One Hit Wonder
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

One Hit WonderOne Hit Wonder
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From:
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 12.05%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
37
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 28, 2013
Added:
Feb 20, 2011
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  1
Fruity esters and generous dry-hopping give this 9% ABV ale the aroma of tropical fruit while a touch of English crystal malt provides the perfect backdrop for tangy hop flavors of tangerine and mango. We brewed 200 cases of this small-batch one hit wonder.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by GRG1313 from California

Oct 28, 2013
Photo of claspada
Reviewed by claspada from New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clearish medium to dark amber orange color with an average, frothy off-white head that recedes to leave some solid lasting, lacing.

Aromas begin moderate to heavy fruity and hoppy, highlighted by orange, mango and tangerine. Then comes in some solidly distinctive English malt character. It's hard for me to explain the difference between English and American crystal malts but as a homebrewer you can tell the difference. It is slightly more caramel and toffee forward then traditional Ameican malt.

The tastes follow the nose but in reverse with the sweet bready pale toasted malts and some equally present caramel maltiness. Then comes in the orange and tropical fruit hop flavors. For being a 9% strong ale there isn't a drop of alcohol flavor at all and I am drinking this right out of the box in my cellar (was given as an extra).

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is a nice blend of sweetish malt and big tropical drying hops.

Overall I really enjoyed this beer. The extra malt backbone makes this surprisingly drinkable and balanced the the hop assault. Some light to be beaten to death with hops, I prefer a balanced and this is that which is a testiment for such a big beer.
Nov 26, 2012
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Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear golden orange color with a fluffy white head. At this point, the beer is definitely sweet and has lost a fair amount of hop character. But, there is a really nice fruitiness, particularly pineapple and sweet citrus fruits. Mild pine and a fairly strong toffee aroma. The fruit character is strong on the palate as well and there is a really good pine flavor, but only a mild bitterness. Might even be a little floral/honey quality to it.
Jul 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by rootbeerman from Virginia

Feb 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by BDeibs from Colorado

Dec 29, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Nov 25, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

Nov 20, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by mfield14 from Colorado

Nov 20, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by sideshowe from Pennsylvania

Nov 16, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by kkrez from Colorado

Nov 14, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by sbricker from Illinois

Nov 14, 2011
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Reviewed by MrKennedy from Australia

3.13/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12oz can poured into a Mikkeller tulip. Thanks to mulder1010 for shipping this one back from his vacation!

Pours a ruby orange with a large two finger head of fluffy, slightly off-white, foam that laces well and sits just above film. Not the colour i expected but the foam and lacing more than made up for it.

Fruity, sweet aroma, was told to drink this quick due to hop fade and agree that it has faded a bit on the nose. Slight booziness coming through late on the smell of this.

Taste is sweet, backed with some caramel and i'm getting a beer that isn't really a double IPA anymore and something halfway towards Bigfoot as a US barleywine. Not a bad thing, but probably not as the brewer intended. Get a touch of pine and citrus as well, but by no means a heap. The ABV is very well hidden in the flavour.

Mouthfeel is sticky, sweet and syrupy. Not a lot of bitterness to counteract.

Overall, one of the problems of reviewing to style is that this gets hit a bit hard for not really being a Double IPA anymore. Still, i quite like it, inoffensive, well hidden ABV and enjoyed drinking it.
Jul 10, 2011
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Reviewed by beagle75 from Iowa

3.62/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 12 oz. can into a tulip glass.
Thanks to bashiba for this one that apparently never made it to California.

A: Clear, medium amber color with over one finger of off-white foam head. moderate, scattered, lacing remains on the glass.

S: Caramel and dark citrus combine in the nose to suggest gooey, fruity candy. It is decadent, yet balanced. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins off-dry, with a big early burst of earthy citrus hop aromatics that transition to more tea-like flavors by the middle. Caramel malt is less assertive than was suggested by the smell, resulting in a slightly hoppy imbalance on the front-end. Acidity is moderate, favorably contrasting the other, darker, flavors. Tea gives way to pineapple and other mixed tropical fruit in the middle, as esters become more apparent. Robust toasted malt also emerges late, staying through the bitter and estery finish that features a dusting of pine character. Boozy fumes appear late, tending to build up over time, as does some additional malty umami.

M: Medium viscosity; abundantly resinous and sticky on the palate with only restrained acidity felt; with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This is a DIPA for the fans of Oskar Blues that did not appreciate the Gubna. Instead, this comes across as a close relative of Gordon, where the slight leaning toward malt in that red ale is replaced with a slight hoppy edge here. It looks and smells very much like Gordon, but the flavor is somewhat less similar, with conspicuously fruity hops dominating. It wears a bit on the palate, tapering into a slow-sipping test of endurance through the latter half.
Jul 08, 2011
Photo of mulder1010
Reviewed by mulder1010 from Australia

3.3/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Big thanks to Rake for this one. Much appreciated.

Can poured into a tulip

A-- Poured a dark, hazy, copper orange color. Looks ait sweet and syrupy in the glass. Half finger off white head that quickly went to film. Not much more when swirling. Low visual carbonation.

S-- Lots of sweet Carmel in the nose. followed by tangerine and lime jello. Hops have reaally faded in the nose. Barley wine quality nose now.

T-- Sweet Carmel, tangerine, faded grapefruit and lime cordial. Really the taste is closer to a barley wine now as well.

M-- Get Pine and grapefruit in the back of the mouth. Faded but get the idea of what it was fresh. Tangerine and lime stand out in the front. Slightly sweet and syrupy. Low feel and low carbonation.

O-- Not bad, but not great. Just get flashes of what it was. Kind of like a lesser hopslam crossed with the Laguintias barley wine. Solid tick though.
Jun 28, 2011
Photo of Blakaeris
Reviewed by Blakaeris from Iowa

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours orange-red with a dense creamy head that leaves globs of sticky lacing.

Aroma is caramel malt and tropical fruit sweetness up front. Hops come on strong with resinous and citrus character.

Taste is rich caramel malt and brown sugar. Then resinous citrus hop takes over bringing balance to the sweetness. Finishes with an earthy hop character, apple, and a definite mineral aspect.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with resinous hop oil.

Overall a flavorful and balanced DIPA. Definitely worth a try.
May 31, 2011
Photo of bashiba
Reviewed by bashiba from Iowa

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a nice clean amber with with a light tan head.

The smell had a nice herbal hop nose with a bit of malty sweetness.

The flavor is nicely balanced for a big IPA, a big sweet malty caramel backbone with big thick and herbal hops. Light Honey notes very prominant as well.

The mouthfeel is thick and creamy with some hop resin.

I like this, I'm more partial to the big malty balanced style of IIPA vs. the one dimensional hop bombs.
May 31, 2011
Photo of oline73
Reviewed by oline73 from Maryland

3.54/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
I had this on-tap at Max's, poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with a layer of off white head that leaves some very nice lacing on the glass.

Smell: Mildly sweet citrus hops with some malt, nice but not a lot going on here.

Taste: Mildly sweet malt with bitter citrus peel hops. Picking up some pineapple. I'm also noticing a somewhat weird flavor in there as well, almost salty. The finish is quite bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and carbonation. The finish is dry.

Overall: This is a nice IPA, but there is an off flavor in there. It doesn't ruin the beer, just distracts. Decent balance.
May 20, 2011
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Reviewed by tbrown4 from Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Had this at Max's in Baltimore last night. This and some other rare-to-the-area OB offerings were left over from an event the night before.

A - Light orange copper, not much head, webbed lacing

S - Very light but convincing citrus, some hop bitterness

T - Immediately tastes of sticky resinous hops. As it settles in a mild malt backbone emerges. The middle feels very well rounded out. The finish is very easy bitter

M - Medium in body

O - Seems above average for the style. Fairly well balanced. The aroma was not as complex as I had hoped. It's very easy to drink. The alcohol content is not at all noticeable, this is amazing at 9%. Depending on pricing, I may seek this out again.
May 18, 2011
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Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Always a treat to try a new Colorado DIPA (sadly just a one timer apparently)from Oskar Blues. This one was on draft at my local, The Birdsall House, in Peekskill, NY.

Pours orange hued amber, minor medium tan head, leaving just a smidge of lace here and there.

Citric nose with flourishes of lemons and oranges.

Complex and well balanced DIPA, loaded with flavor and intrigue. More notes of oranges, lemons, solid crunching hop presence. I also got some mintyness. Healthy malt undercoating. No surprise that is a very enjoyable, bold, thoroughly hoped and flavorful brew. Jump on it if you see it in your neighborhood
May 15, 2011
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Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at Cask Republic into a shaped pint.

A: Clear ruby-amber body under a solid finger of creamy off-white head. Lovely retention, with sheets of lacing. Excellent, albeit a bit dark for the style.

S: Juicy, fruity hops. Mango, pineapple, grapefruit, caramel and vanilla. Awesome.

T: Rich, sticky fruitiness. Tropical fruits, citrus, caramel malt, and molasses. The sweetness overpowers the finish a bit, with stickiness being more noticeable than bitterness. A little overbearing, but still very tasty.

M: Lively medium body with spiky carbonation. Intense, but not exactly what I'm looking for in a DIPA.

O: This was a really enjoyable beer, and far, far better than GUBNA. Cask was pouring both this and the Deviant Dale's, and I greatly preferred this one. The fruity hops and caramel malts worked really well together, but only if you can deal with a very sweet IPA. It wasn't my favorite example of the style by any means, but it was a tasty beer nevertheless.

Cheers!
May 08, 2011
One Hit Wonder from Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 37 ratings