Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale — The Can That Changed Everything

In 2002, Oskar Blues became the first American craft brewery to can their beer. The industry thought they were nuts. Cans were for cheap domestic lagers — real craft beer came in bottles, everyone knew that. Oskar Blues didn’t care, and Dale’s Pale Ale proved the skeptics wrong so thoroughly that the can has become the dominant packaging format in craft beer. History, right in your hands.

But Dale’s isn’t just historically significant. It’s also genuinely, consistently great. Twenty-plus years later it holds up against every pale ale that came after it.

Clear amber pour with a modest white head. The nose is assertive for a pale ale — floral and citrusy hops, a clean caramel malt base, and a hint of pine that suggests this beer has opinions. The taste has more bitterness than the style usually calls for, which is what makes it interesting. Caramel malt sweetness up front, then a wave of citrus and floral hops, then a long dry finish that lingers pleasantly.

At 6.5% it’s on the bigger end of the pale ale spectrum — closer to a session IPA in weight, with more malt complexity than most. It bridges the gap between a standard APA and a full IPA without being wishy-washy about it. The bitterness is assertive enough to satisfy hop heads while the malt backbone gives casual drinkers something to hold onto.

Grab it from a cooler at a gas station outside of Crested Butte and drink it next to a river. That’s the ideal serving vessel and setting, and Oskar Blues built that into the product from day one.

The Verdict: A legitimate piece of American craft beer history that somehow still tastes current. The can was never the gimmick — it was always the point. ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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