Tap Handle #665: Evans Brewing - Oaklore Brown Ale

Tap size:  11.5"
Rarity:  less than 10 seen
Mounting:  3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

This is the third in a series of 4 Evans taps I'm profiling. Oaklore is really cool, with the appearance of a hewn log and two small guys sitting on top of the log. The detail on the log, specifically the rough texture that resembles bark, is phenomenal, not to mention the saw cuts on the side and the growth rings on the cut branch. Like the other Evans taps, it features the brewery name on a sign and the beer name carved into the upper part of the tap. The two lumberjacks on top are not quite as detailed as the log - they are more like caricatures. I did actually see one of these taps on the secondary market once, and it sold for a lot of money.

For more about Evans Brewing, see this post.

Click through to read more about Evans Brewing's Oaklore Brown Ale and to see more photos of this majestic tap...

This beer surprises everyone who first tries it. It has a silky caramel smoothness but is also malt forward with hints of vanilla and chocolate flavors. The sweet aroma derives from the French and American oak chips used post fermentation. According to "Oaklore," Orange County was originally covered in giant sequoias and oak trees. Loggers naively chopped down trees to make lumber and oak beer mugs. Eventually, seeing an abundance of lumber and a lack of trees, they planted orange groves, figuring harvesting oranges would be much easier than chopping trees down all day long. The orange groves flourished, and the area eventually became known as Orange County. Brewed to lumberjack standards, this brown ale is aged on oak chips, giving its caramel and nutty body a sweet hint of vanilla and oak aroma. Oaklore won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Beer Awards.

Ratebeer weighted average:  2.99 out of 5

Beer Advocate:  3.15 out of 5