The only Imperial/Double IPA that I know of (that was until GUBNA came out) that is packaged in a can. I can remember a buddy of mine buying some of these when Oskar Blues still slapped a sticker label on blank aluminum cans. When it comes to preserving great hops flavor and aroma I don't think there is a better vessel than a can. This beer certainly shows that off nicely.

From the Oskar Blues site:

"Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops."

Here we go...

Pour - dark honey/amber in color, when held to the light it glows an orangish red. The yellowish head on this is sticky and clings to the inside of the glass.

Aroma - loads of pine, pineapple, mango and orange. This is like Widmer's Drifter on steroids x 2. This just screams hops. Its sort of ridiculous how fresh this smells, its like it just came off the line. Yay, hops!

Taste - tropical fruits galore. Plenty of the piney, resiny goodness we all crave combines with a nice sweet, malty backbone. This is sticky and resiny with loads of the stuff any lover of hops should be looking for when they go beer shopping. The high alcohol content (8.7%) is hardly noticeable and this could easily pass as a regular IPA as far as consumption rate goes! 

Overall - Lupilin is alive and well with Gordon. It's big, sticky, resiny, piney and very drinkable. My tongue is tired and my hop sensors are overloaded but I'm certainly a happy hophead. If you've never given this beer a shot it is definitely worth checking out. The hop profile is very well preserved in the can. Personally, this and Ten Fidy are my favorites from Oskar Blues.

Would I buy more of it? - from time to time I buy some of these or some Ten Fidy. As these are sold in a 4-pack and those 4-packs are getting up there in cost its becoming a lot less often that these end up in my beer cart.

Note - Gordon is named for Gordon Knight. The Oskar Blue site had this to say about the man, "In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado."