Oskar Blues Old Chub

It is a wonderful Scottish beer. And it proves that great beer can come from a can. Weird.

5-10 years ago I would certainly have never agreed that a good beer could come in a can. Oh how times have changed.
One such cannery is the Oscar Blues Grill & Brewery. Along with Dale’s Pale Ale, they brew damn fine Scottish style ale, Old Chub.
You could drink it out of the can, but I prefer my beer poured and breathing, so to speak. Old Chub pours a dark coppery red/brown and smells beautifully. I partook of mine in a traditional ale glass, within which a slight head forms and then settles. Old Chub is definitely more on the Scotch Ale side then the Belhaven Scottish Ale which is much lighter and very floral. I definitely taste more of the sweet, malt flavor in Old Chub that is characteristic of a heavy Scotch Ale. There are hints of toasted bread amidst the malt and hints of caramel and chocolate. I will always liken this type of chocolate essence to dark chocolate do to the combination of sweetness and bitterness. It’s not overly cloying, but just enough to leave hints of sweetness in your mouth after a long drag. A damn fine Scottish ale and one of the best canned beers I have ever had.

Yum! Enjoyed this brew thoroughly. Pours a very dark brown/red color, with lightly tanned head that disappeared quickly. Chocolate caramel aroma is very apparent in this one. Taste is full of chocolate and caramel notes, very smooth, sweet taste. ABV is well hidden, sweet sticky finish on this one. Good thing I bought a 12-pack!

Brought a sixer of these bad boys camping and drank them straight out of the can, often chasing a bottle of Jameson. Felt kind of bad that I was mixing Scotch and Irish, but oh well. Even without pouring this out, could see the deep copper/amber beer and the off-white head. Really lovely malt. A bit smoky and peaty, and with tons of hops to match. Great beer.

The smells, tastes and appearance of old chub all remind me of sensations I might experience while walking through the study of a retired general––dusty, leathery, and smoky, with just a hint of chewing tobacco and a mildly astringent finish. The flavors are straightforward. This is not a deep beer, but it has lots of character. In short, it tastes and smells like old man.

THOUGHTS: Great beer from a can. Just about as good drank from the can as from the glass. Hid alcohol incredibly well. TECHNICAL: Can. Poured a very dark red that was almost brown with nice carbonation and a small, light tan head that mostly diminished. The aroma was moderate caramel, milk chocolate and cocoa powder, smoke and slight cola. There was also alcohol as it warmed. The initial flavor was light to moderately sweet; while the finish was moderate to heavily sweet and lightly bitter with an average to long duration. There was caramel and chocolate malt, some slight cherry and then smoke. the medium body was creamy with soft carbonation and a chalky, moderate astringent and light alcoholic finish.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! What a great beer! I really enjoyed trying this one. In fact, I wanted another as soon as I finished. I was really surprised to get such a great flavored, nice body beer out of a can!

The can is misleading of coarse. Poured a murky brown. Malty caramel aroma. Tastes the same, with some toffee, light amount of chocolate. Finishes a little smokey, oak barrelly. Warming alcohol at the finish. Quite a surprise, excellent.