G'Knight Imperial Red Ale - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good for it's style with lots of hops and balancing malt, and a very good balancing act. A potent lacey mix with cloudy yellow and beige head. Hoppy "C" aroma. Some citrus, drying aftertaste.This is an aged version, we went back one year, and it worked.

Serving type: can

04-01-2007 06:29:55 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Gordon is a stupendous shade of orangish, reddish bronze that positively glows when viewed with the benefit of bright sunlight. There's no letdown where the head is concerned either. The beer is capped with a hugely thick and creamy lid of orange-infused golden brown sugar-colored foam that is in no hurry to depart and that covers the glass with thick, buttery lace. I love the look.

And I love the nose as well. There's a wee bit too much caramel for me, but it's a sweet, candy-like caramel scent that is enjoyable. No worries though because there's a 'mutha lode' of hoppiness in the house (I gotta agree with the brewery there). So much so that the 4-C dominant hop bill easily overrides the caramel maltiness.

This just might be the sweetest, most caramel malty DIPA that I've ever had. My favorites of the style are slanted much more toward hops, but it's hard to find too much fault when the beer is so damned good. The flavor profile is saved by a huger than huge hop load that is high on sticky resinousness. If I had my druthers though, I'd back off the caramel malt a good bit. I don't believe that the 'dash' of chocolate malt was such a good idea either.

The beer tastes like sugar-crusted orange, lemon and grapefruit peel swimming in a brown sugar syrup. I don't really appreciate chocolate malt per se, but the maltiness is definitely darker and richer than the usual. Ain't no way that 9.2% is accurate. Two percentage points lower is the highest that I would have guessed. If it wasn't for the cloying sweetness, I could down several cans in quick succession... and would then have to find a soft place to land.

Gordon is proof that a ton of malt results in a plush, lush, velvety, viscous mouthfeel. Given the sweetness, calling it syrupy wouldn't be out of line. Even though I heard no escape of gas on tab cracking, the good-sized head is evidence that plenty of carbonation is working behind the scenes. The bubbles also lay low in terms of mouthfeel; just how I'd draw it up.

Forget about the can, this is a good, solid (if overly sweet) version of my favorite style of beer. If I had read my own review prior to tasting, I wouldn't have been thrilled with the emphasis on cararmel malt. In the drinking however, Gordon is a big, gooey, friendly sort of DIPA that I'd probably buy on a regular basis if I was fortunate enough to live in Oskar Blues's distribution area. Thanks to hopsaplenty for the opportunity.

Serving type: can

08-13-2006 15:53:15 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ahh my second offering from Oskar Blues, and my favorite style, the Double IPA, lets see how they do.

Poured a deep, dark, hazy orange, with a very nice white head which faded down leaving a nice lace up the glass. Very nice pour from the can. The smell was a nice blend of citrus hops. Grapefruit and pineapple being the biggest players here with hints of tangerine and pine flavors. Alcohol also made its presence felt, tingling the nose a bit. The taste was nice and sweet, not overally so but well rounded sweetness. Nice citrus flavors again, pineapple and grapefruit. The alcohol again was noticeable, but as it warmed it was masked well by the flavors. Very nice bitter, dry finish, lingered and made you want more of it. The balance between the malt and hop flavors is very nicely done here, and the compliment each other well, and mask the high ABV nicely. Overall this was a very nice DIPA and another quality brew from Oskar Blues.

Serving type: can

03-16-2007 23:19:18 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.18/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A deep reddish amber color with a finger or so of white head. Some lacing is present, but not too much.

S: The initial sniff gives an aroma of earthy hops. Subsequent sniffs provide some grapefruit and pine. The hop character is followed by a doughy malt scent.

T: This beer was only very slightly chilled, so the sweet flavors really came out. There was some very light citrus flavor, a very prominent pineapple flavor, and a slight maltiness midway through the sip. The finish is slightly bitter and piney.

M: Not too much in the way of carbonation on this beer. The body is medium to full.

D: Such an easy drinking DIPA. It's more malty and sweet than I generally like (I'm not sure how old it is), but great flavors and nothing unpleasant.

Serving type: can

09-14-2009 07:27:00 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate amber-red color with an off white head. The nose is citrus hops and a bit of sweeter malt in the background. The taste is a bit overly sweet, almost verging on being cloying. A pretty good amount of citrus and slight bitterness. Bitter and sweet both for sure in the feel. Drinkability is pretty good, but it's a bit too sweet in the end.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2010 00:25:07 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a semi-cloudy brown-amber body with a rich, fluffy off-white head.

Smell: Ahh, finally an assertive nose demanding of one's attention! Pacific Northwest hops bring pine and, to a lesser extent, grapefruit to the table, while the malts deliver some caramel, biscuitiness, and maybe even some brown sugar, too.

Taste: Begins with a sweet butterscotch maltiness that's quickly succeeded by a myriad of fruit flavors including grapefruit, peaches, and blood oranges. Eventually, the pine and grassy hop flavors show up to welcome in the bitter, dry (but still somewhat sweet) finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Oily texture.

Drinkability: Extraordinarily well-balanced, just as it's secondary Dale's Pale Ale is. A beer good enough to help you pull yourself up out of the muck and make your life something worth living. Thanks a million, Oskar Blues!

Serving type: can

04-21-2007 18:41:36 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a sturdy head that leaves sheets of lace

Smell: Rich caramel and citrus hop aroma, floral and pithy

Taste: Opens with a tug of war between the resinous citrus and the rich caramel malt flavors; after the swallow, the malt surrenders and the bitter flavors triumph; sweet and floral in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A nice DIPA, that is well-balanced and flavorful

Serving type: can

04-19-2008 00:04:13 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Canned on 11/7/11.

Pours a slightly hazy dark amber with a 2 inch foamy tan head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is very malty with some very nice herbal and peppery hop aromas. There is also a pineapple aroma I am getting as the beer warms up. Taste is of sweet malt balanced with herbal, peppery, and citrus zest hops. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a light carbonation with a medium bodied and slightly sticky mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good DIPA but I am enjoying the aromas more than the flavors.

Serving type: can

03-13-2012 01:48:21 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of gford217: Poured a deep brown color ale with a nice foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of bitter and citrus hops are dominating. Taste is also dominated by those citrusy and bitter Qwest Coast hops with a nice caramel malt profile that is overshadowed by the hops. Full body with some good carbonation and no discernable alcohol behind all those hops. One-dimensional for sure but still very tasty and nonetheless a beer I wouldn't mind having access on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2008 17:17:35 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think the beer probably falls into an Imperial Red catagory rather than an Imperial IPA. Big, Red, Sticky is how the can explains it. Good enough.

The beer pours into a new Sam Adams pint glass with a deep amber hue, moderate haze, good head formation/retention and solid lacing throughout. A good look.

The nose is a good blend of candied malts (caramel and toffee), orange zest, grapefruit, bready-toasty maltiness, and grains

Deep toffee coated malts provide a lot of caramel and syrup sweetness that is soon enough balanced and overtaken by citrus and pine hops. Understandable why the beer is included in the IIPA catagory, but the caramel sweetnes is so heavy that it keeps the beer from complete hop dominance. Mild fruits of pineapples, papayas, and appricots give a mild and understated complexity to the taste.

Sticky it is, but not offensively so. A good portion of the beer falls into rich and full maltiness and not cloying, syrupy textures. The sweetness gives way at mid-palate and allows the bitterness and dryness of the hops to take over going into the finish.

A good beer that refuses to allow the malts or hops to dominate- they seem to take turns at every sip.

Serving type: can

07-22-2009 02:02:09 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured aclear rich bronze with a nice white sticky 1/2 finger head leaving a ring of lace as it settled slowly,I know giving a 5 for for anything really means something when reviewing but I had it give this a perfect score for the nose of this bad boy the pine jumps out and grabs ya the underlying citrus just adds to to it its just resiny and piney and just damn good.Long lingering hops on the palate no big wallop and done here a nice coating mouthfeel the piney flavors just coat the mouth and just seem to linger over top of a pretty sweet malt base but the hops seem to just go on late into the finish inducing those blessed hop burps.Big thanks to my buddy Dale aka "hoppedup" (Dale) thru AK Smoked Porter hey every once in awhile even an Ohioan makes me happy.

Serving type: can

06-26-2006 01:37:36 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From a plain metal can with a green and white sticker on it. I'd better get to this before it gets old...

I never knew Gordon Knight (the guy this beer's named for), and I never will, but if this beer's any reflection of him (as the can suggests), I think we would've gotten along just fine. He was a seemingly unstoppable brewer, involved in the opening of many brew pubs early in the day, and a helicopter pilot that fought forest fires (and died doing it in 2002). It's a winner, and he was too; and I could only dream that if my friends made a beer in memoriam to me it would be this good!

That said, unlike many other big IPA's that slap you down with raspy hops and loaded bitterness, this one is soft like a baby's blanket. It's rich malty base is the perfect support for it's resiny hop load. It's caramelish, and even slightly chocolatey, but perfectly balanced by the softly piney and grassy hops. The bitterness is even soft. It's 85 IBU's are barely felt - against the plush malt background it seems more like 35 or 40!!! It's remarkably rich and mellow at the same time... hoppy, but not so hoppy... malty but not sweet. IT'S RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! And stunningly drinkable!!! And I have to say this, but not because of the can thing, although that's great and I'm all for it, and excited that it's catching on, but... this is one hell of a beer for relaxing around the campfire with. It reminds me of my homebrew club camping trips... big, soft, hoppy beers - and you only need one or two because they satisfy. Good times! Oskar Blues keep doing it!!! It takes a lot to turn my head, but damned if this one didn't do it! Highest praises! ...Now I need to go get more!!!

Serving type: can

03-27-2007 00:55:33 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Hitachino Nest bowtie glass.

I thought I had this bad boy back in my NoVa days, but apparently I was wrong... This stuff pours a clear brass-amber topped by a stolid finger of light cream foam. The nose comprises toasted toffee, pine needles, and orange rind. Things are kinda muted thanks to the nitro tap, but some elements shine through anyway, stalwarts. The taste brings in more of the same, though now the pine character is more sap-y (not sappy) than needle-y. The body is a light medium, with a steady nitrogenation and a subsequently velvety feel. Overall, a solid hoppy red. Though nothing to get outright excited about, it's definitely something to try if you haven't yet done so.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-01-2012 03:01:14 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Clear crimson in color, though a shade pale than real red...a burnished apricot, perhaps? Rests under a fine, creamy-toned head, a good, lasting 1/4".

Sweet, malty, rich and hoppy in the nose. That's the immediate impression. Let's go back for more...Almost a barleywine impression, very rich and ripe, redolent of the succulent, decadent dark fruits, plump plums, luscious grapes, bodacious berries. Outsized and outrageous.

Taste is full, vast, and, again, bigger than life. Great attack on the palate, wonderful play with the tongue, a texture that gives and grabs. Thick, sticky, and not shy about anything. Full-bodied, long, fruity finish, hops and malt both give beyond the ordinary. Alcohol isn't felt right off, but assuredly crawls it's way into the feel of it.

Abundant fruit mixed with the barleywine feel in the flavor, an impressive acheivement. Wonderful, relaxing ale, this. And, without a doubt, the finest beer I've yet poured from a can!

Serving type: can

07-09-2006 09:07:50 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a solid malt scent that boasts of pale and crystal malts along with a powerful hop aroma that's floral and quite refreshing. The taste is good. It has a nice bitter hop taste that is complimented with a complex malt flavor. It goes down easy and finishes hoppy and slightly warm. This is a big brew with lots of flavor. It's rich and well balanced. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a damn fine beer. It's all around good; another wonderful offering from these guys.

Serving type: growler

06-08-2006 21:28:10 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer on draft at a local beer bar. I ordered it because I couldn't remember if I had reviewed it before. I knew I had had it but couldn't remember if I had reviewed it. Good call on my part.

Beer served in a shaker pint. Beer is reddish, almost brown, with some haze to it. Forms a thin off white head of small bubbles that falls away leaving a lot of lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate to low. Looks OK.

Smell is great. Lots of pine. Not a lot of malt. Nice.

Unlike the aroma of this beer, there is quite the malt backbone to this beer. Medium body, quite sweet up front, really strong bitterness in the back, could use some more hop flavors in the midpalate. Beer is pretty drinkable, overall a decent DIPA, especially for availability and price.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2010 20:39:50 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have tried this beer many times over the past two years but just now got around to reviewing it.

Pours a reddish brown with an off-white head. The aroma is strong citrus hops with some pine. The flavor is grapefruit, pine and orange. The orange is much stronger than the last times I have tried this beer, with a strong pithy orange flavor being dominant. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: can

02-02-2010 17:13:14 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.18/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: It poured deep amber in color with a dense head. A low to moderate level of carbonation is visible. The head didn't last that long, but it left nice lacey patterns on the surface.
S: There's a moderate aroma of piney hops in the nose.
T: Piney hops dominate the flavors, but they are balanced somewhat by the underlying malt, which adds a slight amount of sweetness to the overall taste. There is some bitterness in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate, crisp and a little sticky.
D: The alcohol is well-hidden so it's relatively easy to drink. Who would have thought that something that tasted this good could come out of a can?

Serving type: can

05-12-2010 23:20:11 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out an orange/amber color with a bubbly, tan, two-finger head. It left heavy, sticky rings of lace. Also, cloudy in appearance.

S - It smelled of malt and a ton of hops.

T - Led off with some bitter hops. Had a nice malty character. Also, a hint of sweet orange flavor.

M - It was crisp and sharp. A medium to heavy bodied beer.

D - This is another great Oskar Blues product.

Serving type: can

09-04-2007 22:09:36 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.65/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear but dark garnet, rich red color. It is well carbonated, which spawns a thick light brown head. The aroma is of American hops, candied citrus and apricot. Quite sweet smelling with a hint of toasted biscuits and malt in the background. This beer is rich and full flavored with just a hint of dark toasted malts in the finish. Very fruity from the hop derived citrus notes. A sharp bitter finish but not overly so. This beer has quite a bit of malt character, which helps to balance the intense hoppiness.

Quite tasty actually. There is a medium-bodied fullness, which compliments both the hop and malt contributions. This is in the tradition of Arrogant Bastard Ale; massively hoppy but with a caramel sweet hint of toasted maltiness to boot. Goes down so smooth, this is an incredible brew, get some if you can.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2004 18:41:03 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz. can into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep amber color with a large foamy off-white head that fades very slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is full of hops, citrus and caramelized malt.

T: The taste is very well-balanced with flavors of bitter hops, fruity citrus and caramelized malts. There’s a little bit more sweetness than most 2IPA’s but it masks the ABV. The after-taste is hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Very smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not very filling, very good representation of style, deceptive kick, this is an excellent beer to stick for a whole evening, but the ABV can catch up to you quickly.

Serving type: can

07-11-2007 04:56:26 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gordon poured out as a nice red color with a foamy white head on top. The head was very thick and have a good retention to it. The smell of the beer was hoppy and very inviting. The taste of the beer had a great hop quality on the tongue and has a good flavor overall. The malts were mostly found in the aftertaste along with the dry hop bitterness. The mouth feel of this beer had a good thickness to it. Overall I found this beer to be very enjoyable it was probably one of my favorite beers of the American craft beer festival in 2010. I would definitely drink this beer again.

Serving type: can

07-04-2011 20:54:08 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.65/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Found this in cans, so I figured I need to review it for comparrison's sake to the draft

Pours reddish orange witha 3 fingers deep offwhite colored head. Very good lacing & head retention

S: Huge piney & citrus hops & then hints of alcohl as it warms

T: Loads of piney hops then sweet malt comes through. Caramel & grapefruitty hops are present as it warms. Dryness & oakyness show as well. Finishes fruitty with

MF: Medium bodied with low levels of carbonation & super balance for the style

Drinks very easy for the abv & ibus. The only thing that would keep this out the rotation is the cost $10.99 a 4 pack. Seems much smoother when compared to the draft, having said that. it was a pretty young batch. Another can of goodness from this brewery. I liked this about .5 more than tap version for what it's worth

Serving type: can

10-10-2006 05:28:17 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Dense honeycomb of foam, dimpled on the surface. Webs of lace, with several rings forming on the way down. Deep reddish-amber tone, with good clarity.

Huge citrusy hop aroma, riding up against a hearty maltiness. Honey, pine, butterscotch, fresh grapefruit juice, and weeds all come across in the nose also.

Lush, creamy mouthfeel, that really couldn't improve at all. Buttery smooth, huge malt presence pairs with a citrusy component, descending into a pine tar bitterness in the finish. Bitterness isn't harsh or abrasive, it's fairly mellow, but lingers for a long time.

One is a real treat, maybe two if you're feeling ambitious. The alcohol is tucked away, but you will definitely feel it after having one or two...

Serving type: can

08-24-2007 00:39:26 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours red with a small white head, good retention, light lacing.

S: Smell is underwhelming for a IIPA, but leaves some caramel malt and citrus hops.

T: Taste is very malty at first, like an Imperial red, heavy toffee and toasted bread. Hops add grapefruit pith, pectin and an herbal quality to the overall beer, light cedar. Love the hop profile and power of the bitterness on the first sip of this beer.

M: Light overall carbonation like I have found in all of the Oskar Blues beers that I have had thus far. Medium-bodied, oily, full of hop resin.

D: A very good Double IPA. At times I wasn't as in to it as I thought I would be, but overall another tasty brew from the new to CA Oskar Blues. When I see this beer in cans I will definitely pick up some.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2008 21:37:15 | More by Halcyondays