Oskar Blues Gordon

Brewed by Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Lyons, Colorado USA

Red-amber with a bubbly, off-white/beige head. Odd nose of sugary malt, caramel, pine, and dank wood. Flavor is similar with lots of hop bite, caramel, piney citrus. Good beer.

Appearance is cloudy orange-to-brown hue with a fair amount of moderate white foam that dissipates to a ring, big sticky lacing on the glass. Smell is mostly piney hops with slight citrus, sweet caramel malts, alcohol, and a touch of (dare I?) chocolate peppermint! Taste is characterized initially by those unique piney/floral hops and flowing quickly to biscuity/caramel malts, some sugary sweet spices, citrus, and chocolate pop up and this finishes mostly sweet and bitter. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, thick and oily texture coats the mouth, moderate carbonation. Drinkability is moderate, I would like to have seen more of a hop presence here but it scores points for balance, the sweet profile is a little strange (like chocolate and candy mixed) and detracts a bit from drinking in larger quantities, i like Gordon but it definitely falls behind Dale’s and Old Chubb IMHO.

Can from South Bay Drugs. Pours a sort of mahogany color with a rich formation of cream layered head. The nose is mild with malt being over dominant compared to the amount of hops. However the flavor is different and allows more tasting of a toned down west coast hop bite and light reminder of a sweet caramel malt variation.

Pours a clear copper colour with a small white head. Aroma is nice and hoppy- floral, grapefruit notes are prevalent. Taste is astringent, citrusy and well hopped. Another awesome brew from OB, probably my favorite thus far.

Pours a light copper color with a sizable white head. Nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of crisp, pine hops. Taste is more pine hops, a bit of citrus, and caramel malt. Alcohol is well-hidden. Flavor is more mild than I expected considering the ABV. Tastes like a good pale ale.

Four 12oz cans purchased from Bauer Wines in Boston for $12. It’s not too often I get to enjoy Oskar Blues beers after having an Old Chubb explode in my checked suitcase on a flight. But I was spending a full week in Boston this time, so I took the opportunity to drink some cans while in town. I had to choose between the Gordon or the Ten Fidy, and was in a hop mood. Pours a clear dark red with a big fluffy head and a hoppy aroma I can smell from over a foot away. A plethora of lacing. The flavour is well balanced with a solid malt base and hops that linger long after the beer is swallowed. Taste is perhaps slightly lighter than expected for the alcohol level, but it’s still a nice bold brew. I was planning to say that the beer perhaps didn’t warrant its $3/can pricetag, but this last one is making me rethink that.

Can pours dark amber with a white head. Has a nice hoppy, citrus aroma. I can detect some malt in the background. Has a medium mouthfeel with the right amount of carbonation. Taste is mostly citrus hops and some malt on the finish. Overall I really enjoyed this double. The only downside to me was the malt finish. I like hops throughout in this style. Still a solid beer.

Dark amber with a large off-white head. Hop aroma with grass and pine notes. Slick on the palate with a clean finish. Great drinker!