Oskar Blues Guns 'N' Rosé & Can-O-Bliss

Oskar Blues' two new releases just hit shelves in Western NY and I wasted no time in purchasing both of them. The only thing I wrestled with was which one to try first. Guns 'n' Rosé is a rose ale brewed with hibiscus & prickly pear, and Can-O-Bliss is a Tropical IPA and the first in a trilogy of IPAs to bear that name. The next releases in the series will be Hazy & Citrus. While this is usually where I tease my thoughts on these beers, I will skip ahead and just come out and tell you that both of them are fantastic.

My favorite beer of the two was Guns 'n' Rosé. To describe it as easy-to-drink is an understatement. The floral, berry, and lemony-citrus aroma is delightful and the flavor that followed blew me away. Lemon tartness dominated initially before a wonderful balance of herbal tea, cranberry, and bubblegum sweetness. The finish is dry and crisp, clean, and begs for another sip. This is a beer version of herbal tea and while I do not think it is for everyone, I really enjoyed it and will be restocking my fridge with it once it is gone.

Can-O-Bliss Tropical IPA is also fantastic and kicks off the series on a high note. It also made me laugh out loud when I read Juice Willis on the top of the can. Bright citrus, lots of passion fruit, mango, crushed pineapple, melon, pine resin, and peach with a touch of spice came through in the nose. That tropical bliss carries into the flavor which sees the pineapple, peach, passion fruit, mango, orange marmalade, and melon in the flavor before a hit of bitter grapefruit, pepper and pine in the finish. The finish is a touch chalky but by no means ruins the beer. Can-O-Bliss is delicious and delivers a lot of flavor for its under 10 dollar a six pack price point. 

If you are looking for something new to drink, you can't go wrong with either of these beers. Both deliver a ton of flavor for a great price. The Can-O-Bliss is definitely the crowd pleaser of the two but if you are looking for something different I highly recommend Guns 'n' Rosé. I do not think you can go wrong either way.

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Harpoon The Craic Irish Red IPA

With a snow storm right around the corner, I, like many other beer enthusiasts are preparing for the prospect of being snowed in. Preparation for a storm includes getting all the necessary supplies, and that includes filling the refrigerator with beer. Now, in the past I have had a tendency to just drink beers on the heavier side when snowed in, and while I have plenty of those, this is my first big snow storm as a homeowner and I have been on a quest to find an adequate snowblowing beer. 

For this particular storm, my snow blowing beer will be Harpoon’s The Craic Irish Red IPA. The reason I chose this beer is because it walks the line between a Red IPA & an Irish Red Ale. One style reminds me of some of my favorite holiday & Winter seasonal beers and the other reminds me of Spring and the warmer weather to come. The Craic does a really nice job of balancing both. 

The aroma of toasted bread, caramel, and toffee instantly made me think of St. Patrick’s Day. I then picked up the herbal, pine & citrus notes from the hops. The taste matched the nose for the most part. The malt profile shines nicely before the hops add another welcome layer of complexity. The hops add a nice amount of spice, along with grapefruit, orange and pine. The malt profile was nuttier than I expected but only enhanced my enjoyment of The Craic. The only thing I was not crazy about was the finish. It was earthy, dry, piney, bitter and provided contrast to the malt sweetness but it did not work as well as I hoped it would. This is a small criticism though, this is a really nice beer and has me really looking forward to seeing more Irish Red Ales on the shelf soon.

The Craic is also one of the best beers I have had from Harpoon in a long time. I usually pass on beers from the Boston-based brewery because they are usually average at best. This one however is a lot of fun and will definitely get a repeat purchase from me. It will also make for a nice reward after multiple trips outside clearing snow.

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Stay warm!

Samuel Adams Bavarian Lager

These days, I do not drink many new beers with the Samuel Adams' name on them. It is a shame because the Boston Beer Company played a huge role in me falling in love with craft beer. Occasionally for the sake of this blog, I pick up a new offering from them, but aside from the surprising Sam '76, I have found little outside of the classics(Boston Lager, Winter Lager, Oktoberfest etc.) that I want to purchase again. I decided to pick up their latest release, Bavarian Lager, for the sake of this blog, but I will admit I had higher hopes for this beer than other recent releases. This brewery has made classic lagers and I was hoping that Bavarian Lager would take its place among them.

True to the Helles-style, Bavarian Lager pours a pale golden-yellow. It is unfiltered and the aroma of bread dough stands out along with fruity, citrusy, grassy hops. The flavor matched the nose for the most part-- bread dough with a touch of honey sweetness, with a hint of fruit, orange and grapefruit. The finish is grassy, slightly spicy and a touch metallic. The metallic note did not ruin it for me, it is fairly subtle. Overall, I actually I enjoyed Sam Adams Bavarian Lager a lot more than I thought I would. I think it is a huge upgrade over the subpar Fresh As Helles Lager they first released in 2017. Actually, it is an upgrade over most of the beers I have had from Sam Adams recently.

Sam Adams Bavarian Lager is an easy-drinking, crowd pleasing lager that has a satisfying amount of  body for the colder months ahead. I want to be clear, this is not a beer that is going to blow your mind, it is just a well crafted beer from a legendary brewery. It is also a beer I am happy to say I look forward to buying again, sooner than later.

Overall rating: 4/5



Overall rating: 4.25/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!