File this post in the “what’s in Matthew’s mailbox” category. Sometimes we get offered or sent samples for review, and we share the interesting ones.
This week, I received new products from Oskar Blues Brewery and 10 Barrel Brewing Co.; the former of course has a downtown Colorado Springs taproom, and the latter, based in Bend, Oregon, has a pub on Walnut Street in Denver.
To 10 Barrel first: They’ve just added a seventh canned cocktail to their offerings. That’s a market sector that’s experienced exponential growth in recent years (and one repped locally by Lee Spirits’ lineup).
This latest installment is a Mai Tai, made with Oregon Spirits Distillers‘ Caribbean Rum, fresh orange, lime and pineapple juices and coconut milk, sweetened by simple syrup. It clocks in at 12.5 ABV but drinks super smooth, balanced and refreshing.
I’m not always a fan of canned cocktails, as many tastes unnecessarily sweet or have lost bright characteristics through mixes designed to travel vs. be sipped immediately. But I sincerely enjoy this drink. All ingredients are present and detectable on the palate, with the booze perfectly infused (i.e. not sharper than other flavors). I’m a coconut fan, so I particularly enjoy the element it brings (a touch of richness to the texture, too), and think of the this Mai Tai as a more citrus-forward piña colada (whereas the true piña colada would be milkier).
Simply put: I would drink the shit out of this on a spring or summer day, longing to be somewhere near a beach, or at least a body of water.
Next up, Oskar Blues released a beer on 4/20 (sorry I’m a couple days late to the party) called Veritasty IPA in conjunction with Veritas Fine Cannabis, a Colorado weed grower and wholesaler (sold in local dispensaries).
Before even reading the press release on it, I immediately thought of New Belgium Brewing Co’s The Hemperor HPA, a very fine beer that truly “smells like a loud sack of marijuana” and carries the title of “world’s dankest beer.” As described by New Belgium several years ago at the time of its release, “we found a unique way to recreate hemp terpene flavors in a beer, which complement the inclusion of hop flavors and hemp hearts.”
Oskar Blues’ Veritasty IPA has a different mission, as “a flavor-packed IPA inspired by terpenes found in Veritas’ extensive cannabis strain library.”
From its press release: “We took a completely different approach to the hemp beers that have been brewed before,” said Juice Drapeau, Head Brewer at Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado. “Instead of using hemp terpenes to cover up the hops that make IPAs great, we paired naturally occurring terpenes in hop strains with naturally occurring terpenes in cannabis strains from Veritas. The result is an IPA that explodes with citrusy bitterness mellowed by rich tropical fruit. It’s undeniably dank.”
Well, I can’t say it approaches anywhere near the dankness of the Hemperor, as there’s no marijuana aroma in the nose or in the flavor. You’ll be disappointed going in with that mindset; so set your expectations. Instead, it’s just a damn good, easy drinking (for 7-percent ABV), juicy IPA by our tastes.
I definitely get the beautiful, layered, tropical citrus vibe — it’s a combo of Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Azacca and Idaho Gem hops — and I appreciate the novelty of having the terpene profile also described on the can: myrcene, humulene and β-caryophyllene. I think many fans of both beer and weed (the cross-faded culture) will appreciate the beer for its inspiration and joint marketing alone.
On the weed side of things, VFC now sells a line of co-branded products with Oskar Blues that feature the strains and terpenes that inspired the beer: Cake Pop, Forbidden Melonz #2, Layer Cake, Sky 600 and Strawberry Milk.
So you could buy some bud to experience the full story on display.
