
It’s awfully cold here in Middle Tennessee, and the roads are pretty near impassable in places, thanks to the ice and snow we received in the last 36 hours. It’s a great time for a stout! Unfortunately, I don’t think I have any stouts on hand to enjoy, so instead I thought I would post a review of one I’ve tried recently: Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy Stout.
About the Brewer
Great canned beer? The term has been an oxymoron for craft beer lovers used to getting their full-flavored beers from bottles only. But in November of 2002, Oskar Blues Brewery (in tiny Lyons, Colorado, pop.1400) changed that by launching its “Canned Beer Apocalypse.”
The brewery began hand-canning its hoppy, assertive-but-elegant Dale’s Pale Ale on a table-top machine that sealed just one can at a time. The move made Oskar Blues the first US craft brewer to brew and can its own beer.
(From Oskar Blues’ Web site)
The Pour
This pours thickly out of the can to a very thick, dark caramel colored two finger head. The beer looks as black as black can be…as a matter of fact, I think it sucked some of the light out of the room, like a black hole in a glass! The head doesn’t lace very much to speak of.
The Nose
This has a great stout nose. There is a great deal of roasted malt and smoky notes, with traces of caramel and oak also popping up now and then. There are strong hints of espresso. This smells like it’s going to be one big bold beer, one that lives up to the moniker, “stout”.
The Taste
This beer seems very thick (which is fine) and overly sweet (not so fine). The sweetness lingers well past the finish. It is the very epitome of full-bodied, like a fine 10W-40 motor oil. There is some roasted malt flavor, but it is quite overpowered by what tastes like a heavy dose of saccharine sweetness. You only slighty notice that is has a higher ABV, and as it warms, it gains a hoppy edge on the finish. More espresso notes, hints of chocolate and some slightly musty, dark fruit flavors (raisins?) also make an appearance as the stout warms.
Overall
This could have (should have?) been a better beer. It seemed to me they sweetened it too much, perhaps to make the higher ABV less noticeable? A higher ABV, and the flavors and warmth it can bring, is not necessarily a bad thing…as a matter of fact it can add great character to a beer. They shouldn’t have tried so hard to hide it.
Recommended: Not really
Price: Not sure…was part of an auction package
ABV: 10.5%

I’ve been reviewing beers with this blog since January 2007 (3 years now….wow!) and oddly enough, I have never reviewed 

