Four Roses Distillery and New Belgium Brewing have once again joined forces for the return of Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale — the beer for bourbon lovers — available now for a limited time at select retailers nationwide.

This highly anticipated annual release blends the craftsmanship of both brands, combining Four Roses’ signature mellow spice with New Belgium’s long history of craft beer innovation and excellence. The two have worked together for years to perfect the following process:

• Four Roses collects charred oak chips from inside their bourbon barrels, which contain caramelized wood sugars that add notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and toffee, and add color to the whiskey while it ages.
• A barrel maker in Minnesota toasts a custom blend of oak spirals which are then soaked in Four Roses’ bourbon.
• New Belgium Brewing‘s master brewing engineers spent months figuring out exactly how to construct a series of custom, stainless-steel vessels to hold the charred oak and wood spirals to infuse the beer.
• New Belgium’s high-rye base ale is circulated through these vessels during maturation, imparting the beautiful flavor notes from the charred oak and bourbon-soaked spirals.

A true collaboration from barrel to bottle, the result is a beer that continues to blur the lines between two beloved crafts and has earned a cult following since its debut.

Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale is available at New Belgium Brewery’s Liquid Centers in Fort Collins and Asheville, at the Four Roses Visitor Centers in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, KY, and at select retailers nationwide.

Read more: Four Roses Releases Annual Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon

About Four Roses Distillery

Established in 1888, Four Roses combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to distill and age 10 distinct bourbon recipes, each with its own unique flavor profile. With distilling and warehousing operations in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, Kentucky, respectively, Four Roses is available in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.fourrosesbourbon.com.