Still Writing History: Oskar Blues Pushes Forward

Throughout the craft beer history books, the story of Oskar Blues is well documented. The Colorado-based brewery was among the first breweries to exclusively package its beer in cans. Founder Dale Katechis helped bring innovative, hop-forward beers to eager customers, and worked to meld the brand with a variety of outdoor adventure sports.

A purchase by Fireman Capitol, a private equity firm, merged the brand with other breweries like Cigar City, Squatters, Perrin, and Deep Ellum. In turn that collective was sold to Monster, the energy drinks company in 2022.

Through it all, Oskar Blues has endured and thrived in ways, focusing on Dale’s pale ale, the long-respected flagship and introducing line extensions that resonate with today’s drinker.

“I think we’re at a jumping off point,” says Aaron Baker the brand director for Oscar Blues Brewery and Dale’s.  For people who know the Dale’s pale ale story, it helps the brewery guide the entire family of beers. He says the brand conjures up thoughts of the rebellious nature of craft beer from 20 years ago. No nonsense, rugged, and classic American styles.

“They are somewhat revolutionary in a world, especially in craft beer, where over-flavoring and what we like to call ‘cartoon beers’, is the major dominant force in the space,” he says. “We think that a lot of that ignores how people really drink beer or have had beer in the past, which is social situations, the drinking occasions that helped build craft beer into what it is today.”

It’s those situations where Baker says the company is talking to consumers through the Dale’s brand.

The challenge for Oskar Blues

While craft drinkers of a certain age are intimately familiar with the lineup of Oskar Blues beer, there is a challenge in breaking through to younger drinkers. However, Baker says he’s not sold on the current narrative that younger drinkers only want sugary beers or flavored malt beverages. It just takes time to bring them to the fold. 

“There’s evidence that when people have some disposable income, they go right back to historical drinking habits and social occasions,” he says “I think beer in particular – if I can talk to all the industry –  I think we were pretty quick to just give up on the social aspect of beer and the more classic sort of drinking occasions that that that built craft beer, built a beer business in the US for years. We’re trying to hold that down and still speak to those people, because I think they’re still out there and that that includes young people too.”

Expanding Dale’s Beyond Pale Ale

There are now five beers under the Dale’s brand. The pale ale remains the flagship and top seller, but there is a light lager that Baker says “I would it up against any sort of craft light lager, or non-craft light lager.” The 4.2% ABV is only 95 calories and 2.5 carbs, so it has similar stats to some of the macro-offerings, but “in terms of flavor it’s far and away superior.”

The brewery also recently launched a non-alcoholic pilsner called Designated Dales.

There is also a double IPA in the line-up which is based on the original Dale’s pale ale recipe, but “is ramped up” and “transformed into a more modern double IPA. It is available in both six packs and 19.2-ounce cans.

Original Dale’s pale ale is also available these days in 19.2-ounce cans and sales on single serve shelves has been positive.

The brewery also offers Dale’s American Easy IPA, a 4.9% ABV. It is focusing on the word “easy” over “session” but the beer falls into the same category. Long-time fans of the brewery might find this one familiar. Dale’s Easy is a rebranded Pinner, a fan favorite that was discontinued in 2018.

“We got hell online for getting rid of that beer,” says Baker. “We’ve sort of been winking and nodding to the Pinner fans that it is the same beer. We even put it in a gold can as a nod.”

While currently on draft, in October, Dale’s will be launching cans of its American IPA.

“It’s our antidote to the cartoon beers,” says Baker. “It’s a clear IPA, 6.9% ABV based on the West Coast style. It can’t be firmly put into any real category, so we just like to call it an American IPA. It is nod to the style that made craft beer in America what it is. And we wanted to kind of do a throwback to that and try to create the best damn classic American IPA that we could.”

Oskar Blues Expands

Baker says that while the parent company might be best known for energy drinks, the Oskar Blues beers are kept separate from that part of the company. Outside of the Dale’s brands, the brewery continues to innovate and experiment.

Hazy Blues is company’s juicy IPA that is popular in music venues, thanks to the packaging in 19.2-ounce cans. Mama’s Little Yella Pils remains a solid and reliable offering. Old Chub, a Scotch ale continues to do well.

“We joke that it’s the luckiest beer in the lineup, because that that beer, it just keeps chugging along, and it’s a style that no one would predict would be doing well,” says Baker.  It’s great beer and seems to be outside of the conventional wisdom a s a beer that should be doing well, but it’s doing great.”

On the dark ale side of things Tenfidy, the imperial stout continues to satisfy, as does the seasonal barrel-aged version. Baker says that this fall, long-time fan favorite Death by Coconut, an Irish porter with chocolate and coconut, will be back on offer for the first time since 2019.

The brewery is a sponsor of the USA Curling Team and expects to be promoting its brands during the upcoming Winter Olympics, and the art and marketing team continues to come up with creative ways to showcases the beers, including special “denim” wrapped cans for Dale’s.

Not content with being just in the history books, Oskar Blues continues to write fresh chapters.

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This article first appeared in Heady Times, published by Origlio Beverage.