Oskar Blues Double Dale's 6Pk

Oskar Blues Double Dale's 6Pk is a 9.0% ABV Imperial IPA sold in a six-pack of 12 oz cans, brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado. Scored 91 on BeerAdvocate across 230 ratings, Double Dale's amplifies the legacy of the brewery's flagship Dale's Pale Ale with a bolder malt bill and aggressive hop character.

Quick Facts: ABV: 9.0%  |  Origin: Longmont, Colorado  |  Style: Imperial IPA  |  Brewery: Oskar Blues

Production & Heritage

Oskar Blues, founded in 1997 in Lyons, Colorado, helped pioneer the craft-beer-in-a-can movement when it began canning Dale's Pale Ale in 2002. Double Dale's takes that original blueprint and pushes it further with a caramel-driven malt bill built on steamed crystal, Crystal 10, and Special B malts, hopped exclusively with American varieties — El Dorado, Nelson Sauvin, and Talus. What truly distinguishes the brew is its mineral-forward water profile, engineered with six brewing salts rather than the two or three used in most other Oskar Blues recipes, giving the beer a firm mineral backbone that supports both the malt sweetness and the intense hop bitterness.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Pine resin leads, followed by waves of citrus, peach, and ripe melon. A subtle biscuity warmth sits underneath, letting the hops dominate without losing balance.

Taste: The entry is toffee-like malt sweetness with a graham cracker quality, quickly met by a surge of tropical fruit — orange, mango, and a touch of pineapple at mid-palate. Tangy pine and citrus notes build toward a sharp bitter edge that keeps the 9% ABV from reading as cloying, with only mild booziness detectable.

Finish: Medium-long with a clean, crisp bitterness that lingers alongside residual stone fruit. The mineral character from the water profile surfaces here, leaving a dry, resinous close.

How to Drink Double Dale's

Pour into a tulip glass or snifter at 45–50°F to let the hop aromatics open fully; a cold-from-the-can pour works for casual sessions but mutes some of the tropical complexity. Double Dale's also holds up in hop-forward cocktail builds and beer-based drinks:

• IPA Shandy — mix with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice to amplify the citrus notes while taming bitterness.
• Hoppy Michelada — the pine and mineral backbone pairs naturally with lime, hot sauce, and Worcestershire for a savory beer cocktail.
• Beer Float — the caramel malt sweetness stands up to vanilla ice cream, creating a rich dessert pairing that balances bitter and sweet.

Best For

• IPA enthusiasts looking to step up from standard pale ales
• Backyard cookouts where bold food needs an equally bold beer
• Gifting a craft beer fan who appreciates hop-forward Colorado brewing
• Stocking a home fridge for weekend sessions with serious beer

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Double Dale's taste like? Double Dale's leads with toffee and graham cracker malt sweetness before a wave of tropical fruit — mango, orange, peach — and sharp pine bitterness takes over, finishing dry and clean.

How does Double Dale's compare to Dale's Pale Ale? Double Dale's shares Dale's Pale Ale DNA but runs at 9% ABV versus Dale's 6.5%, with a richer caramel malt bill and more aggressive hopping; drinkers often describe it as the same concept amped up in both body and bitterness.

Is Double Dale's good for sipping neat? Yes — poured into a tulip glass at cellar temperature, it rewards slow drinking with layered hop and malt complexity that unfolds as the beer warms slightly.

Where is Double Dale's made? Double Dale's is brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery, which operates production facilities in Longmont, Colorado and Brevard, North Carolina.

What foods pair well with Double Dale's? Spicy Thai green curry amplifies the tropical hop notes; smoked brisket matches the toffee malt character; sharp aged cheddar contrasts the bitterness; fish tacos with mango salsa echo the citrus and stone fruit aromas; dark chocolate brownies complement the caramel malt sweetness.

What sizes does Double Dale's come in? Double Dale's is commonly available in six-packs of 12 oz cans, the format Oskar Blues helped popularize in the craft beer industry.

Is Double Dale's worth the price? Double Dale's positions as a mid-premium Imperial IPA; its 91-point BeerAdvocate score, complex water and malt engineering, and 9% ABV deliver strong value within the double IPA category.

Why Double Dale's?

Double Dale's stands apart from the crowded Imperial IPA field through its unusually detailed water chemistry — six brewing salts create a mineral foundation most competitors never bother engineering. That backbone allows the El Dorado, Nelson Sauvin, and Talus hops to deliver pronounced tropical and pine character without collapsing into sweet, flabby territory, a common pitfall at 9% ABV. The 91-point BeerAdvocate score confirms the execution. For drinkers who already know Dale's Pale Ale, Double Dale's is the logical next step — a bigger, more complex expression from a brewery that helped define American craft canning.