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One thing about this challenge that is becoming more and more obvious is if I do not drink beers side by side as a challenge it is "hard" to determine what I like/not like about it.  For example, last nights Troegs HopBack Amber Ale vs tonight's Dale's Pales Ale.  I remember drinking last night's beer and not enjoying it.  It was to hoppy.  But tonight, Oskar Blue Dale's Pale Ale is much much nicer.  It is sweet and malty and caramel.  It has a hoppy flavor to it but is so balanced that I don't really mind the difference in the two.  If I look at this beer it doesn't look quite as red.  This is a little more brown/yellow with a hint of red.  It is nice and mellow.  It is not light at all, but is more medium bodied with a hint of spice.  In my opinion this is a nice Pale Ale.  Dale must know Pale Ale for sure.  As to me this is what it should taste, but last night's beer was way to hoppy and I'm not sure how to compare the two.  I may have to have a Dales and a HopBack side by side.  But then I think . o O ( HopBack doesn't call itself a Pale Ale - so should I compare the two?  and maybe I should not ) O o. but they seem so similar.  Oh the complexity of just a little bit of grains, hops, water, and yeast.

So, Yea - this is a can of beer.  My old man is visiting from York this weekend.  He was a Miller Lite man.  That is all he drank.  And yes, when I started drinking "new beers" and craft brews ( which UNOFFICIALLY started probably back when I was 18, 19 or 20 - I do not condone underage drinking in any way that is why my face book page is restricted to 21 +)... my new "craft" beers back in 95 & 96 were/is considered "HIGH TEST" in his words.  I always laughed because to me, sure the high alcohol was a quicker means to the "drunk" 'but it tasted better also.  It was more to it then the light beers and "stuff" he always had in the house.  He wasn't the only one.  Hell, I knew nobody back then that I was hanging out with that was really enjoying good/different beers.  Everyone had their ONE beer and that is what they drank.  But I was always enjoying different flavors/styles/seasons of beers even back since the beginning.  I even remember my first taste of Dales Pale Ale came from Bocktown Beer and Grill from Robinson, PA.  It was a newer BEER bar close to my house that opened a few years back (roughly 2009 or so I believe).  The resident 'beer guy' suggested I try it - when I asked him about why a "can of beer" would be as expensive as some of the counter parts that I was familiar with.  I took a few home and fell in love.  It was greatness. 

Even this weekend, my dad looked at me as I opened a can of Oskar Blue's and said "is that a beer?"  To him, I am constantly opening his eyes to the varieties and styles of beers out there.  He usually hates every beer I let him try but he tries most of them as a nice gesture of appreciation.  I may be wrong but I think he was sort of confused by the CAN of beer that he was not familiar with.  In general, CANS of beer are very recognizable - Coors, Miller, Bud, American, ect.  This was a "colorful can".  I read an article recently that a company out of Colorado is starting a Canning Beer Business.  I think this is genius - my hat goes off to them and I hop they can make this work.  In googling for that article about the company out of Colorado I ran across THIS ARTICLE that is really interesting about the first canning of beer.  In general, I think the idea behind can's is "affordability".  I'm not sure that changes today.  The problem is people have this "affordability" directly related to "taste" and that simply isn't reality.  Canned beer can be and should be good.  If it is a can and it isn't good.  Leave it alone. 

Enjoy canned beer!  I know I am right now.




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