Expand your mind, extend your brand

I've been working through some of what's on offer from Oskar Blues at the moment, beginning with Slow Chill, badged as a Munich-style Helles. It's weird and inappropriate to get one of these in a small can so I picked a wide glass to help make it seem bigger. Apart from the quantity, the appearance is bang-on: a crystal clear pale gold with a lasting layer of fine foam. The aroma is quite biscuity, with a touch of lemon spritz. The texture, again, is beyond reproach, being pillow-soft and sinkable.

I don't think they've quite nailed the flavour, however. While there's a sufficient malt element it's not the fresh white bread of the Bavarian real thing but quite a worty dry-malt-extract sweetness. The bitterness is too high as well; a grassy kick more like you'd find in a northern pils that conflicts with the sweet malt side instead of complementing it. There's an aftereffect of fluffy effervescence which is pleasant, but takes away any sensation of crispness. Not a bad effort, overall, but not something that'll convince any regular drinkers of actual Munich Helles. I'm sure the brewery will be on better form with the IPAs.

From a Slow Chill to a Thick Haze, presented as a New England-style IPA though not completely hazy and with a fair whack of bitterness. It's not even very thick, though it is a full 7% ABV. While the aroma is peachy and tropical, the first hit from the flavour is an intense pithiness with added lemon rind and damp grass. Late on there's a brief flash of peach and mango but it makes way for the return of the bitterness, giving the beer a waxy finish. I wonder were they aiming at cloning the flavour profile of Heady Topper -- my memory of that one arose while I was drinking. It's not what I was expecting, but overall I liked it. There's plenty of poke from the hops and the booze. IPAs really are the go-to style for Oskar Blues.

I highly enjoyed the Can-O-Bliss Tropical I had back in the summer. It turns out that the brewery has a slew of C-O-B variants available for the curious and brand-loyal. Sign me up, I guess.

First of those today is Can-O-Bliss Hazy, sticking with the series-mandated 7.2% ABV. Once again it's light on drugs, big on old-school citrus pith. You get a noseful of freshly-peeled satsuma and a flavour packed with dry tannins, incense spicing and full-shred marmalade. Mwah! It's like a hot whiskey but without the whiskey, and very easy going despite the strength. Hazy? Well it's not clear, but nor is it the custard emulsion that the cool kids insist upon. This is another blousey beauty; full strength yet accessible, with enough complexity to hold your attention without being at all busy. Is there a danger that these are all a bit samey? A cynical attempt at drawing in the tickers with different labellings of basically the same beer? To test this I immediately opened...

... Can-O-Bliss Citrus: same strength and looking the same translucent orange-yellow. This lacks the dryness in the aroma but has a similar orangey effect beyond that. As the name implies, it's much more bitter: an abrasive tang right from the first sip. The malt body helps balance that, and when the initial hit of gastric acid fades there's an exotic mix of jaffa pith, coconut oil and pine resin. They've called it citrus but it's through that and out the other side: a more intense, concentrated blend of exotic flavours. It's not very exciting though. I liked the kick, the punch, the rasp, but it doesn't finish anywhere nice. It's unbalanced. Though it's not unpleasant, I prefer both of the previous takes.

The latest edition to hit the shelves locally is Can-O-Bliss Resinous. It's cool to see that word front and centre on a label, but would the beer deliver? The appearance is as usual and there's the same lightly fruitsome aroma. It's sweet and tropical to begin and I had to look for the resin: I don't think I'd have picked this as "the resinous one" from a blind line-up. There is a certain oily dank that emerges as it warms but it's not the main feature. We're back in Satsuma Town for that. My scepticism about the series consisting of very similar IPAs was rekindled. I can't complain about the beer or its quality, mind.

Top of the line is Can-O-Bliss Double IPA at 8.2% ABV.  The visual theme continues here: an eggy yellow shade. Big hop and big malt jump out of the aroma right from the start: a warm lemon drink with a toffee on the side. That toffee thing is very strong in the flavour; intensely sweet to the point of turning tangy. The Citra comes in next but is held in check by the malt, delivering quite a mild charge of limey bitterness. There's plenty of more nuanced hop flavour too, including a clean and zesty citrus sorbet and a juicy mandarin-and-passionfruit angle. After a moment or two it's possible to forget how strong and sweet it is and just enjoy the hop party. This is a beer out for a good time. Be careful with it.

My affinity for the Can-O-Bliss series remeains unshaken, and I will be buying more as and when they appear. You can take it from me that it's a sign of good American IPA.