Oskar Blues Gordon

Huh, I am clearly in the minority here but I was not that impressed with this beer, at least compared to its reputation. It poured out beautifully, looking dark and rich like a barleywine with a very nice thick head. Aroma left me a bit concerned about what this beer would taste like it was fruity but very malty, to the point of being cereal-y. And the flavor was dominated by cereal maltiness, but I also detected some very nice flavor notes that reminded me of pears and cotton candy. However, the malt backbone was definitely the dominant flavor. Mouthfeel was rich and sticky and pretty good. This beer followed a Stone Ruination, and maybe it just seems lack-luster by comparison, or my expectations (I thought it was a DIPA) were poorly oriented. Not an awful beer, but not the taste for the buck I was hoping for and what I’d heard about by reputation. I had this, from a can, at Sugar Maple in Bayview, WI.

Wow... this stuff kicks some ass and its in a can. Pours a beautiful glowing red with a nice creamy off-white head. Crazy fresh hop aroma with some caramel malts. Excellent balance in the flavor, resin, piney, sweet and juicy, slightly toasted richer malts. Going back for more... for sure!

damn good beer, nose is a piny-resiny and very impressive. pours nice with smallish head. citrus pines on the palate and the finish is clean and dry and very long. wish more good beer like this would come in a can, cans dont bother me if quality is their, just like screw-caps dont bother me in the wine world. wish more brewers had the sack these guys do . KISS-ASS JOB

Can. Very beautiful deep red pour with a medium-thick, frothy, tan head. Hops and sweet citrus predominate the nose, but there are definite floral undertones. The hops bite you at first, but dissipate quickly and you’re left with a moderately sweet, albeit one-dimensional, maltiness. A reviewer below noted flat mouthfeel, but I thought the carbonation and body were appropriate. All in all, I’m really enjoying this beer. Thank God for Georgia - we can’t get this in Birmingham.

Clear orange with medium creamy beige head. Sweet aroma with caramel, hops and ripe fruits. Sweet flavor with loads of hops, thick caramel and grapefruit notes. Ends with solid bitterness. Nice.

12 oz can. Pours an amber color with a 1" off white head. Nose is a powerful hop aroma that fills the room. Flavor is intense hops at first with a sweet malty background that became more apparent as the beer warmed. Palate was moderately heavy with a bitterness to it.

Rerate: same piney sweet aroma, same appearance, taste is nice hop front with a Malty imperial red backing. When I have a bad day and need alcohol with hops this is a nice four pack to turn to. Mouthfeel is better than the last batch, but still not as full as I would like.
Pours with a frothy, off-white head covereing a clear, dark amber body. Some lacing. Strong, room filling aroma. Lots of pine, spruce, brown sugar, grapefruit and butterscotch. Taste starts off with a big hop buildup, similar to a DIPA, and then falls to a sort of amber ale maltyness towards the finish. Some noticable alcohol warming produced from this can. My biggest complaint with this beer is the mouthfeel/palate. My can produced a beer that is watery thin, which does not suit the the sort of heavy malt and hops or even alcohol that this beer hits your tastebuds with. It falls quite short in this cartegory, but otherwise is a great beer.

Can courtesy of Taverner, pours a nice dark amber brown with a thin tan head. The nose is malty, hoppy and a bit of yeast. The flavor is similar, with some fung and earthiness in there as well. Gritty, earthy finish.