For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian has one of the best Imperial Stouts he's had in a good, long while.
Imperial stouts (sometimes also called Russian Imperial stouts) tend to be boozy, English-style stouts with a more pronounced hops flavor. They were originally brewed for the Russian monarchs who, at the time, preferred the British beers, but also wanted a higher alcohol content since they were used to distilled spirits like vodka. Because travel across Europe took a while, the Brits added extra hops, which helped keep the beer fresher for longer.
Put all of these together, ratchet it all up several notches, and you get Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues.
Named for its high alcohol content of 10.50% ABV, this thick, blacker-than-black stout pours like a 50-weight oil out of the can. It settles nicely into a glass with good carbonation and a dark brown head.
As expected, you taste a lot of sweet maltiness, along with a smoother, milk chocolate and vanilla flavor, along with some subtle coffee and dark fruits (like raisins). You also get a mild creaminess from a little bit of oatmeal that's added in the mix. But the biggest flavor is a great, booziness that warms your chest, and stays with you in the back of your mouth.
Don't let that scare you - like most beers from Oskar Blues, this one has a lot if big, complex flavors going on but mixed with a drinkable smoothness.
That being said, this isn't for everyone. Most wheat beer or lager fans are likely to shy away from this one. But if you like stouts or porters, this one will blow your mind.
Cheers!
Christian & Eric
