for all I know, oak trees taste exactly like this. If so, oak trees taste pretty good.
I can easily taste the vanilla, and they used UK hops which makes me feel cultured.