Oskar Blues Brewery

In 1999 a restaurateur named Dale Katechis decided that his cajun grill in Lyons, Colorado wasn't quite  enough. An avid homebrewer, Dale decided to turn his restaurant into a brewpub and began producing his own beer. It turns out that the beer was popular enough that in 2002 Oskar Blues Brewery began packaging and selling their beer in cans. 

Interestingly, it is probably the cans that garnish the most attention. It's something of a novelty these days to see any brewer smaller than Budweiser or Coors distribute their beer in cans. Dale and the others at Oskar Blues felt that cans were the best option because they were cheap, portable enough to be part of the outdoor lifestyle they all enjoyed, and also a little bit funny. "We thought the idea of our big, luscious pale ale in a can was hilarious," says Dale on the Oskar Blues webpage. 

 The smallbrew in cans didn't dissuade the public from trying out the beer inside, and soon Oskar Blues found itself making more and more varieties of beer. Today you can choose from the original Dale's Pale Ale, G'Knight Imperial Red Ale, Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, Gubna Imperial IPA, Deviant Dale's IPA, Old Chub Scotch Ale, and Mama's Little Yella Pils. All of the beer can be found in cans in liquor stores all over. 

Of course, at 320 Main, we don’t carry a lot of beer in cans. While all of Oskar Blues Brewing Co.'s are great out of the can, there's not really much of a debate as to whether any beer is better out of the tap. That's why we carry both Old Chub Scotch Ale and Mama's Little Yella Pils on draft. 

The Old Chub is a Scotch Ale that is brewed to 8% ABV with malted barley, "specialty grains," and beechwood-smoked malt. This smooth, dark beer isn't heavy like a stout, and carries with it flavors of toasted malt and brown sugar. 

Mama's Little Yella Pils is a pilsner style beer - light and refreshing. It carries with it flavors of honey and grain with a good herbal dose of hops. At 5.3% ABV, this is a beer that can be enjoyed for a good long time. 

Both beers, of course, can be enjoyed by the pint at 320 Main. Whether you're having a meatloaf sandwich, some Happy Hour appetizers, or just relaxing at the end of the day, it's hard to go wrong with an Oskar Blue's brew.

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.