Review: Oskar Blues Brewery's Deviant Dale's IPA

Brewery:  Oskar Blues Brewery

Locale:  Expanded to Longmont, CO

Craft Circa: 1999

Style:  American IPA

ABV:  8%

IBUs:  85

Notables:  2011 GABF Silver Medal Winner American India Pale Ale Category

Label:  The label is defiant and brushes off the idea you are about to sip something mysterious and satanic.  It is the color of the devils, THE DEVILS!  The can proclaims “Let’s sling a little mud, girl - - Sippin’ on a tall boy” which are lyrics from a Widespread Panic song “Tall Boy.”  Nice association. 

Overall:  When I get together with buddies back home, at least one of them brings some Dale’s Pale Ale with them to throw into the mix.  It’s Oskar’s flagship beer, and a nice staple to have for just about any occasion.  It’s not a personal choice of mine, but I have no problems with the beer, and it’s quite good by can standards.  With that said, I’m always looking for a bit more bite when it comes to ales, and I was excited to come across this at the local grocer, and give it a chance in the pitching rotation.   I was hoping maybe this can was indicating Dale was in fact being deviant, smuggled across some illegal suped hops from a foreign land, went to his laboratory and built a concoction that would blow Oskar pale ale lovers out of the water like a mad scientist.

The brew pours very nicely, looking like a cumulus cloud floating above ale.  The aroma is nice, but nothing jumps out at you.  The beer in fact came off more caramel than anything else; we’ll go with chewy caramel to an extent.  Any floral notes that try to sound off are shhh’d like a jackass at a movie theater.  The brew pours nicely, has nice head, and comes off shining copper like a penny.  I would probably bucket this as a fall seasonal IPA as it has amber characteristics along with the strong malt presence.  It comes off silky smooth, with mellow sugars killing any bitterness that may be hiding within the can. 

Those are quality features in a beer, but I look for a little more bite with an IPA.  It’s a decent beer but was hoping for more. There are too many can aspects bringing this beer down, including aluminum or metallic hints in the flavor.  This year actually marks Oskar’s 10 year CANniversary.  What’s with the can though on all their products?  According to their website, they thought the idea of their big luscious pale in a can was hilarious, and continued with it.  They claim their cans are modern, and lined with a water-based coating so beer and metal never touch, with no exchange of metallic flavor.  Shows you how much I know.  All that aluminum hint I was picking up must have been psychological. 

Either way, overall I give this beer a resounding m’eh.  Despite the higher ABV, the ale does come off surprisingly lighter, and lacks the mouth feel you get from typical IPAs.  A tad pricey for a 4 pack of tall boys as well.  There are plenty more IPAs out there with a  hop malt balance I seek at a much better price. 

Acquisition:  4 pack of tall boys - $14

Windfall:  I was really hoping to like this beer because during my mini research session, the more I was reading about the brewery the more I liked it.  They have a persona and attitude about them that intrigues me.  I would even categorize this brewery as having a cult following.  They definitely have their hardcore patrons, as I know a couple of them.   More importantly however, they also dig giving back to the community they live and work in. 

We all know that 2012 has been a rough year for Colorado, including wildfires among other things.  Oskar Blues Brewery has and continues to do their part in giving back to the community that helped them get to where they are today.  This includes a tap take over even in the Chicago area at a couple fine establishments including one of my personal favorites Fountainhead with proceeds going to wildfire victims. 

So keep a look out for local tap take overs in your area, or if you care to partner with Oskar on a cause, feel free to check out their donation and partnership page for more information.  It’s a win-win.  Good beer, good cause.

~gY

Review: Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi

Brewery:  Ska Brewing

Locale:  Durango, CO

Craft Circa:  1995

Style:  American IPA

ABV:  6.8%

IBUs:  65

Notables:  Website indicates this is also available in bottle, but I have only seen Ska in can form.

Label:  I love it.  Love the play on modus operandi, love Pinstripe the villain, and the story behind their Legion of Ska.   



Ska Brewing website.

Overall:   I thought I was pretty certain a while back that I had this brew at a bar, late in the evening, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, disregarding it quickly.  Now looking back after trying it with a clean palate, I am figuring I must have been hammered.  I was going into this with low expectations and this beer simply put me in my place. 

I really enjoyed the brew.  It has a unique trait compared to other IPAs in that it doesn’t kick you off your stool like some hopped up brews can do to you; but instead, it coats the palate, and wears on you slowly like an anaconda preparing dinner.  There is less carbonation than just about any other IPA I can recall, and maybe that is why it came off so poorly mixing it with other IPAs while out and about. 

Modus operandi per wiki is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as “method of operation”, detailing someone’s habits or method of working.  In essence, one’s M.O.   Appropriate given that IPA appears to be one of Ska’s M.O.  It’s a quality brew, and the more you savor it, the more you want to take down.  Quite smooth, some pine, nice dose of citrus, it’s a great rapport. 

Have to steal this from the Ska Brewing website, because I like the analogy:  “A mix of citrus and pine that will remind you of the time you went on a vision quest with Native American cousin and woke up in a pine-grove full of grapefruit trees.”  Throw in Jim Morrison and you got yourself one hell of a dream sequence.

Hard to imagine this quality brew came from a can, and even more impressive is that I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Cans are not my M.O. but glad to see Ska provided some hope for the IPAs behind aluminum walls out there. 

Acquisition:  6 pack canned - $9

~gY

Review: Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Brewery:  Half Acre Beer Company

Locale:  North Center, Chicago, IL

Craft Circa:  2006

Style:  Pale Ale

ABV:  5.2%

Notables:  Chicago Reader “Best Local Brew” 2012

  

Label:  Wonderful name and label.  With a name like Daisy Cutter, you expect some twisted variation that will prove to be a stable and memorable beer.

Overall:   The beer smells a tad ragged, and the taste disappoints even more.  It’s rare I struggle to finish a brew, but for some reason, this one gives me a challenge.  I’ve had this beer a few times under different circumstances.  I’ve consumed this ale in a can, had it on tap, tried it with a fresh palate, as well as after multiple beers…  I just cannot find an instance that this beer is any good.  It’s a shame and there are a few close pals that will disagree with me, and order it voluntarily while out, but I do not wish this beer to reserve shelf space in my fridge.  The “No Vacancy” sign goes up. 

The big surprise is the fact that it’s advertised as “pale ale”.  Pale ales should no way be as bitter, sour, and rough as this one.  Any pale ale that would enter the party with this type of pins and needles pour should back it up with flavor, which this fails to do as well.  Help me out Chicago… I just don’t get it.  This beer was rated best local brew among a lot of great beers here in Chicago?  Is it this disturbing hipster trend of canning beer a la “PBR”?  It’s just not good, no matter the medium of delivery. 

Honestly craft lovers…. Help a reviewer out.

B&B is mystified by the recognition Daisy Cutter receives.  Help us understand, supply comments below.  As far as we are concerned this ale deserves a big ‘ol “Mr. Yuk” sticker on the label.

Acquisition:  4-pack canned ~ $9

Windfall:  Mr. Yuk is a graphic image created by the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh conceived to help children learn to avoid ingesting harmful liquids.  The concept was for parents, guardians, and caregivers to place these stickers on household items to warn children of its danger.  The original design of Mr. Yuk entailed skull and crossbones but it was soon realized that the design was not terribly helpful.  This due to the fact that there was too much of a resemblance to the local baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and their Jolly Roger flag that was flown often to symbolize fan support.

~gY

Review: Wild Onion Summer Wit

Brewery:  Wild Onion Brewing Co.
Locale:  Barrington, IL (Chicagoland)

Craft Circa:  1996

Style:  Belgian White

ABV:  4.2%

IBUs:  13

Label:  Misleading.  The can could easily be mistaken for an Orange Faygo in the fridge. 

Overall:   Wanted to go with the Hop Slayer, which is another Wild Onion Brew.  That brew jumped out at me because I prefer the hops, but I will save that for when the weather drops a little.  Due to the unpleasantness that this summer has provided thus far, I went with the summer seasonal. Per Wild Onion, their warm weather seasonal is perfect for enjoying the long-awaited days of spring and summer. This Belgian-style White Ale is traditionally brewed with a large dose of wheat malt and a splash of coriander and orange peel.

There WAS orange right off the bat, a little sour mash to an extent as well.  Although the initial tang was immediate, it was one dimensional and ran off like a thief in the night.  The tip of the tongue enjoyed it.  The rest of the mouth didn’t know it was there.  The brew dissipates on the palate.  It’s nowhere to be found after the initial taste.  An optical illusion of what seems to be a refreshing summer beer. 

I’ll pass.

Acquisition:  4 pack of Cans - $9

Tidbits:  Speaking of oranges, no words in the English language rhyme with orange.  Same goes for silver and purple.

~gY