I had this great beer on draft in Longmont, Colorado at the Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel tap room on November 5, 2011.

Other posts about Oskar Blues

• Oskar Blues Bourbon Barrel-aged Ten Fidy Notes
• Second Annual Craft Beer in Can Tasting, SF Beer Week
• Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils
• Oskar Blues: Gordon Beer, G'Knight Imperial Red Review
• SF Beer Week Recap: Jug Shop Canned Craft Brews

One of my favorite events at SF Beer Week in 2009 was the Canned Craft Brews event at Jug Shop so when I saw that it was returning for 2010 on April 13, I had to attend. Although I was quite beered-out from the many many other events earlier in the week, I still had a great time sipping on a few beers, taking a few photos, and talking with the representatives from the breweries. It was a great event and a wonderful way to promote craft beer in a can, a movement that I strongly support.Since I had tried everything else being poured, the beer I was most looking forward to were the ones from Maui Brewing Co. especially the Coconut Porter. I had actually tried Coconut Porter for the first time the previous night at Church Key but it was only a sip. It was nice to get another sample of this delightful beer. For me, Coconut Porter tasted like a gourmet version of an Almond Joy candy bar or like German-chocolate-cake with a touch of coffee and vanilla. It was practically dessert in a can.

The other Maui Brewing beer that I sampled was the IPA which has a nice hoppy nose of sweet citrus and herbal green hops complemented by a sweet biscuit or amber grains. It has a pleasant hoppy bitterness well balanced by a malty sweetness.

Another thing that I learned about Maui is that they are able to economically brew and ship from the island not only because they are using cans but also because they are located right next to a Ball canning facility.

I had a chance to talk to the representative from 21st Amendment and he told me about some upcoming special release beers that will be available in cans. As of February 13, 2010 this information was current, it may be out of date now. By July we’ll know for sure. First, Back in Black IPA will be available in cans in July 2010. The name of this beer says it all, it’s a dark-colored, roasty hop bomb. Next will be a special holiday beer available in October 2010, which will be some version of the “holiday spice” beer that has been offered at the brew pub. Finally, Golden Doom, which is on tap at the brew pub now, will be available in cans around of after January 2011 and is a Belgian-style beer.

All told, there were tastings of beer at this event from Oskar Blues, 21st Amendment, Big Sky Brewing, and New Belgium. The complete list of what was available is as follows:

• Oskar Blues
  • Mama’s Lil Yellow Pils
  • Dale’s Pale Ale
  • Gordon Beer (still one of my favorites)
  • Ten Fidy Stout
• 21st Amendment
  • Brew Free or Die IPA (classic and available on Virgin America flights)
  • Hell or High Watermellon Wheat
• Big Sky
  • Trout Slayer Pale Ale
  • Moose Drool Brown
• New Belgium
  • Fat Tire
• Maui Brewing
  • Bikini Blonde Lager
  • Big Swell IPA
  • Coconut Porter

Mama’s Little Yella Pils is the latest addition to the canned beer offerings of Oskar Blues and their first canned lager. It was released earlier in 2009 just in time for the warm weather of summer. Speaking of summer this is a refreshing, crisp, malty beer that is perfect for warm weather.

This name of this beer is very likely an allusion to lyrics in the song Mother’s Little Helper by the Rolling Stones. The first verse of the song is as follows, with the reference underlined:

What a drag it is getting old
Kids are different today,
I hear evry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though shes not really ill
Theres a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

The brewery describes Mama’s Little Yella Pils as follows:

Our new canned good is a delicious, small-batch version of the beer that made Pilsen, Czechoslovakia famous. Mama’s is made with hearty amounts of pale malt, German specialty malts, and traditional (Saaz) and 21st century Bavarian hops. It’s the perfect antidote for the watered-down, cornfed versions of pilsner clogging America’s shelves. Our first canned lager, it’s also fermented at cool temperatures with a German yeast.

This pilsner is certainly not watered down. It has a nice malty flavor and a great hops bouquet making it a well crafted beer perfect for summer or to be paired with salty cuisine like pizza, burgers, or Japanese food.

Where I Found It. Generously provided by the brewery.

Serving Type. Served out of a can into a glass.

Date reviewed. August 27, 2009

Appearance. Mama’s Little Yella Pils is Crystal clear to slightly hazy in clarity. It is wonderfully bright yellow with a touch of golden-yellow color. The standard foamy white head lasts an average amount of time on top of the beer.

Smell. The hop bouquet is slightly coppery or metallic but also pleasant, earthy, and just a hint of spiciness. The Saaz and German hops really stand out nicely in this beer. The hop bouquet is accompanied by a malt aroma that is grainy with a light sweet malts.

Taste. There is a smooth bitterness to Mama’s LIttle Yella Pils that is well balanced by the grainy sweet malt flavor. The sweetness in the malt combined with the earthy hops gives a flavor that is almost like a diluted honey. The hops are earthy and the bitterness builds up just a little bit over time. A great combination of flavors and complexity for a pilsner.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium or medium-light bodied beer. The carbonation level is just right and makes this a refreshing malty beverage. It is crisp and smooth with a hop bitterness that adds to the refreshment of this beer.

Drinkability. Mama’ Little Yella Pils is a smooth and easy to drink beer. A perfect beer for a warm summer day to accompany BBQ or grilled meat. It has a great thirst quenching characteristic.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.05

Information

• Style: pilsner
• Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 5.3%
• Bitterness: 35 IBU
• Hops: Czech Saaz and “21st century Bavarian hops”
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.66 (as of September 23, 2009)

Other Reviews

• The Full Pint – Review – Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Fermentedly Challenged – Oskar Blues will can Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Beer Critic – Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Drink a Better Brew – Review – Oskar Blues Mamma’s Little Yella Pils
• My Hoppy Place – Tasting Notes: Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Beer Advocate – Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Rate Beer – Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pils
• 97 Bottles - Mama’s Little Yella Pils

I picked up a 4 pack of Gordon Beer after tasting it during SF Beer Week at the Jug Shop Canned Craft Beers event. It left such an impression during the event that I had to take some more home to do a full review with pictures. Update (6/23/2011): Oskar Blues has renamed Gordon Beer to G’Knight Imperial Ale. At the time of writing this review, the beer was still called Gordon Ale.

Oskar Blues describes the style of Gordon Beer as “somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA” and it certainly fits that bill with a wonderful and intense hoppiness, 85 IBUs of bitterness, and a sweetness that creates a great balance and flavor.

Besides a great taste the other benefit of Gordon Beer is that it comes in a can. I’ve mentioned the benefits of cans for craft beer in previous articles but I’ll mention it again. Cans are both better for the beer and better for the environment. Cans hide the beer from the harmful affects of light and sunlight as well as keeping the beer more airtight. Environmentally speaking, cans are easier to recycle than bottles and are lighter so you can ship more cans per truck and save on fossil fuel usage. Finally, the plastic ring holders for Oskar Blues cans are photodegradable meaning that they break down quickly in sunlight.

This beer was formerly only available as a seasonal beer but is now available year round. The Oskar Blues website says the following about the origin of the name of the beer:

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

Where I Found It. I picked up a four pack from The Jug Shop in San Francisco, CA. I was also graciously provided with some samples from an Oskar Blues representative. Thank you and cheers!

Serving Type. Served from a can into a glass.

Appearance. Gordon Beer has a standard off-white tan head that is pleasantly foamy and frothy. The head lasts an average amount of time and leaves a nice froth on the glass. The color of this beer is a wonderful red-orange or caramel amber and is very clear. It looks very inviting.

Smell. The hop bouquet leaps out of the can immediately after opening. I’ve never opened a bottle of beer and had the same experience. Gordon Beer has a wonderful hops smell that can be described as citrus, orange juice, pine resin, and floral like fresh cut flowers. I say fresh cut flowers because it has a nice green plant freshness to it. The aroma is like sweet barley malt and caramel. The combination of these attributes produces a smell that informs you that this will be a great tasting beer.

Taste. The taste of Gordon Beer lives up to the smell. The citrus and floral smells are delicious and clean on the tongue. It has a great malty and caramel flavor and is pleasantly more malty than I expected. The malt sweetness is accompanied by a slight nuttiness and roasty flavor, which probably comes from the chocolate malt. At 85 IBUs there is no doubt that this beer has loads of hop bitterness but it is not a harsh bitter flavor. The bitterness is smooth, which is due to a good balance of malt sweetness and probably hops low in cohumulone. For instance, I felt that Gordon Beer is smoother than Green Flash IPA and probably has as much, if not more, IBUs.

Mouthfeel. Although this beer is malty sweet and has 8.7% alcohol by volume it is seems about as dry as a beer with two-thirds the amount of alcohol. I would characterize this beer as medium to full bodied with a smooth and nearly creamy texture from the carbonation. The smooth bitterness lingers on the tongue and builds up over time.

Drinkability. Many super hoppy beers are great for about one beer. With Gordon Beer, however, I can, and have had, two while still wanting another. The bitterness level is high but the combination of flavors and hops make this beer smooth and easy to drink any time. Just take it easy drinking these beers, the high alcohol content can catch up with you quickly.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 5.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.7

Caption on the Can

Each can of Oskar Blues Gordon Beer includes the following short caption on the back of the can:

If you knew Gordon Knight, this beer needs no explanation. If you didn’t, we’re sorry.

On the lip of the can the following text appears:

BIG. RED. STICKY.

[can'o bliss. satisfy ya.]

Information

• Style: Imperial IPA
• Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 8.7%
• Hops: 3 types of hops then dry hopped with Amarillo hops
• Malt: six types of malt including chocolate malt
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.12 (as of April 19, 2009)

Updates

• June 23, 2011: Oskar Blues renamed Gordon Beer or Gordon Ale renamed to G’Knight.
• June 23, 2011: Updated the photos to use the larger versions.

Other Reviews

• BeerDorks.com – Beer Reviews: Gordon
• The Opinionated Beer Page – Gordon Ale
• Eating & Drinking – Beer Review: Oskar Blues Brewery-Gordon Ale
• The Full Pint – Review – Oskar Blues Gordon
• Drink Craft Beer – Oskar Blues Gordon
• Fermentedly Challenged – Oskar Blues Gordon review
• The Brew Site – Gordon (Canned Beer Week follow-up)
• The Captain’s Chair – Oskar Blues Gordon
• BeerAdvocate – Gordon
• RateBeer – Oskar Blues Gordon
• 97 Bottles – Oskar Blues Gordon

According to these, and other brewers, beer from a can has advantages. First, the beer cans are lined so the beer never comes in contact with metal. Next, the beer is never exposed to the harmful effects of light. The beer can is supposedly a more airtight container preventing exposure to oxygen. Finally, the cans are lighter and you can take them where you cannot take bottles such as camping and golfing.

This event was a great opportunity to try canned beer from Oskar Blues from Colorado, 21st Amendment from San Francisco, and Uncommon Brewers from Santa Cruz. I tried a little bit of everything (except Dale’s and Brew Free or Die) and the beer was excellent. For all I knew, the beer could have been poured from a can or poured from draft. The following is a list of beer that was available in cans at this event:

• 21st Amendment
  • Watermelon Wheat
  • Brew Free or Die IPA
• Oskar Blues
  • Dale’s Pale Ale
  • Old Chub Scottish
  • Gordon Strong Ale
  • Ten Fidy Stout
• Uncommon Brewers
  • Siamese Twin

Siamese Twin is a wonderful Belgian-style double brewed with “exotic spices to enhance beer flavors,” which, according to the brewery, is a long tradition in Belgian brewing. A good example is Belgian witbier which includes coriander and orange peel. This beer, however, is brewed with Thai spices such as kaffir lime and lemongrass in addition to coriander. Being a double it had a high alcohol content by volume at 8.5%. I thought this beer was both interesting and delicious and lives up to the name “Uncommon.” Since I had some very hoppy and malty brews before this one, I had trouble finding the Thai spices but they are definitely there. I can’t wait to get some more cans so I can enjoy it with some home made Thai food and also write up a full review.

The Watermelon Wheat beer is interesting in that it smells a little bit like a vegetable but when you taste it the flavor is distinctly and deliciously watermelon. I always prefer to be able to taste the special ingredient than have it be so subtle you’re not sure it is there. This beer is made with 400 lbs. of watermelon per batch.

Old Chub, by Oskar Blues, is an acclaimed and award winning Scottish Ale having won a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Championships. It is a deeply malty ale that is a wonderful representation of the Scottish ale style. It is roasty, sweet, hints of bittersweet chocolate, and slightly smoky from the beechwood-smoked grains. Old Chub also has a nice warming feeling from the 8% alcohol by volume. This beer definitely ranks among some of the best Scottish ales that I have tried.

Oskar Blues Gordon Beer is, according to the brewery, “a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA.” It is a great beer with an incredible citrus and fresh hop smell yet warms you up with 8.7% alcohol by volume. After the event I picked up a 4-pack of this beer so that I can review it in a later blog posting.

Finally, I tried my new favorite imperial stout, Ten Fidy also by Oskar Blues. What makes this beer imperial? The huge amount of flavor, malt, hops, and alcohol is what makes this an imperial beer. The alcohol content is 10% alcohol by volume but the malty sweetness both overshadows the alcohol flavor as well at the 98 IBUs of hops. The beer both smells and tastes like bittersweet chocolate cake and artisan roasted coffee. It is extraordinarily drinkable for being such a big beer. I purchased a 4-pack at the end of the event and will be doing a full review later. I also used a can of this wonderful beer to cook up a batch of beer brittle, which I will also blog about.