Dale's Pale Ale - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

Hendry

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Heady Topper hath taught me that canned beer is not sacrilege! Dale's APA is simple, unpretentious, and hits all the right notes, particularly at the price point.

Unlike the BA photo of the can, mine says "Brevard, North Carolina" at the bottom.Pours a clear amber/off orange with a medium white head, and has an appealing no-nonsense nose: plenty of naval orange and pink grapefruit citrus, plus piney with a well balanced mix of sweet caramel maltiness. Medium bodied and mouthfeel, well carbonated for the style.

Flavors are a straightforward good, really good. The delicate balance of hops and malt backbone are nicely achieved, and the citrus/piney characteristics are certainly present in both the initial flavors and the aftertaste. Dale's Pale Ale should satisfy APA fans that appreciate a snappy hop presence, and at the $10 six pack price point, it is a solid value well worthy of trying.

Serving type: can

04-14-2013 05:39:58 | More by Hendry

Dave_in_GR

Michigan

4.24/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours a beautiful light orange color with a good finger-width of head that hangs around. Great lacing on the side of the glass as well. The smell is very gentle, just a hint of citrus and hops. Taste is much more assertive, great citrus flavors and a decent hit of hops, really nice and balanced. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation - very easy to drink. One of the best pale ales I've had, so glad Michigan has this now

Serving type: can

04-13-2013 21:46:58 | More by Dave_in_GR

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Consumed 4/12/13

Note: Poured from the rather odd 19.2oz "imperial pint" can

Appearance: Clear, medium orange in color with some gold highlights - average size, off-white cap, fades to some wisps, leaves some decent lacing

Smell: Nice citrus and pine aromas - moderately hoppy in a juicy way, with fleshy orange and grapefruit - some peel as well - herbal, earthy notes and some pine - somewhat balanced with a pale malt background, with some caramel - bready, with a sweetness that reminds me of honey

Taste: More or less matches the smell, perhaps a little less hoppy - wet, juicy oranges, with some orange and grapefruit zest - some pine - pale, bready malts with some caramel - earthy and herbal, with a light spiciness - some sweetness, perhaps crystal malts - somewhat balanced, would go well with food, kind of becomes watery over time

Mouthfeel: Medium body, very smooth, nicely carbonated, notably quaffable

Overall: I'm glad we finally met, Dale

This is the first can of this I have ever had. I've had samples on numerous occasions, and I never got around to reviewing it. It's a solid APA. It slowly loses some of its charm over the course of 19.2 ounces, but I still think it would be good with food. Worth a try, for sure.

Serving type: can

04-12-2013 05:44:38 | More by angrybabboon

hossua34

California

4.69/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A - Deep, rich amber color. A respectable head that leaves lots of lacing.

S - Sweet honey and floral notes. Delicious.

T - A hoppy, but well-balanced, candied floral taste that just explodes in your mouth.

M - What can I say? Full and smooth without being overly carbonated or any other such negative characteristics. Pretty much perfect.

O - Maybe I just got an incredibly fresh batch of this, but my god. This is one of the ten best beers I've ever tasted. I drank this after a large bottle of Hennepin (another personal favorite) and this beer blew it out of the water... Let me just put it this way: I stopped posting on BA about 2.5 years ago because I just kinda got bored of it. This beer inspired me to come back and post a review. Between this and the also-exceptional Fat Tire Shift Pale Lager, I am quickly becoming a canned beer convert. If you see it, try it.

Serving type: can

04-11-2013 23:38:53 | More by hossua34

andrewjraab

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark and golden tone with good clarity and forms a soft pillow of head. Good retention and nice lacing.

S - Citrus, orange peel, some malts, caramel.

T - Not a hop bomb, but a nice snappy crisp hop balanced with some malts. Easy to drink.

O - Very solid APA that I could drink all day. This is a nice one to keep in the fridge.

Serving type: can

04-11-2013 00:04:54 | More by andrewjraab

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

355ml can poured into tulip 8/4/13

A clear golden yellow with a few streams of slow bubbles with a few big speedy ones, thumbs width of off white foam quickly falls to a thick film and leaves a few thick squiggly rings of lace

S orange and tangerine peel, a little pine, some sweet toffee and slight floral notes, some lemony citrus and orange sherbert with a very faint hint of soap but it somehow works well

T more rind then flesh, slightly more toffee and pine, a faint metallic aspect I couldn't place, not sure why but I get just a little bubblegum but everything works just not quite as nice as the nose

M medium bodied and stops just short of creamy, a little gritty on the gums and a mild bitter bite, lingering rind finish

O I'd never guess it's 6.5%, drinks like a session ale and its very well rounded, I'd get buzzed before I got board of this one, pretty solid brew

I like it and I'm stoked that Oskar Blues has entered our market but I'd have a hard time buying this again when its 17$ a 6er, I'm grooving on it but I'd take Red Racer or Lagunitas Sucks for the same price

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 06:04:58 | More by wordemupg

DAllspaw

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint at Owen and Engine in Chicago. Deep apricot color, a bit hazy with average head and lacing. Aroma was more orange, citrusy than pine for me, with some malty sweetness.

Taste was better than aroma led me to believe. Very nice body, with slight caramel sweetness, but not too much and not in the finish. Wish I could get in Indy.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2013 00:27:37 | More by DAllspaw

jhutch31

California

3.74/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I might have to drink this Pale Ale again. I love Oscar Blues, however this beer wasn't one of my favorites from them.

Appearance: Beer was quite hazy. Almost looks as if it's unfiltered. Doesn't have the polished, beautiful appearance of a large brewing companies beer. Amber in color with good carbonation and head retention. Left some good lacing in the glass.

Smell: Not a whole lot of aroma. Pale and crystal malts, with maybe some munich? I gathered a lot of piney hops with peppery spices and some subtle grapefruit and citrus.

Taste: A good malt backbone with a strong flavor of piney and spicy hops. Very little citrus flavor.

Mouthfeel: A little bitter on the finish, but not bad. A medium bodied beer with a decent mouthfeel.

Overall: Again, I love Oscar Blues so I think i'm going to try this one again. I really got a bit of a different flavor profile than some of the other reviews that I saw on here. It is a good beer, but there are other pale ales I enjoy more.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 21:54:31 | More by jhutch31

donmonkey1

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Nice frothy white head, good carbonation, cloudy golden color, much like a yeasty beer. Decent lacing too.

Smell: Grapefruit, citrus hops

Taste: Lemon-grapefruit mix with a touch of plum.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, ok carbonation

This is a very flavorful beer. The first sip is almost overbearing because it shocked me with all the citrus flavor. After that I knew what to expect and it was really good. Although not a session beer, I'm going to love drinking this occasionally.

Serving type: can

04-07-2013 20:14:20 | More by donmonkey1

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: a yellowish orange with perfect clarity. small off-white head that left a lacing

Smell: pale malts and hops

Taste: piney hops, hint of floral hops, pale malts, breadiness, maybe some toasted malts.

Mouthfeel: nice and light, but not nearly as refreshing as I look for in a pale ale

Overall: I had to at least welcome oskar blues to michigan, it was decent beer not gonna be my go to though. I will surely try another oskar blues but i am not going out of my way for it.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 22:12:04 | More by SportsandJorts

BigRedGator

Georgia

3.99/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Full bodied and smooth, concealing the strength and kick. Very hoppy, so very hoppy. A very good and enjoyable drink for really kicking back year round. Cans keep it cold and it is best served very cold. Red IPA's seem the best in my experience and this one embodies that rule. Love it.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 01:25:46 | More by BigRedGator

ckollias

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz can out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a semi-cloudy copper hue with a thick fluffy white head that leaves a 360 trail all the way down ending in a solid lace.

S: Surprisingly strong hoppy aroma with solid bread and piney citrus scent.

T: Equal mix of bread, caramel and hops.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: This is one of the more tasty pale ale’s I’ve had in awhile. Nice bready- malt character with a decent hop profile.

Serving type: can

03-31-2013 00:00:37 | More by ckollias

AC-Mivsek

Ohio

4.61/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a can into a pint glass.

A- Pours a hazy orange with a 1-finger white head.

S- Slightly citrusy and fruity. Grapefruit, orange and lemon mostly. Pine hops and a malt sweetness.

T- Pine hops up front, which cling to the palate. Followed by orange and grapefruit tartness, as well as, some bready malt.

M- Medium carbonation, well-balanced, slightly resiny body. Not heavy but not light or watery at all. Perfect for a pale ale.

O- Very well-rounded brew. Looks great, smells great, tastes great, and feels great going down. A must try, especially for fans of APAs.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 23:11:14 | More by AC-Mivsek

WunderLlama

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Can poured into a pub glass

Reddish amber, not opaque but not entirely clear either, no visible carbonation, thick 2 finger foam that settles into a frothy lid with nice lacings.

Hoppy with fresh grass. Fresh beer aroma.

Hops, malt and sharp hop bitterness in the finish. The bitterness lingers on the tongue. Medium , medium heavy mouthfeel.

Nice beer, strong hoppy finish.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 00:29:35 | More by WunderLlama

danieelol

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear golden. Great head/lacing.

Smell is melon, papaya, green jungle. Very fresh and aromatic. Malty goodness.

Taste gives more melony hops. Very strongly bittered. Good stuff..

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and bitter.

This stuff is way too easy to drink, even though it could have been served a smidgeon colder (my mistake). Very good.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 11:33:15 | More by danieelol

Rizalini

Nevada

4.23/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12oz can, canned on 01/10/13, and poured into my Deschutes tulip...

A - Pours a crystal clear amberish/orange color, with 2 fingers of cream color head. A little darker than I'm used to seeing a pale ale. Nice strands of lacing when the head falls.

S - Juicy hop aroma, and a honey carmel malt backbone.

T/M - Very balanced malt and citrus hop profile. Starts off with the carmel malts and then the great hop bitterness, followed by a resinous hop bitterness. I feel like it's slightly under carbonated, leanding it a smooth/creamy medium mouthfeel.

O - This is a really solid pale. As opposed to other pales that are bland and unremarkable, this one has character. Great malt profile, bolder that normal hops, somewhat slick mouthfeel, and very drinkable. If this was readily available to me, I think it would be my go to session brew.

Serving type: can

03-25-2013 21:24:41 | More by Rizalini

bsp77

Minnesota

4.09/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from can into wine glass.

Appearance: Bright orange with large initial head that mostly settles back.

Smell: Sweet and bitter aroma of citrus (orange, grapefruit) and caramely, toasted malts.

Taste: Semi-sweet grainy, toasted malts with lots of oily grapefruit and orange hops. Finish is more bitter than the typical Pale Ale, with some pine and spiciness.

Feel: Medium body that is quite oily, with moderate carbonation. Finish is pretty dry.

Overall: Comes across as a more oily and bitter Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Many claim this is more like an IPA, but despite the bitterness, the more grainy and sweet malts keep this in Pale Ale territory.

Serving type: can

03-24-2013 18:45:23 | More by bsp77

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz can poured into a pint glass.

A: Amber in color with darker hues of red. The fluffy off-white head retains at at two inch crown throughout the duration. Foamy clumps of lacing. Great appearance.

S: Clean grainy aroma. Biscuit and maybe shortbread. Aromatic hops are very floral with a spritzy citrus quality. Straightforward, but nice.

T: Grainy malt base comes off a bit husky and woody. Slight bubblegum ester. Oily and citrusy hop bite. Spicy, a bit peppery, grapefruit. Bitter, spicy hops ride it out into the finish.

M: Medium bodied. Creamy with a scrubbing carbonation that cuts through and adds a crisp bite. Smooth.

O: Perhaps the most ubiquitous canned craft brew, and for good reason. It's crispness and citrusy hop bite make it a refreshing quaff that hits the spot especially well in those bbq/outdoor roles. Not the deepest APA, and a bit aggressive, but in the end that's what makes this beer work.

Serving type: can

03-24-2013 01:15:54 | More by ryan1788a5

YardmanFTB

Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is light and crisp but still hoppy. Hoppy but not too bitter. This beer has been around for what seems like forever now but it's stood the test of time. Oskar Blues is the original canned craft beer. At first it seemed like that they were just a novelty beer. "Beer that doesn't suck in a can!", but it really is a great drink. Now everyone is trying to mimic their canning, most notably 21st Amendment.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 14:46:45 | More by YardmanFTB

arfenhouse

California

3.96/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear copper with white head. Retention is good and has decent lacing.

S: Orange peel and sweet caramel malt. Pine and some pineapple. Smell is a bit small.

T: Decently bitter grapefruit pine combo upfront. A bit of pineapple and peach. Ends on a slightly sweet note.

M: Medium body with medium-light carbonation.

O: Solid APA.

Serving type: can

03-21-2013 06:48:22 | More by arfenhouse

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I picked up a can of Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale a few days ago at for $1.39 at The Lager Mill. I have never had anything from Oskar Blues before so since they just started shipping their beers to Michigan I thought I would check out their lineup, so I'll start with their Pale Ale and work my way up. lets see how it goes. Canned on 2/21/14 so it's fairly fresh. Poured from a 12oz can into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label has a pretty clean and classic look to it, I like it, I think it looks nice and it has a slight retro look to it. It poured a nice and slightly darker golden yellow color that took on a slight amber hue when held to the light with two fingers worth of slightly off white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left some nice rings of lacing behind. This is a good looking American Pale Ale, and I really liked that they clearly print the canning date on the bottom on the can, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness followed by some grainy and bready malts that have a really slight toffee like aroma to it. Up next comes a 50/50 mixture of earthy and citrus hopes that impart earthy hop aromas along with some grapefruit and some slight pineapple aromas. This beer has a pretty good aroma, its balanced nicely and the citrus hops stick out just enough to grab my attention, I like it.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a lower amount of medium sweetness followed by some grainy and bready malt flavors. After that comes the hops which still retain that 50/50 mixture of earthy and citrus hops with a pretty high amount of medium bitterness with a sweet malt and resiny hop aftertaste. This beer tasted good, it had a nice balance of malt and hop flavors, but the hops lent just a little more bitterness than I would have liked, I still enjoyed it though and I thought it was on the border of being an American IPA.

M- Not the smoothest, clean, a little refreshing, on the slightly thicker side of being medium bodied, and it had a a slightly lower amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was ok, but I think the bitterness didn't make it that smooth and it was a little on the thick side for the style, it's still nice but it could be better.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and a good example of an American Pale Ale, it had most of the aspects that I look for in the style, but it seemed to be right on the border of the style and it was pretty close to an IPA, i have had more than a few IPA's that were much less bitter. This beer didn't have the best drinkability, it wasn't that smooth because it was a little overly bitter, but the flavors did a good job at holding my attention, so I could myself drinking a couple of these, but it's not the type of APA that I could drink all day during the summer, the bitterness is a little to high for that. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma, it was pretty good and I thought it had nice balance to it. What I liked least about this beer was the high amount of bitterness, if the bitterness was toned down like a normal APA it would really help the drinkability. I might buy this beer again, but it isn't something that I feel the need to rush out to the store and buy more, but it's for sure worth the price and I would recommend giving it a try if you like APA's and IPA's. All in all i wasn't wowed with this beer, but I thought it was pretty solid for the style and it was fairly enjoyable, but with a couple adjustments I could see this being a great session Pale Ale. This made for a nice first impression of Oskar Blues and i'm interested too see what the rest of their beers are like, it's always nice when good brewery's starts to distribute here, welcome to Michigan Oskar Blues.

Serving type: can

03-19-2013 03:59:19 | More by StoutHunter

JG-90

New Jersey

4.19/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Can into glass

A - Perfectly clear copper, pours a large head that becomes rocky as it recedes, ends up with a ring around glass and thin layer of head in center. Lacing is moderate.

S - Not a ton of smell, what you would expect from an APA. Sweet malt, floral, a touch of hops and citrus

T - Taste is bold and very impressive for an APA. Starts with hops, grapefruit, and lemon (A great surprise with all the hops, did not expect it from the nose). Malt finish along with a hint of floral balances it out nicely. Balanced malt/floral/hop flavor stays in mouth

M - Body is a bit heavier than average for a APA, with low carbonation

O - Really impressed! Has the drinkability of an APA with some explosive flavors you may expect in an IPA. 6.5% ABV hidden very well

Serving type: can

03-15-2013 20:30:01 | More by JG-90

Treyliff

West Virginia

4.26/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A- pours an amber-orange color, silty hazy with a medium cream colored head that reduces to a thin layer skimming the top.

S- sweet, bready and buttery malt with some toffee. Citrus and floral hops, quite complex for an APA.

T- sweet doughy malt with some caramel notes, fruity esters with some floral hops on the linger, the finish is somewhat dry and provides a toasted malt finish

M- medium body, moderate carbonation with a velvety mouthfeel and creamy finish. High drinkability.

O- for the style, this is superb. Well balanced and very easy drinking, really like the maltiness of this one.

Serving type: can

03-15-2013 16:51:25 | More by Treyliff

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.91/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass.

A- Pours a dark honey, slightly hazy body with a big 3" fluffy white head that reduces slowly to some thick cloudy foam clouds. A little lacing.

S- Lacking in this department. Pine and citrus dominate, but it smells very one dimensional.

T- More like an IPA than a pale ale, big pine and resin notes sitting on a hoppy citrus and big bready malt backbone.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation. Pretty drinkable with minimal aftertaste.

I could put away a few of these during a good night of drinking, but it wouldn't be the first one I'd grab off the shelf in terms of taste. Good for the price, and drinkable for 6.5 abv, but middle of the road nonetheless.

Serving type: can

03-14-2013 23:46:17 | More by gcamparone

JackieTH

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From tasting notes. Growler filled at Casanova, Hudson, WI.

I thought the nose on this was piney with a nice clean malt presence. Taste had a nice hop presentation of resin and citrus, a bit more pine forward in my opinion, good level of bitterness. The malt was present but unobtrusive. Medium body, holds together well. Drinks clean and finishes slightly bitter. Nice all-around APA.

Serving type: growler

03-14-2013 18:57:08 | More by JackieTH