Revisiting An Old Friend: Oskar Blues Brewery’s Tasty Weasel in Longmont

‘Sup, Oskar Blues?

As we welcomed in a new year and kicked off a new decade, we decided to put some thought into where we wanted to lift our first pints of 2020. In honor of beginnings, new and old, it only seemed fitting that we make our first beer purchase of 2020 at Oskar Blues Brewery’s Tasty Weasel taproom in Longmont.

The Tasty Weasel

The Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont is where Bottle Makes Three was born. When a cold and snowy day caused a last-minute change of plans with some friends, we found ourselves at the Tasty Weasel Taproom, inside the brewery. We enjoyed beers, took an impromptu brewery tour, and enjoyed beers some more. It was over those great Oskar Blues beers that we decided to create this blog, and our visit to the Tasty Weasel became our first post.

Since then, we make regular pilgrimages to the Tasty Weasel in Longmont. Over the years we’ve also visited most of the other Oskar Blues locations, including their original location in Lyons, and their east-coast brewery and Tasty Weasel taproom in North Carolina. We’ve been to the Hops & Heifers Farm and countless OBB fooderies, and all of those places are really cool. But for us, nothing compares to the Tasty Weasel in Longmont. It was our original, our OG OBB if you will. It will always be a special, favorite place of ours.

The Tasty Weasel Through the Years

From our home in Castle Rock, the drive to Oskar Blues in Longmont is about an hour and a half, door-to-door. For that reason, we don’t get to the Tasty Weasel too often, maybe once a year. Because our visits are often few and far between, visiting the Tasty Weasel is like returning to your hometown after a long time away… we notice every little thing that has changed. From the ever-growing brewing operation to the transformation of the taproom itself, a LOT has changed over the years. Over the years we’ve seen the number of fermentation tanks increase, the menu of beer offerings expand, and the production line footprint steadily grow. It’s always impressive to see how much they can change between our visits.

This time around was no different, and we spotted many changes. The Tasty Weasel appears to have gone through a big overhaul since our last visit with the biggest change being the new wall between the taproom and the brewery. There used to be a partial wall, so you could drink in the shadow of the brewhouse tanks. Now the taproom is mostly closed off from the brewery, except for a few windows that give you a view behind the scenes. Overall, the Tasty Weasel is less of the gritty, industrial, peanut-shells-on-the-floor kind of place that we first fell in love with. However, we’re not complaining. The improvements make the Weasel feel homey and comfortable. Sure, the peanuts appear to be gone, but the atmosphere and decor are really great. It’s also wonderful to know that while Oskar Blues opens new businesses throughout the state and the country, they still work to keep the original Tasty Weasel lookin’ good.

The most impressive new change is that wall. Is it weird to love a wall? Because, we were really smitten at the layers of wood and stone panels, outfitted with color-changing lights in between. It gives the Tasty Weasel a clean, modern look while keeping a rustic nod to Colorado’s natural, mountainous outdoors. Full disclosure: we are totally stealing the idea for our basement. #SorryNotSorry

Beers Enjoyed at Oskar Blues

Okay, enough of our life story and interior design talk – this isn’t a lifestyle blog – it’s a BEER lifestyle blog. So, let’s get to the important stuff already… the BEER!

We already know and love most of the Oskar Blues flagship beers, so there wasn’t much doubt we’d find something good on the menu. Jeff enjoyed a pint of his go-to OBB brew: Dale’s Pale Ale. It’s a classic favorite that never disappoints, with citrus notes and flavor, with a solid malt base that smooths out the bitterness.

While Jeff went with the familiar, I took the opposite approach and tried Death by King Cake White Porter. (Sidenote: is “white porter” a thing? This was my first experience with it, so I can’t even tell ya.) The beer was a touch sweet with noticeable flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and just a touch of pecan. I’m a big fan of the Death by Coconut beer that Oskar Blues produces, but dare I say it, I liked this one even better. Y’all… it was really tasty.

Despite our goal of coming in for one pint each, we did sample one more brew: Rainbow Sandwich Imperial IPA. This beer had a bolder, bigger, bitterer (is that a word?) flavor than anything we had enjoyed. However, it was surprisingly well balanced and smooth for a double IPA. We both enjoyed it and could have had more pints, but at 8.3% ABV a sample size seemed like a better idea. The day was young, and this was just our first stop.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, we have nothing bad to say about this place. We always love visiting Oskar Blues, both for their excellent beers and down-south-cool-meets-Colorado environment. This summer we’ll be visiting yet another Oskar Blues outpost when we tour the Oskar Blues Brewery in Austin for the Beer Now Conference. The Austin brewery includes a taproom and a music venue, which sounds pretty kick-ass. But no matter how weirdly wonderful, and awesome the Austin location may be, we’re fairly sure the Tasty Weasel in Longmont will always be our favorite. Stay tuned.

Check Out Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont

We just missed out on live music during our visit, so if you decide to stop by, check out their event calendar. They often have great music to enjoy while sipping on their beers. The Tasty Weasel also has a pretty killer swag shop, with everything from t-shirts to hoodies, hats to hot sauce. You can also grab beers and their Wild Basin hard seltzer to-go. For a total Oskar Blues experience in Longmont, visit their restaurant, Home Made Liquids and Solids, which is less than a mile down the road from the brewery. They make some great barbecue and much more, plus Jeff’s favorite side of all times, hush puppies. Visit them both and thank us later.

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8 Years of OBB + BMT

Since Oskar Blues Brewing has been one of our favorites since the beginning of BMT, here are a whole bunch more photos of us enjoying some OBB fun over the years.