I had my first tast of this new offering from Oskar Blues Brewery out of Lyons, Colorado, at the recent Velocross Cyclocross race held this past Sunday at the Boulder Indoor Cycling Velodrome. I had first noticed the beer this past summer while browsing (as I'm prone to do in liquor stores) at Union Jack Liquor in Louisville. It had grabbed my attention because it was a pilsner offering from a brewery that by all my previous experiences brews hoppy beer. While I very much want to like Dale's Pale Ale and Old Chub, I find them barely palatable. Hops just aren't my thing.
I'm not going to go on a diatribe about why I think craft and micro-brewers over-hop the living crap out of everything they produce, but let's just say that Oskar Blues generally doesn't let down the stereotype.
On to the beer: I like, on some level, that Oskar Blues delivers it's product in a can. It's fun and it's very American. It also seems appropriate, in a way, for a pilsner. They're generally light and crisp and have a very easy finish, perfect for a beer you want to grab out of a cooler full of ice on a hot, late-summer day: exactly what I did at the Velocross race after I'd finished my 60 minutes of suffering in the Men's Open category.
I found the actual product to be slightly heavier and more complex than a German Pilsner, while not as sweet or aromatic as some of the Belgian beers that I've been enjoying lately. There was a hint of hops in the way the beer finished, but nothing that was too pungent after a few sips. Altogether, very enjoyable.
I'm glad that I have a new option from a smallish local brewer, and I'll be sure to stop by the OB Brewery in Lyons next time I'm out that way on a mountain bike ride to get some post-workout refreshment.
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