In the first blog of an exciting year for Oso, we look at Westie, our 6,2% IPA.
Clean, dry, transparent appearance, using classic American hops: Cascade, Columbus and Simcoe, this West Coast IPA is simultaneously thirst quenching and full of flavour. And we’re very excited to have it poured in our taproom, La Osita, as well as on tap and in can around the country, and beyond.
As with all beer styles, West Coast IPA does not have rigid specifications, and while it can be defined by its characteristics: bitter, high in alcohol (relatively), piney, it is also perhaps defined by what it isn’t. This in part, due to the explosion of New England IPAs, of which we are unashamedly both producers and consumers, these days a West Coast IPA is generally any IPA that is not hazy.
So when discussing what we wanted from our West Coast IPA we tried to understand the style we first encountered from breweries such as Stone, Russian River, Modern Times (among many others). We always discuss what we like from what other breweries have done before us, before looking how to best encapsulate that with our goal to create the most drinkable and enjoyable beers we can.
Therefore, Westie has the characteristics of a West Coast and yet more importantly, we feel, it has the characteristics of an Oso beer. It drinks very easily. We serve it in pint/50cl glasses. It is excellently balanced.
We do have some planned tweaks for the second batch (as the first is nearly gone), but we are confident that Westie is here to stay, and will soon form part of our core range. Along with our 4,1% Pale Ale and, finally, the return of the Table Beer (more details coming soon).
As I’ve said, we’re very happy with this beer and excited to brew it again soon. That said, we’re always looking for feedback on our beers, and would love to hear from you on your thoughts on Westie and any other Oso beers you’ve tried. So feel free to contact us, or come down to Osita and tell us to our face!
