It’s the weekend which means it’s time for a big beer review from the great state of Colorado by Oskar Blues Brewing Company. Today I got to try Oskar Blues Gubna, a pretty beastly Imperial IPA which boasts 10% ABV and 100 IBU’s. First off, if you’re not a fan of big hoppy beers, Imperial IPA’s are probably not the best choice for you.
I’ve been a fan of all the Oskar Blues beers I’ve had in the past and was definitely looking forward to trying Gubna. For newer beer fans, don’t be afraid of the canned craft beers, just make sure to pour them in a proper glass and you’ll quickly learn to appreciate the good ones. Anyways, on to the review.
Gubna poured a very clear yellow/amber color with some visible carbonation bubbles dancing to the the top of the glass. There was a think layer of very light tan head at the top which stuck around with me for awhile. This beer also left some beautiful lacing on the side of the glass as it was disappearing.
The aroma is simply heavenly. It’s as if everything good about beer became a scent that traveled from my glass and created a smile on my face. There was a nice blend of floral, citrus, pineapple and some sweet caramel goodness that joined forces into a pretty complex smell.
The taste left me wanting a little more. It’s kind of like a roller coaster of flavors that keeps taking you back to the starting place. It starts of pretty bitter with a huge punch in the face of hops, then slowly transitions to grapefruit, orange and apricot before leaving you with a gentle flavor of hops once again.
It feels pretty good in the mouth, but there was something a little off about the taste that didn’t leave me feeling as happy as I was about the smell. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this beer, it just didn’t knock me off my feet. Well, there is 10% ABV that can hardly be tasted that might do that for me if I were to have to many.
Overall I’d definitly drink this bad boy again, however as far as Imperial IPA’s go, Ninkasi Tricerahops has this one beat (go Oregon).
My Oskar Blues Gubna Review: B+
Here are the details:
ABV: 10%
IBUs: 100
Style: Imperial IPA
What’s your thoughts on Oskar Blues Gubna?