Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

Good beer doesn't come in cans, or so many craft beer drinkers have thought for years. While it's true that a TON of bad beer comes in cans, it is possible to get a good beer in a can. In fact, in some respects a can is a better container than a bottle. For one thing, light can't get through to skunk the beer. It doesn't break like glass does, so it's easier and safer to take some places, and it's easily crushable so it takes up less room after consuming. However, there's something elegant and classic to a glass bottle that makes a beer feel "right". This can be less of a concern at times, but more importantly for many companies, the equipment needed to bottle is much cheaper than what it takes for canning. In fact in some cases it's possible to bottle by hand, whereas you need a large production line to make canning worthwhile, and it takes a much larger scale to make the cost offset of the materials from canning beneficial. Oskar Blues is one of the few craft breweries so far that has made the jump over to canning, but assuredly one of the most famous.

The beer pours thick, black, and viscous, with a thin brown head that dissipates almost immediately. It almost seemed to come out in slow motion, and clung to the glass on it's way towards the bottom. It seems almost impossible for light to travel through this beer, quickly being lost in it's murky depths.

Even more noticeable than the black opaque nature of the beer though is the strong aroma that comes immediately upon opening the beer. There's a strong roast quality with underlying cherry and alcohol. Touches of dark chocolate, caramel and coffee float along as well, providing a denseness to the smell.

The first sip offers roast, vanilla, and toffee with a light smooth sweetness at the tip of the tongue. However it is swallowed the flavor develops to more coffee, bitter, and burnt flavors that combine with the sweetness to offer balance. After swallowing, roast, toasted marshmallow, and bitterness linger on the tongue for a very long time. It's as if the beer is so thick that it coats the taste buds, and won't let go. As the beer warms, new flavors develop. I began to notice more caramel and sweetness up front, along with a touch of fruity flavor. It's possibly a little syrupy as well. However, the bitterness raises as well, with the coffee flavors becoming more prominent.

This is most assuredly a heavy bodied beer. Along with it's fairly low level of carbonation, this provides a viscous sensation in the mouth. While the alcohol may not be readily apparent in the taste, being masked by the rather strong flavors, it is noticeable after swallowing as it quickly warms the throat.

Overall, this beer is thoroughly enjoyable, but absolutely a sipper. I could not imagine trying to get through more than one of these in a single night. Unlike the Clipper City Russian Imperial Stout I tried earlier this week, this is a classic example of what one expects from the style. It's thick, strongly flavored, and strong in every sense of the word. So there you have it. Great beer, and from a can.

- Adam