Oskar Blues started out in 1997 in Lyon, Colorado as a Brew Pub/Restaurant. In 1999 Dale Katechis began brewing and experimenting in the basement of his restaurant. By 2002 Dale and company were starting to can the sacred liquid and establish a craft name for themselves in the region. Being one of the first few craft breweries to only can their beers, they tap into a niche group of folks, especially the outdoor lovers. Likely most well known for their Dale’s Pale Ale, Oskar Blues has a wide spectrum of brews that are all fan favorites. 

In 2012 Oskar Blues opened up their satellite East coast location right in the heart of Appalachia – Brevard, North Carolina. A mere 30 minute drive from Asheville 🙂 … We were able to visit the tasting room about a month ago, so awesome to be that close to the action. Oskar Blues ranks within the top 25 of beer sales volume in the United States. This beer is a brand new one from them and was really pleased to hear they started brewing in the Brevard location. The IPA is using 4 strains of Australian hops and could be considered on the sessionable side, coming in at 6.43 ABV. Enough with the talking, let’s get on with the review. 

Oskar Blues Brewery – IPA (canned on 8.18.2015 #superfresh #captainpicard) coming in at 6.43% ABV, brewed in Brevard, NC.

Served in my Sauvin glass made by The Pretentious Beer Glass Company. 

Appearance: golden in color, super clear clarity, nice carbonation throughout the tasting and sizable hiss when cracking open the can, render a finger and half of cloud white head

Aroma: huge notes of piney resin, citrus of some sort, bitter citrus rind, pineapple, pungent aroma of big hops, hints of grapefruit, and some melon

Mouthfeel: medium body IPA, huge immediate hit of hops and pine flavor, coats pallet and mouth, and nice carbonation

Taste: hops, citrus overload, some melon, maybe some mango, clean and fresh taste, grapefruit, tropical fruits, nice rounded/balanced biscuit malt, crisp/sharp hot notes throughout

Finish: clean and crisp finish, hops linger around for a while after the tasting, coming in at 6.43% ABV this is a super sessional beer, well balanced beer and super fresh tasting

Overall: 8.2/10

Another great beer from Oskar Blues, and a great canned IPA at that. Extremely fresh (just over 10 days old). This is a perfect beer for hiking or river tubing, and tied into their motto of ‘pack it in, pack it out’. Hops and tropical fruits were killer and with a nice subtle malt backbone this beer was very well balanced. Overall I was really pleased with this beer and will definitely buy more, especially for a camping or hiking trip.

Thanks for reading. Cheers!