In 2002 Oskar Blues Brewery from Lyons, Colo. launched the Canned Beer Apocalypse by becoming the first US craft brewery to package great craft beer in a can. Eight years later, Oskar Blues is still gaining momentum and blowing minds with what can come out of a can. Oskar Blues canned beer impressed the judges at the second annual Reno International Canned Beer Festival, CANFEST. Oskar Blues added a gold and silver award to their arsenal with GORDON Ale winning gold in the dark ale category and silver for Dale’s Pale Ale in the pale ale category.
Dozens of breweries from around the world converged on Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort and Casino on October 9, offering up their canned creations to beer enthusiasts from around the region. CANFEST is both a recognition of the fast-growing popularity of canned craft beer, a competition and a celebration of the benefits of the aluminum cylinder. The can has come into its own in recent years as beer drinkers realize that cans offer superior protection from sunlight and oxygen infiltration, and the containers are much more portable and environmentally friendly than their glass counterpart.
Stakes were high due to international competition, but Oskar Blues snatched up two of the top awards at CANFEST. Last year GORDON won “Best in Show” and Gold in the dark ale category. Oskar Blues is known for turning craft brewing on its ear by stuffing complex, three & four-dimensional beers into 12 oz. cans. As cans become a fashionable package Oskar Blues continues to walk-the-walk by brewing and canning beer they want to drink.
“We’re thrilled to have won awards for the second year in a row at CANFEST, but that’s not why we’re in the business. We continue to look ahead and push the limits into 4-dimensional beers without looking over our shoulder,” says Oskar Blues founder and owner, Dale Katechis.
Set in the heart of Colorado craft beer country, Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colo., began canning its beers in November of 2002 with a hand-canning line in the 60-year-old barn next door to their funky little brew-pub. Today, it’s expanded into a full throttle canning operation that continues to push the limits of what to expect out of canned beer.
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ABOUT OSKAR BLUES
Three-dimensional brewing since 1999, Oskar Blues began the “Canned Beer Apocalypse” in 2002 when Dale’s Pale Ale became America’s 1st CANNED craft beer.
