Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Brewery, Lyons, Co

Let me tell you a story about Dale's Pale Ale. A friend of mine gives a bunch of us a Mystery 12 pack of beer every year. We all try the beers and send each other emails on the beers to say what we like and dislike. Well one of my pals, said "I tried the one in the can. It was great." We of course gave him tons of crap for trying the canned beer instead of the other 11 bottled beers first, but after trying the canned Dale's Pale Ale, we were believers. Now, I usually keep a case or two of the Dale around because it's a great beer and I like introducing it to the un-initiated. Now, when I sat down to review the beer this weekend, there was definitely something in the air, an electricity that raises the senses to the next level. The same feeling a crowd gets in the 8th inning as it gazes to the scoreboard and sees a zero under the hits column. The DPA was dancing with Destiny on Friday night. It brought its perfect combination of malt and hops. It was not overly hoppy, it transcended hoppiness and arrived at a state of smoothness. There was no bitter aftertaste. The barley, malt, and hops came together, each complementing the other's talents. It was a perfect beer. In a can. Perfect bitterness. A perfect game. The 6.5% ABV was just another element to this masterpiece. The DPA is the first inductee into the Beer Crusade Hall of Fame racking up the prestigious, yet elusive, 5.0