Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery Ten Fidy

Beer: Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery Ten-Fidy
Brewery Location: Lyons, CO
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Serving Style: can
ABV: 10.0%

"This dog'll hunt"
This quote is on the back of the can, and for some reason I find amusement out of it.

I finally got my hands on this much sought after beer from a very generous trader. The thing I like about the beer community is that I've run across so many good people that want to share beer with other beerlovers in return for them sharing their beer with them. This beer has a big reputation behind it, and you can see it on Ebay where single cans can fetch fifty bucks or more. (I personally think that is disgusting and Ebay beer should be stopped.)

Oskar Blues is another company that is exclusively canning their beer instead of bottling it. They were actually the first micro-brewery to do it in 2002 according to their website. There are not many companies doing it, but Oskar Blues is reporting excellent growth and is expanding in other states. I guess it shows people that great beer can trump the stigma of beer coming in can instead of bottle form, but the can is actually superior to bottles for beer geeks. Needless to say that I am pretty excited to give this beer a try.

Pours an opaque black with one finer of dark mocha/tan head on it. It is very strange seeing a black beer pouring out of a can, and also not getting the canned "hiss" sound when opened. I rather like pouring this beer from can to glass. There is a ton of bittersweet chocolate in the nose with secondary scents of roasted coffee, molassas, hops, and some dark fruit. Quite the impressive nose on an imperial stout. The roasted coffee flavors come through at first sip, but other flavors intermingle quite well like powdered bitter cocoa, roasted grain, and burnt currants/plums. You notice all the flavors, but the bitter coffee/chocolate flavor comes through in every drink. I can barely detect any alcohol on the palate as well. This beer is velvety smooth and full bodied. The carbination is low, as it should be. The drinkability is top-notch for this beer, and I would stock my house with it if I could find it locally, but I would have to be in the mood for this beer and wouldn't drink it on all occassions.

Overall this is one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts I've had the pleasure of drinking, and I would put it in my top ten of overall beers I've ever had. It is very complex with a wonderful flavor profile, and just overall an amazingly well made beer. The complexity is my favorite aspect of this offering. This beer certainly isn't for everyone and would be most enjoyed by "big beer" fans. If you have some of this beer and want to trade me for some please let me know.

Cheers!
Matt