Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale Oskar Blues is one of the fastest growing breweries in America and with the successes of beers like Ten FIDY and Dale’s Pale Ale and to a lesser degree, GUBNA Imperial IPA, it’s easy to see why. Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale seems to be the last piece of the puzzle, a single IPA that is hop forward enough for hop heads, but tame enough for the masses. Deviant Dale’s pours a nice copper orange color, clear in complexion, only a tiny amount of bubbles rising to the top of the glass. A wonderful fluffy white head, about a finger and a half high, sits atop the beer that has fantastic retention and leaves behind a wonderful amount webbed lacing. The aroma is quite unexpected, big hit of tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, faint citrus, tart apple, with a nice layer of floral complexity, that is cut by some sweet malt, cereal grains. The aromas are a bit one dimensional, but still pleasant and very welcoming. The flavors are great, a bit of the tropical fruits come through, but a big blast of bitter, earthy hops comes right at its heels. A bit of grassiness leads to some caramel malts, cereal grains and a bit of floral flavors, I wish the balance was a bit heavier on the hops, and perhaps a bit brighter, but this is certainly a well balanced IPA. The body is nice, carbonation is a bit higher than anticipated, but the experience is smooth, coats the mouth well, and goes down very dry. Verdict: This is a solid example of the India Pale Ale from Oskar Blues and a significant improvement from Gubna. The flavors are nice and complex, but approachable and enjoyable for anyone looking for a hop forward beer, but not an out and out hop bomb, I can see this being one of the next big hoppy beers in America, right alongside Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo and New Belgium’s Ranger IPA. (4.03/5)

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale

Oskar Blues is one of the fastest growing breweries in America and with the successes of beers like Ten FIDY and Dale’s Pale Ale and to a lesser degree, GUBNA Imperial IPA, it’s easy to see why. Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale seems to be the last piece of the puzzle, a single IPA that is hop forward enough for hop heads, but tame enough for the masses. Deviant Dale’s pours a nice copper orange color, clear in complexion, only a tiny amount of bubbles rising to the top of the glass. A wonderful fluffy white head, about a finger and a half high, sits atop the beer that has fantastic retention and leaves behind a wonderful amount webbed lacing. The aroma is quite unexpected, big hit of tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, faint citrus, tart apple, with a nice layer of floral complexity, that is cut by some sweet malt, cereal grains. The aromas are a bit one dimensional, but still pleasant and very welcoming. The flavors are great, a bit of the tropical fruits come through, but a big blast of bitter, earthy hops comes right at its heels. A bit of grassiness leads to some caramel malts, cereal grains and a bit of floral flavors, I wish the balance was a bit heavier on the hops, and perhaps a bit brighter, but this is certainly a well balanced IPA. The body is nice, carbonation is a bit higher than anticipated, but the experience is smooth, coats the mouth well, and goes down very dry.

Verdict: This is a solid example of the India Pale Ale from Oskar Blues and a significant improvement from Gubna. The flavors are nice and complex, but approachable and enjoyable for anyone looking for a hop forward beer, but not an out and out hop bomb, I can see this being one of the next big hoppy beers in America, right alongside Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo and New Belgium’s Ranger IPA. (4.03/5)