Tallgrass Brewing - Oasis

Tonight I'll be drinking a tall can of Oasis brew from Tallgrass Brewing Company in Manhatten, KS.  This is a "Double ESB/IPAish" beer that was derived from one of the founder's home-brew recipes.  This is one of the bigger, more expensive brews in their year-round line-up at 7.2% alcohol and 93 IBUs.

The 1 pint can states "Agressively Hopped.  Mightily Malted.  Pour a Pint."  Don't mind if I do!  The front of the can features a rather evil looking jester-type guy meditating over a globe of skyscrapers.  Creepy, if nothing else.  The brew is quite a bit darker than I expected - dark orangish brown, hazy but no sediment visible.  It leaves a nice full 2 inches of dense cream-coloured head that laces well.  The aroma brings a hint of pine, fresh chopped flowers, some lemon peels and a hefty amount of sweet caramel malts behind it.

The flavor starts off with faint pine and some sweet bread crumbs, pretty subtle and clean.  Then we enter Stage 2 - Blammo!  Intense bittering hops appear out of nowhere and bring loads of gritty, earthy, spicy pangs on the palate.   Caramel malts make up the backbone of the brew, almost a Vienna malt characteristic to it.  The alcohol is well incorporated into the flavor profile and hardly noticeable.  The carbonation is on the heavier side, quite prickly.  The finish leaves a lingering sensation of musty, woody, herbal flavors that hang around almost to the point of festering.

Overall Rating:  This Double ESB/IPAish brew was spot-on as advertised.  It dropped a nice anvil of hop bitterness, but countered it well with a sturdy balance of malts.  Spices are definitely the star of the show.  A nice brew - especially for the hopinistas!  A-