A few weeks back, we were a little surprised to receive an email from Oskar Blues Brewing of Colorado about their new Western Mutant IPA series, which is basically their version of La Cumbre’s Project Dank, a rotating series of West Coast-style ales. The surprising part of the email was that it included the opportunity to request samples to review, which is something we have not seen from any regional/national breweries since before COVID.

Naturally, we took them up on the offer, but did not hear back for a while, so we assumed that a beer news website in New Mexico was not big enough to be blessed with this new hoppy concoction. And then, a FedEx driver dropped it off at my door, and after dispersing cans to other Crew members, we began the toughest process of all. Namely, finding a time where everyone could gather virtually over Zoom and review the beer.

As one can see from the video, only Franz Solo and I were able to hop on Zoom, though Brandon was able to send us his thoughts later that night.

“Beautiful lacing on the head with a hazy orange/gold hue,” he wrote. “Nose is all floral and tropics, notes of mango, kiwi, hints of jasmine. Palate is all West Coast, was almost expecting a hazy/juice bomb based on nose and appearance, but I have been pleasantly deceived! Piney notes with pineapple, subtle grassy notes. Malt body is pretty light, but refreshing, (and) is really just a hop vessel. Has a dry, foresty finish that doesn’t have a strong resin coating, finishes quenchably well. Clean drinking, a subtle sweetness throughout, all three stars of the game are hops in this one. Delicious beer overall, comes off as a more easy-drinking West Coast hop bomb.”

Yeah, we all recommend this one. Check local liquor stores for six packs, and then let us know what you think. It is a good addition to the lineup of West Coast IPAs distributed from our friends to the north.

A big thanks to Oskar Blues senior marketing manager Aaron Baker for sending this to us. We always love beer deliveries at our door.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister