Oskar Blues Brewery
Longmont, CO
Available: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
This beer is intended to be a sensory assault for hop lovers. At 8% ABV, four hop additions during the brewing process, and a final wallop of excessive Columbus dry hopping, this beer is meant to say one thing: MORE HOPS! Perfect for cool nights.
ABV: 8.0
ABW: 6.4
Color: 17
Bitterness: 70
Original gravity: 19.5
India Pale Ale in a can—what would the punka wallahs have made of that? The 8% beer has a pale copper color and deep foam, with a lush aroma of fresh hop resins, lightly toasted malt, bitter oranges and a hint of butterscotch. Bittersweet malt and tart fruit dominate the palate with a solid backbone of bitter, piny hops. The finish is long, dry and bitter but with a fine balance of juicy malt and citrus fruit. A wonderfully refreshing and beautifully balanced beer.
Well, this is a new one; I’ve drunk beer from many unmarked bottles, but never an unmarked can. The beer has a full orange color and raises a rocky pale head. Minty hops rise from the glass, showing notes of eucalyptus and sage. The bitterness is sharp up front, pushing into astringency, before the fruity malt core emerges in the center. Minerally hops and fruit move together into the long hoppy finish. Perhaps slightly coarse around the edges, but just the thing to tame a fiery lamb vindaloo.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
