As my roommates and I were struggling through the cold weather that hit Colby last week, we brainstormed how we could combat the feeling of being chilled to the bone. While those kinds of conditions are suitably called “bourbon weather,”–a spirit which would have been a great weapon against the cold–we had to find other options due to certain extenuating circumstances.
As a result, we were inspired to make the twenty minute journey to Oak Pond Brewery in Skowhegan and buy ourselves a couple of growlers.

The first beer that we tasted was the Storyteller Doppelbock, OPB’s winter season selection. The dark, malty color instantly gave us the sense that this was going to be exactly the kind of beer that was going to taste great on a chilly eve.

After driving back to campus, we were finally able to relent to temptation and poured ourselves a glass. The fruits of our labors were most certainly worth it.
The Doppelbock has a nice heavy body to it, giving it an almost syrupy texture. The initial taste has a tangy touch, but after it soaks into the palette, the taste comes in and settles down real smooth.

The Doppelback hits the drinker with a nutty, robust flavor. The OPB website says, “Like a good tale told before the warm hearth as the sun burns down the day, the nutty and toasted flavors of this brew ease the transition from hectic day to satisfied night.”

Scott Hill ’11 echoed this sentiment, saying “This is the kind of beer that I would imagine drinking in my study, sitting on a leather chair next to a roaring fire place, and eating a hearty stew.” In other words, the Storyteller Doppelbock was the exact thing that we were looking for to remedy our cold weather ails.

Our next sampling was the White Fox Ale, OPB’s take on the Indian Pale Ale. This was a vast departure from the Storyteller.

While the Storyteller is dark and malty, the White Fox is light in color and very hoppy, giving it the slightly bitter taste that IPA fanatics fiend for. The taste of the White Fox is actually very similar to that of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, but with a slightly more bitter finish to it, which I was a huge fan of.

In the words of Theo Papademetriou ’11, the White Fox is “a light, upbeat beer with a lot of flavor: perfect for the start of an evening.” Whereas the Storyteller was heavy, the White Fox had a lighter body that made it possible to drink all night. Its light quality also meant that  it was a great beer to drink to while recalling the delightful, bright spring days that are (hopefully) coming just around the corner.

Both of these offerings were delicious, and at $9.50 per growler, they were also very reasonably priced. If you get a chance to make that trek to 101 Oak Pond Road, it is well worth it.