Pour Me: Oskar Blues' Ten Fidy

My apologies for the lack of posts this month; life is crazy.

Ten Fidy is my favorite canned beer of all time, ever. Hell, it is up there with some of the best bottled and straight-from-the-source beers I have ever had. It is fantastic, and I was genuinely surprised by this. Canned beers are supposed to be cheap tasting, right? Not in this instance.

Oskar Blues has some decent beers, but nothing like Ten Fidy. When I think of canned beers, I usually think light, pale, and watery. I blame Keystone Light. Even now, most canned beers are either IPAs or pale ales. As far as I know, Ten Fidy is the only imperial stout in a can. That is pretty damn bold, especially considering the packaging of some of the imperial stouts I have had recently. Yes, I would go so far as to say that Ten Fidy, in a freaking can, is better than Jester King's Black Metal. High praise, to be sure, but Ten Fidy is that damn good.

Recently, I read a review that suggested checking this beer out. So, I took it upon myself to do so. Ten Fidy comes in a 4-pack of cans, and travels very well. Though, you will have to open one rather quickly to deal with the sticker shock of buying 4 beers. At $14+ bucks at my local fancy pants grocery store, I was hesitant, but decided to pull the trigger, and pull the tab as soon as I got home.

Instead of treating Ten Fidy like a typical canned beer, I decided to pour it into a glass. The light from inside the house, as well as outside was quickly absorbed into the black hole that is Ten Fidy. This beer is dark as spent motor oil. It is awesome. The head pours very light, and is dark caramel in color, and vanishes in several moments. I could sit and stare at this beer for quite a while, similar to being in a trance.

Thankfully, the trance wore off once I took a sip. Strong. Very strong. Stronger than I usually take my coffee strong, yet, full of flavor. Dark chocolate, caramel and toffee are all accounted for in varying degrees, but malt is dominant. Once the beer is consumed, there is a lot of bitterness on the back of the tongue, that just melts. It is a fantastic sensation. The nose is strange: there are notes of malt and alcohol, and something that I can only describe as tin. Maybe it is just me, but I swear I can taste the can.

Ten Fidy, appropriately named for its alcohol content of 10.50% (I assume), is a great imperial stout, and a great beer in general. I highly recommend trying it, though, make sure to win some money first, or con someone into buying it for you.