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Colorado’s love affair with canned beer is no secret. It might be easier to count the state’s breweries that don’t can beer than the ones that do. So it was only a matter of time before someone filled tall boy cans—usually reserved for fizzy yellow beer like PBR, Miller High Life, Schlitz, and Old Style—with craft brew. And it’s fitting that Oskar Blues, the granddaddy of the craft beer canning revolution, is the brewery that did it with the new Deviant Dale’s.
We love Dales Pale Ale, so it is probably not surprising that we dig Deviant Dale’s, Oskar Blues’ souped-up, tall boy ode to the all-star brew. The name hints at the the fact that this American-style India pale ale is big. Take the hint: It is. The flavors of hops and booze are wonderfully balanced. (Good enough for a silver medal in the American-style IPA category at last year’s Great American Beer Festival.) But don’t forget, at 8 percent alcohol, this tall boy packs quite a punch. (A co-worker recently compared his experience drinking two Deviant Dale’s to a NASA shuttle launch: “It’s quite the liftoff.”) The aroma is intense, with rich notes of pine, citrus, and hops. The only problem with having Deviant on the market is that we’re forced to decide which Dale’s we’re in the mood for. One of each, perhaps?