Looking for something different, I picked up a six of the Oskar Blues Old Chub. We have tried their Gordon Ale, Mama’s Little Yellow Pils, and Dale’s Pale Ale (see G-LO’s reviews here and here), so Oskar Blues wasn’t an unknown commodity. And as far as a canned beer goes, Oskar Blues puts out an exceptional run with some of the most interesting can designs out there. Thus, in keeping with my affinity for the bright and shiny packaging, I picked up the Old Chub.
Here is what Oskar Blues has to say about their Old Chub:
This jaw-dropping Scottish strong ale (8% ABV) is brewed with bodacious amounts of malted barley and specialty grains, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malt. Old Chub features a skim-milk mouthfeel, semi-sweet flavors of cocoa and coffee, and a kiss of smoke. A head-turning treat for malt heads and folks who think they don’t dig dark beer.While Dale’s satisfies our hop addiction, Old Chub takes care of our deep affections for malt. The cola-colored beer (almost black) features a tan head, a creamy, skim-milk mouthfeel, and rich, semi-sweet flavors of caramel and chocolate throughout. The addition of smoked grains gives Old Chub a delicate kiss of smoke on the finish.
Old Chub is the beer equivalent of a lightly smoked single malt scotch, or your favorite dark chocolate. We call it Rocky Mountain Mutha’s Milk. People who tell us defiantly, “I don’t drink dark beer,” often fall deeply in love with Old Chub. We can’t blame them.
I found the Old Chub to have the following characteristics…
- Appearance: Dark amber with a lot of tan, creamy foam.
- Aroma: A little hoppy and a lot roasted.
- Taste: Tastes like it smells. Mild hoppy flavor with sweet malt, chocolate, and coffee notes, giving it a slightly bitter taste followed by a rich, roasted finish.
- ABV: 8%
This was a very good beer. Thick, creamy, and with a full range of well balanced flavors. Oskar Blues has done it again!
Categories: Brew Review, Oskar Blues
AMKrouse
The Alemonger
G-LO
limpd
The Wookie
The ROK
Sarah -BeautifulTangibleThings
The Astounding Prism
It's just the booze dancing... 
This was the beer that got be back into looking for good beer in cans. I just love it. I also have the pleasure of having it on draft at the Scottish Games in Fair Hill MD every year.
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You are so right. If this beer doesn’t change you perception of canned beer nothing will. The folks at Oskar Blues have a great line-up!
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This is, hands down, one of my favorite cold weather beers. Beer, with a taste of bourbon. What could be better?
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And, out a can no less! This is my favorite of the Oskar Blues line-up. The Dale’s for a hot summer day but the Old Chub for the rest of the year.
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This sounds like a delicious beer, but I’m guessing that you didn’t pick up on any of that peaked whisky that they mention. No hints of Islay? Me likey briquette!
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Remember, they said lightly smoked. This eliminates the evils of Islay. I would say that for me the smoke came through as a deeply roasted flavor more like a dark, dark chocolate than your desired briquette. This was no monkey-cino!
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Mmmm… monkey-cino! Long live the Kopi Luwak!
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Would love to have Oskar Blues available in Iowa; our state is behind on getting great craft beer but we are starting to make progress. Great review!
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I cannot wait to find one of these…I was so pleased with my first Oskar, have heard such wonderful things about them, and with this being a Scotch Ale? Dear lord I can’t believe we don’t have Oskars in this town.
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As I said in my review, we have loved the Oskar Blues product line. And, as far as Scotch Ale, the Old Chub is fantastic.
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So I’m finally getting around to trying this beer (drinking it as I type). You’re assessment is spot on. A wee bit of hop bitterness. A whole lot of delicious roasted malt.
There is one thing that you neglected to mention…
The Old Chub has a bit of a warming, boozy kick at the end. I know that I’ve been somewhat critical of overly boozy beers in the past, but since I have now tried a wider variety of beer styles over the past couple years, I have come to the conclusion that there is good boozy and bad boozy when it comes to beer. The Old Chub is good boozy, i.e. it’s there, it makes you take notice, but it doesn’t dominate. This is a delicious beer.
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