Sampling Oskar Blues Death By Coconut, IPA, Pinner & Hotbox Roasters Coffee

I was excited to find a care package at mybeerbuzz headquarters coming from one of my favorite breweries…Oskar Blues.  My first “positive” canned beer experiences and some of my new favorite beers have all come courtesy of Oskar Blues, so it will be exciting for me to watch their “Caned Beer Apocalypse” reach the complete U.S. footprint in 2016.

I’ve followed Oskar Blues from Longmont, CO, to Brevard, NC so it will also be exciting to see their new Austin, TX brewery open in 2016.  So without further adieu, lets start the sampling!

I have things a bit out of sequence, but I couldn’t wait to sample GABF Silver Medal winning Death by Coconut, so off we go.  I should mention that this beer was canned just TWO DAYS AGO, so it poured and tasted super fresh and at 6.5%-AbV I have a feeling it will go down easy.  The color is dark brown as you’d expect and the aroma speaks of chocolate, cocoa, caramel and of course coconut.  I wasn’t bowled over by the coconut in the aroma, but I expect the flavor will be more prominent.  The body is what I’d describe as medium and I really liked the flavors on board.  It’s not what I’d call and Almond Joy bar, but it’s pretty close.  Rich dark chocolate balanced by the creamy and subtle coconut and a slightly malty finished.  As the beer warmed, the coconut became more prominent to me and the balance remained perfect…all in all a really nice and really fresh porter that I’m sure I’ll chase down again (especially for Thanksgiving dinner).

Oskar Blues Pinner and I spent a week on the beach this summer and I can tell you we’re very close friends.  This beer is hop forward (35 IBU), robust, satisfying and loaded with citrus, pineapple and passion fruit flavors…and yes I should also mention how “crushable” it is at 4.9%-AbV.  I awarded Pinner “Beach Beer of the Year 2015” and now I remember why.

I should mention I’m already on my 3rd case of Oskar Blues IPA and I think this beer raises the bar for IPAs much like Dale’s Pale Ale raised the bar for pale ales.  This beer uses Ella, Enigma, Vic Secret, Topaz and Galaxy hops from Australia and it hits a very drinkable 6.43%-AbV.  The beer is bright, hoppy, juicy and citrusy and all in all a very drinkable and satisfying IPA that you NEED to try!

As if all of that wasn’t fun enough, Oskar Blues included a CAN of their Hotbox Roasters coffee for us to try.  Now I’ll admit I’m not a coffee sampling expert, but I couldn’t resist trying.  First off you have to love the names of Hotbox Roasters Coffee:  Kenya Dig It, Frank Sumatra, Bolivia Newton John and my sample, French Press of Bel Air.    French Press of Bel Air is 100% Arabica fair traded whole bean coffee and you’ll be blown away at how good the aroma is as soon as you open the can.  I’m no expert, but the coffee was earthy and aromatic with a slightly nutty and candy caramel flavor in the background.  I did find a subtle dull berry flavor as it cooled a bit, and some slightly chocolate-y flavors as well.  All in all a lot of fun sampling, and stay tuned to this post as my in-house coffee expert (aka Mrs. BeerBuzz) will try it for herself.

Oskar Blues IPA, Pinner & Death By Coconut were super fresh and I’d recommend all three for everything from the beach to tailgating, from family parties to Thanksgiving and of course as a perfect gift for any beer lover.

I can’t tell you how much fun it was sampling around the super-fresh beers & brews from my old favorite, Oskar Blues.  I’m excited for our Thanksgiving guests to try some Death By Coconut and Hotbox Roasters coffee, and I also have a feeling I know what the coffee lovers on my holiday gift list will be getting.  Be sure to try these beers and brews for yourself and as always, let me know what YOU think.  Cheers & Thank you to Oskar Blues.