KOTBR #45: If saying "Dale" or "Gordon" gives you a chubbie, you are either a fan of NASCAR or Oskar Blues...or both

I had mentioned in my beer diary that I had been gifted some delicious Oskar Blues beers and, being the greedy son-of-a-bitch that I am, kept them for myself. I drank them all. It was dishonorable for a knight.

But I didn't care. I was drunk. And happy.

But then I was able to obtain some more. And this time around, I decided to share with my fellow knights. Hopefully this will make amends for my previous greed. No longer will I feel the shame of being selfish. And some other dramatic phrases that you can fill in for yourself.

On with the reviews...

Dale's Pale Ale

Mike: Cloudy orangey-gold color, with a sweet malty nose, and a hint of fruit. A front-and-back beer - not a lot of middle to the flavor of this. Really smooth, hint o' hops, great balance, and a chewy hop aftertaste. Sweet, balanced, tasty. 3.25 Mugs - probably the highest score I'd give a pale ale.

Jim: Gold-amber color. Bready, biscuity nose with a big-ass citrusy hop back. Taste follows suit. This beer really sticks in the mouth with a strong hop aftertaste. Dry, not malty. Somewhat chewy. Pretty good for an American Pale Ale, but doesn't blow me away. 3.10 mugs.

Gina: Malty and lightly hopped nose turns into a lightly malty and highly hopped flavor that really hangs around in the back of the throat for a while. The persistently dry aftertaste was a downfall, I feel, but the full mouthfeel was pleasant. I thought it was a pretty good Pale Ale. 2.5 mugs.

Jason: I will only add that it had a stronger hop bite than I remembered. And that the smell and taste of the beer doesn't match up. But still good. 3.33 mugs.


Old Chub

Mike: Dark Brown/Red woody sort of color. Nose of straight-up chocolate milk. Front was smoky chocolate milk, a milky mouthfeel on the front. watery on the back, with a nice little kick. Notes say "right between 2% and skim". Not a particularly "big" beer, just really well done and drinkable. This beer would go very quickly at my house. 4.3 Mugs.

Jim: Mahogany color with substantial tan head. Brown sugar/molasses nose (just like the Cannonball Porter). Sugary chocolate flavor. Mouthfeel is surprisingly watery. I've had better Scottish Ales. Still, good quality suds. 3.10 mugs.

Gina: Malty aroma again, but also molasses and chocolate milk? (Thanks, Mike.) There's something about this that I like very much. It's has a little thinner mouthfeel than I might prefer, but I could still drink a lot of this. 3.55 mugs.

Jason: I found this to be sweeter the second time around. The sweetness started upfront, and then made its way all around. It now moves its way up on my Oskar Blues list, beating out Dale's Pale Ale. 3.5 mugs.

Gordon

Mike: Cloudy copper color with a sweet orange hoppy nose. Jumps the front of the tongue and works middle and back. Nice hop bite - we'd heard this compared to Dogfish Head 90 Minute, but I wouldn't go that far - Gordon doesn't have the fuller mouthfeel of 90 Minute, nor the same balance. 3.92 Mugs.

Jim: Beautiful red coloring. Metallic flowery nose with a citrus/pineapple back. Reminds me a lot of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, but without the sweet malty finish. Nice, hefty mouthfeel. Not an absolute stunner, but still close to top shelf stuff. 4.00 mugs.

Gina: Flowery, citrusy aroma. This also reminded me of DFH 90 and if we were picking between the two I would go with the latter. 3.75 mugs.

Jason: The sweet, hoppy smell makes me think of Gumballhead's aroma. It is not as malty as DFH90, and I say that as a good thing. The hops were able to come through. Since I like this as much, if not more, than Dogfish Head 90 minute, my score should reflect it: 5 mugs. How about that for throwing the curve?