Oskar Blues – Deviant Dale’s Returns In Jan

Oskar Blues  Brewery is grabbing 2016 by the horns, gearing up to release Deviant Dale’s IPA in January – the first seasonal incarnation of a beer that has been in the brewery’s core lineup since ­­2012. Fans of the brew, previously accustomed to year-round availability, are eagerly awaiting the release. “This year’s Deviant is worth the wait,” said Tim Matthews, Head of Brewing Operations. “Fans will be very pleased when they get it – it’s back to its roots.”

Those roots grew out of a happy accident. Deviant Dale’s IPA was first created when the wrong bag of grain was used in a batch of Dale’s Pale Ale. When the brewers realized the mistake, they took their blooper in stride, resolving to salvage the brew. They fixed it up with a liberal dry-hopping and the result was impishly good.

This beast of a beer had serious potential, so the OBB team tested subsequent batches on a willing group of guinea pigs – regulars at Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons. “Lyons folk are gritty extremists,” laughed Matthews. They urged the brewers to make the beer more intense, bigger, hoppier, and generally more badass with each batch. The brewers complied, stirring the mash with a pitchfork over a raging fire and the screams of the eternally damned (or so one could imagine).

After years of tweaking, the 2011 version of Deviant Dale’s IPA won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the American-style India Pale Ale category – widely regarded as the contest’s most competitive class. The award-winning beer quickly became a year-round staple, available in a 16-ounce can. Screaming in at 8% ABV and 85 IBUs, it was a big, cloven-hoofed beer in a monster-sized can.

In recent years, Deviant Dale’s IPA evolved slightly. The punchy, floral Centennial hops that are a keystone of the recipe were challenging to get due to limited supply. They’re simultaneously finicky to grow and variable in yield – basically the prima donna of hops.  Deviant Dale’s remained devilishly good, maintaining an impressive Rate Beer score of 90 and attracting a cult following of craft beer drinkers.

So why did OBB decide to make Deviant Dale’s IPA a seasonal offering this year?  Brewing seasonally will allow OBB to use the quality and quantity of Centennial hops that is expected from Deviant Dale’s IPA.  “The hops for this season’s brew are insanely fresh. In fact, they were pelletized just weeks ago. We’re taking advantage of a small window [from which] we can get optimal flavors,” explained Matthews. “This beer loves to be fresh.”

The 2016 embodiment of Deviant Dale’s is expected to be citrusy, spicy, and dank; with less vegetable-like tones than in recent years. Floral, aromatic Centennial hops and herbal Columbus team up to slap you on the tongue. Big, bold, and revamped, Deviant Dale’s will storm onto shelves in a new 12-ounce can in January, perfect for colder months as it has, as Matthews says, “an intense warming aspect” – the polite way of saying a taste of sweet, sweet hellfire.