Beerlandia: Dale's Pale Ale

From the early twenty-teens onward - when microbreweries market share started exploding - anything you bought in a bottle shop was most likely going to be in, well, a bottle. Beer in a can usually has somewhat negative connotations. It’s a “domestic” - cheap, nearly colorless, flavorless, and hangover-inducing. In 2017, the can does not necessarily equal Miller Time. Oskar Blues is a brewery that has made this their niche since the early days, unabashedly canning every one of their beers. This week I’ll be cracking open my favorite by them, Dale’s Pale Ale.

Beer: Dale’s Pale Ale
Brewery: Oskar Blues Grill & Brew  
Country: Longmont, CO & Brevard, NC, USA
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Beerlandia Advisory: The satisfaction of cracking open a can and having good beer inside. 

One drawback of cans is that I like drinking out of them, so I’m not really encouraged to see what the beer actually looks like. This is probably that unconscious bias that all cans must be slammers. If you do take the time to pour your Dale’s into a glass, you’ll be surprised to see a rich, deep amber-red with a decent size creamy head. I kind of regret only drinking them from the can all these years.

This is a pale ale that doesn’t mess around. The bitterness of hops is the first thing you’ll smell, and it is pure hops. There is a slight citrus undertone, but you will need to analyze the beer to find it. There is also some mild malty sweetness, but hops dominate all. Some will say it’s complex; others will say the hops are overwhelming. 

“The consistent hop bitterness throughout may disappoint those looking for something new and exciting.”

Again, the first thing to hit your palate will be the bitterness of the hops, manifesting itself as more of a grapefruit taste than citrus. The hops bookend a caramel malty sweetness that is not unpleasant with the first beer, but it yields an unpleasant aftertaste after a while. The bitter finish underlines that this is a pale ale for people who like pale ales. It is not trying to draw in an outside audience. I would definitely recommend drinking Dale’s ice-cold for this reason. 

There is a moderate amount of carbonation, which is the least you can hope for when drinking from a can. This APA hovers between medium and heavy-bodied, and I can see how it would be difficult to drink more than one for someone who doesn’t really seek out hops. Again, drink it cold.

This is a solid American Pale Ale without too much depth, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As a hop lover myself, I have a tendency to session pale ales, and I find the less nuance the better in those cases. In that regard, Oskar Blues has produced a perfect genre piece. Of course, the consistent hop bitterness throughout may disappoint those looking for something new and exciting. 

I like cans

Dale’s is a crisp, refreshing American pale ale that I find myself picking up more often now than my previous go-to, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I can’t help but think that the can has something to do with it. After all, they are proven to better protect beer from exposure to light and air. But it’s the contents that matter in the end, and you will not be disappointed if you are looking for a robust, hoppy pale ale that doesn’t require too much thinking. ◉

Written by Seth Barham