Two of us assembled a “not your usual canned beer” tasting at work, from right to left (click to embiggen):

My favorites:

  • Oskar Blues " Mama’s Little Yella Pils" (pilsner: clean, flavorful, very slightly sweet– nice. Probably the group favorite, to my surprise.)
  • Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (strong cocoa smell, the most polarizing in our group– most people liked it, some people couldn’t stand it.)
  • Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool Brown (I wouldn’t say it’s unusual in any particular way, but it’s a good solid take on a brown ale, and a beer I’m never unhappy to see at a bar. I first had it when visiting Montana, but I now often see it in the Bay Area, though I’d never seen it in a can.)
  • Oskar Blues G’Knight “Imperial Red Double IPA” (a fascinating beer: strong, hoppy smell, but the tastes of malt (several kinds?) and alcohol (9%) help keep the hops in their place… then the hops jump back out at you at the end. My personal favorite of the tasting.)

Others:

  • 21st Amendment Back in Black (Black IPA, not too one-note, decent but not my favorite. Mixed group opinions, mostly positive.)
  • Oskar Blues Old Chub (Scottish Ale, 8% alcohol, good but not my favorite –  I want to try it again)
  • Old Speckled Hen (okay, I don’t remember the details)
  • Wittekerke Witte (inoffensive)
  • Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale (so hoppy I couldn’t taste anything else– it may have won some awards, but I’m not a fan)
  • Oskar Blues Gub’Na (intense, strong (10% alcohol, in a can!?), malty, definitely well-executed and interesting… but I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to drink a whole one)

I have a few more of each of these cans, so I’ll have to do this tasting again for friends in SF…