Mark Carmignani
Oasis Texas Brewing Co. is fresh off winning, err settling, a very well publicized court case against New Belgium Brewing that is bound to be used as a precedent in future trademark disputes between breweries. The brewery is mainly focused on session strength beers in the range of 4-6 percent ABV aimed at beating the Texas summer heat. Its official opening was on August 2, 2014.
Metamodern is Oasis’ session IPA offering and will be the brew of choice for today’s fine-toothed combing. Its grain bill uses Pils and Munich malts with bravo, cenntenial, Citra, and Mosaic hops all fermented with the house English yeast. There is no canning date on the can, which is blatantly moronic for people who are producing hoppy beers intended to be enjoyed fresh.
In an IPA glass the head swells quickly in height with a just barely hazy body of amber and gold tones. Small green particulates can be seen floating around aimlessly. Aroma-wise I’m picking up a lot of tropical sweetness. Mangoes, Mandarin oranges, and lemongrass along with a hefty note of malt. So far, so well.
The first sip across the palate reveals the mouthfeel to be creamy with a smooth low bitterness. Tropical hoppiness is dominate with a strong malt backbone. Some English yeast character is noticeable on the finish with a slight black pepper note. Oasis is claiming 45 IBUs but this beer is drinking closer to 25 IBUs. I find most hoppy session beers to be water thin but Metamodern sports a weighty feel with a mineral heavy bordering on chalky water profile.
