Oskar Blues Brewery, the folks who brought us Dale’s Pale Ale in a can back in 2002, have expanded from a small Colorado brewery and become fairly large and well known. They now have opened two additional breweries to meet demand. Even if you don’t recognize the name you will probably know Dale’s Pale Ale. Well, that isn’t the only beer they brew. In fact, it isn’t the only Pale Ale Oskar Blues brews. Up for review today is their Oskar Blues IPA.
Oskar Blues IPA pours a honey-golden yellow with a thick, white foamy head that stood about two fingers tall at its height. It has a nice aroma of hops, a little malt, and a fruit that I’m pretty sure is pineapple. It really is a unique fruit aroma for an IPA and is making me want a sip to find out what is causing that fruit smell. Some bubbles can be seen but it doesn’t appear to be an overly carbonated beer. It looks and smells inviting.
The first sip starts with a little malt. That is very quickly followed by a note of fruit, like pineapple and raspberry. There is a little sweetness and little tang to the fruit. Pineapple and raspberry are the two that come to mind. The fruit is mellowly followed by the bitterness of the hops. You would almost expect the hops to hit you hard after the fruit but that just isn’t the case. It’s a smooth transition. The mouthfeel of the brew is a light to medium body. It finishes dry with the bitterness of the hops hitting your tongue and reminding you that you just sipped an IPA.
The beer has kept its consistency throughout the session. There were no surprises. The glass laced very nicely, like that doily on your grandmother’s side table. The fruit never varied and every sip was smooth and rewarding.
Overall, this is a good India Pale Ale. It doesn’t have the citrus bite that many IPAs have and instead replaced it with two or more fruits to give it a unique and complex flavor. This was very enjoyable to sip. It clocks in at 6.43% ABV so it has some heft to it but it isn’t a lot. I really enjoyed this slight variation on an IPA. I would definitely buy this again.