Oskar Blues Gordon

What they say(oskarblues.com): Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% alcohol by volume, and has 85 International Bittering Units.

It features a gooey, resiny aroma and a luscious mouthfeel. Gordon is brewed with dash of chocolate malt in it, to round out its load of hops and balance the beer. The result is an assertive yet exceptionally smooth version of strong beer.

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

Originally our winter seasonal beer, it has become a cult favorite of extreme-beer lovers, so we now brew occasional batches of Gordon throughout the year. Released in bottles in 2003 and 2004, Gordon is now sold in four packs of hand-labeled cans and on draft in select markets.

What I say: It has a deep copper color, yet moderately light in body. The taste has a strong malt presence upfront, with almost no finish. I could tell this was a big beer; my notes say it's strong and warm. There is a definite warming in the finish. As you can see from their notes Oskar Blues uses a lot of hops, yet I noted the beer could probably use more hops. I can explain why this sounds crazy and why it makes sense like this: Most times I'll go into a tasting not knowing the history or style of the beer. Therefore the notes I make may not always be appropriate to the style, but I have no problem correcting myself. Now knowing that this is a DIPA/Imperial Red hybrid I understand why the hops are somewhat muted and proper. The balance of the taste does lean a bit toward the malt. This slight imbalance makes for a great tasting brew. And know that I know that this beer has named in honor of a hero, it'll definitely be one of my favorite brews. In any case, try it yourself and let me know.