Oskar Blues Brewery: It’s here, and it’s good

Representatives from Oskar Blues Brewery are making their rounds to Columbus bars this week to roll out their products to the Buckeye state. I had a chance to meet some of them and sample their brews at Woodlands this Monday. I’ll give you my detailed thoughts below, but let me summarize it for those with attention deficiencies: their beer is good, go and buy it, you can find it at any Giant Eagle or Kroger in town.

You can also find tap takeovers and samplings this week at the locations listed below:
Wednesday 10/24: Old Bag of Nails (Upper Arlington) and Mad Mex
Thursday 10/25: Matt the Miller’s (Dublin), Hal & Al’s, Olde Towne Tavern
Friday 10/25: 4^th Street Patio, Park Street Tavern, Weiland’s

On to the beer reviews!

Dale’s Pale Ale // 6.5% ABV // 65 IBU

I think they were making a joke when they called this a pale ale. It’s assertively bitter; full of spicy, floral hop aroma and flavor. The body is medium light, with tingly carbonation and a grainy sweetness that lasts from the middle through the finish. I met Dale’s brother, Chris, who was only too happy to hear me call this a mislabeled IPA. As much as it pains me to say it, I’d actually ratchet the bitterness of this beer down a bit while maintaining the aroma and flavor.

Mama’s Little Yella Pils // 5.3% ABV // 35 IBU

This brilliant pale straw beer carries a light aroma of husky grains, light floral hops, and a subdued minerality. The flavor follows the nose, with a grainy sweetness and a wonderful balance of minerals and spicy Saaz. This pils is a little more aggressive than some, and I enjoyed it.

Old Chub // 8.0% ABV // 65 IBU

Lately I’ve had a number of Scottish ales that failed to have the body I expected. This beer, as one of my homebrewing buddies would say, “has some ass behind it.” A creamy, full bodied ass. It pours a deep ruby brown and smells of malted barley, chocolate, smoke, and toffee. The taste is sweet, and similar to the aroma, but with more pronounced smoke. Some coffee flavor also makes an appearance. At 65 IBU, I still detect little bitterness or hop character.

Ten Fidy // 10.5% ABV // 98 IBU

An inky black imperial stout with a mocha head, this smells heavily of coffee and roasted barley, with some chocolate playing second fiddle. The taste is heavily roasted barley, with coffee and chocolate flavors balanced. It is assertively bitter. This thick, viscous stout gets the job done.

Deviant Dale’s // 8.0% ABV // 85 IBU

Resin. Sixpoint coined this name, but Oskar Blues should have snapped it up first. It smells like resinous pine and citrus, and the taste makes good on this promise, adding spice and a substantial caramel backbone. It’s medium bodied with a healthy amount of carbonation. Overall this is a really good and totally balanced beer, I’d call it a damn good IPA.

You can find Oskar Blues beer on sale at Giant Eagle, Kroger, Beer Dock East, Anderson’s, Kenny Road Market, Premier Drive Thru, Blacklick Wine & Spirits, Clintonville Market, Weiland’s, Weber Market, Whole Foods (Dublin), Pace High Carryout, and Earth Fare.

creative commons photo credit: Bernt Rostad