Ten FIDY - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Poured into a 12 oz snifter glass. Black liquid with a dark brown head. Pretty sexy.

S. Roasted malt and some sweet mocha tones.

T. Robust and flavorful, a rich almost chocolate taste with the roasted malt and a bit of a coffee tinge. Hop profile is subdued to the heady malt.

M. Full bodied and smooth.

D. Very enjoyable, would certainly have again. The ABV is hidden in taste, but noticable after drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2008 17:56:03 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a can to a pint glass. Had a coal black color and a thick texture. There was a thin layer of tan-colored head and some OK lacing.

S: Smelled of chocolate, coffee and roasted malt.

T: A well done taste of bitter dark chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. The alcohol is pretty noticable at first, but you get used to it.

M: A well carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium- to full-bodied.

D: This is a drinkable, well made and easy to drink beer.

Serving type: can

02-06-2009 03:33:48 | More by avalon07

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours jet black with a small, dark chocolate brown head, In the aroma, chocolate and dry coffee. In the taste, starts with dry coffee, and a sweet chocolate end. A smooth and big bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry, roasty, small chocolate aftertaste. Big beer, big flavor and quite good.

Serving type: can

09-04-2010 15:38:24 | More by OWSLEY069

gford217

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Wow is this stuff dark. Pours pitch black with a thick 1-finger tan head that quickly dissipates with a little lacing. Damn fine looking beer.

S: Strong roasty aroma of primarily chocolate with coffee to compliment. A hint of hops and alcohol starts to emerge as it warms up.

T: Quite a bit going on in this one. Chocolate and coffee dominate the initial taste, but a couple more sips bring out some caramel and molasses. Taste seems to evolve as the beer warms a bit. Quite nice actually.

M: Thick and syrupy. Completely coats the mouth and sticks around a while. A little bit of a dry roasted finish which is surprising given the thick, syrupy nature of the beer. The bitterness lingers a bit along with the chocolate. Top notch.

D: Very drinkable and well balanced for a big stout.

Serving type: can

03-29-2008 04:36:14 | More by gford217

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.74/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Lovely dark brown head of two fingers thickness. This quickly recedes to just a super thin ring. Color is a jet oil slick black. Makes me think of oil and coffee that has added viscosity.

Rich, deep roasted malt aroma. Savory coffee notes with stronger dark milk chocolate overtones. Smells warm and relaxing.

Pretty bitter roasted, maybe burnt in places, malt flavor from front to back. Warm oily palate. Bitter dark chocolate finish for sure. Good sipping beer, but not as good as the hype in my opinion.

Serving type: can

02-09-2013 13:48:48 | More by scruffwhor

ZAP

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Black with ruby highlights...looks the part.

S-Awesome aroma of top quality chocolate starts things off...then a little Bailey's Irish Cream notes....caramel...the more I smell this the more of the Irish Creme Coffee notes but light on the java...also some plums, and raisins....really a great smelling beer.

T-Dark unsweetened chocolate....charred raisins...licorice...good amount of pure hop bitterness....a lit bit like Rogue IS in the hopping....some alcohol is flexing its muscles and is quite evident....exudes what you'd expect from an Impy..

M-Rich, and full bodied..velvety..

D-Damn nice Impy that ranks on the top tier...I like a couple others better than this but that is no knock on this beer because there are really some kick ass impy's being made these days...A must try if you like this style..

Serving type: can

03-31-2009 04:54:21 | More by ZAP

jrallen34

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I drank this from a 12oz can into my Rochefort chalice. Thanks to beavers for an awesome extra.

The beer pours out of the can tar black, definetley one of the darkest beers I've seen. It pours very oily without much carbonation. As the beer finishes pouring a very dark tan head settles rising only about half a finger, disappering right away.

The aroma is very malty sweet chocolate with a hint of vanilla and cherry to it. At the end a hint of hops.

The taset is very sweet start to finish with a light coffee bite at the end. Its not overly sweet or annoying, ist just a sweeter ris.

The feel is a little warm, but light, with a dry finish.

Overall, this beer is a fine ris. Its sweet, which is fine but if it was balanced out better with either some hops or a more robuse coffee it would be world class.

Serving type: can

02-22-2010 02:18:54 | More by jrallen34

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 12oz can into a snifter and half pint slightly chilled.
A - An opaque black that allows only a sliver of light through. The head is like chocolate milk w/ a rocky surface and a thickness of about 1 1/2 fingers. The bead is ultra fine and the head seems to condense on itself

S - Rich, earthy and an almost minty hop aroma is nestled in to a tobacco and chocolate note that is accented by plenty of caramel, vanilla bean and bready yeast aromas.
Herbal and nutty w/ a clean malt fragrance and slightly smokey tinge mingled w/ the pine hint in the hops

M - Thick and rich like A1 steak sauce - mostly malt, but plenty of hop spice and fruitiness in the feel . There is an aspect of booziness in the warming end of this viscous stick-to-the-cheeks stout. The mild carbonation allows the smoky, highly roasted element to become more pronounced

T - Rich and sweet w/ caramel and cocoa at the first taste. The smoky black malt taste is bittersweet chocolate w/ a french roast and intense blackberry sweetness w/ seeded bitter flavor. The malt is roasted, but mostly sweet. The hops get pinier as it warms and the intensity is gradually fuller, but even more satisfying. Plum, currant, and hints of blueberry w/ a hint of cinnamon and high cocoa content chocolate bar w/ a light pepper note. The hops are balancing but not overly bitter, more herbal and they add to the sweet malt layers. The flavor has bean - vanilla and coffee are both there w/ a subtle citrus/floral element. The bitterness of the malt w/ creamy caramel is oh-so pleasant 1/2 way in w/ even more spice and fruit contrast. The toastiness is the anchor w/ spice cake and cocoa adding to the round fullness.

D - A great Imperial Stout so full and complex w/ a boozy spicey edge and a drinkable beer in relation to the style and excellent Imperial Stout in a can that you are encouraged to try

Serving type: can

05-16-2008 14:45:52 | More by Slatetank

dirtylou

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

on-tap, Alchemy

never actually had this one - good to see on tap

cellphone notes

appearance: served in a goblet, dark as night - chocolatey brown cream head

smell: intense waves of chocolate, booze, smoked meats, coffee and dark malt

taste: this is a massive beer - very smokey, rich dark chocolate, moderate bitterness levels, boozy dark fruit, coffee...sweet, bitter, and pretty great

mouthfeel: rich and creamy, full bodied

drinkability: good

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2009 18:32:36 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.75/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I got this can in a trade with Wasatch. Thanks John!

It pours from 12oz can a pitch black with a small and quickly shrinking head of tannish foam.

The smell is roasted malt to the nth degree but I also can get some coffee and some chocolate.

The taste is strong and complex with notes of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and a touch of caramel malt that slightly takes off the edge of the roasty goodness. The body is very thick and chewy and it's carbonation is light. What a sipper!! The finish has a nice hot cocoa kind of bitterness to it that really ends the session on a high note. Wow. I know it's 10%abv and it does give me a slight warming during and after the swallow but that doesn't hurt the drinkability of this RIS much at all. Oskar Blues....you've done it yet again!! My hat's off to you.

Thanks again, John, for including this in our trade!

Serving type: can

12-21-2007 23:22:46 | More by Bitterbill

cokes

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The novelty of watching something this black and viscous ooze out of a can is worth the price of admission. But this doesn't need any gimmicky help in the looks department. The combination of inky absolute blackness and sizable milk chocolate suds always wins me over.
Aromatic of burnt beef, dark chocolate, espresso, tawny port, Islay Scotch (with the requisite peat smoke, salt, and earth), and fir trees.
It greets the tongue with a duffel bag of malt, and it's immediately clear that it plans on staying a while. Dark fudge and prunes and port enter first. It then turns powerfully smoky, with cigar ash, spent espresso grounds, peat, and beef brisket. There's a moment of saltiness that, when mixed with the smoke tones, again suggests a peat-rich coastal Scotch. Fudge and espresso hues resume dominance and carry it toward a hop conclusion full of mint of pepper and pine needles. There's a good deal of bitterness as it lingers in the entrance to the throat with peppermint and cedar.
It carries a full body, but it seems to thin across the mouth. The power of it flavors make it so that anything less than a gel-like consistency seems insufficient. Nevertheless, it coats the mouth, and flavors drips down long after the gulp is swallowed.
This is intense above all else. The smokiness quotient is raised above any stout I've had, and pushes towards Rauch-status. It's like a mouthful of grill-scrapings chased with a Laphroaig 10 YO Scotch with an double black espresso sidecar. I love it, but one can at a time and slowly.

Serving type: can

06-16-2008 07:06:17 | More by cokes

beertunes

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a dense, solid black with just over an inch of thick, deep tan head that had great retention and lacing.

The aromas were a little more subdued than I expected for the style, but still full of deep, rich roasted notes. The flavor was right where I think the style should be, plenty of the deep malts with just a slight tang of hop on the finish.

The body was also just about right for the style, full, deep and rich without being overly heavy. The drinkability is very good although, personally, I have a hard time drinking more than 2 big stouts in a row, my palate tires of them quickly.

Overall, a very good beer that's worth seeking out.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2009 23:22:03 | More by beertunes

kylehay2004

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: single finger deep tan/milk chocolate head. Very nice retention. Body is jet black with no light getting through.

S: earthy hops, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, toffee and dark chocolate. abundance of aromas.

T: strong coffee, espresso notes. The sweetness backs off in the flavor which is ok with me. roasted malts and coffee bitterness are the backbone of this one.

M: full body and moderate carbonation. smooth.

Overall: Very complex aroma with a beautiful appearance. This is an excellent Russian imperial stout.

Serving type: can

05-15-2012 01:14:28 | More by kylehay2004

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Dev (BuckeyeSox) for this can. I poured it into a standard pint glass, and admired it's looks for a while. Honestly this is one of the most appetizing looking beers, dark dark brown with a thick frothy foam colored like chocolate milk. Really good lacing on the glass too. The aroma is roasted malt, very rich smelling. The flavor is roasty with just a touch of sweetness, and quite a bit of bitterness in the after-taste. The mouthfeel is thick, giving a nice match to the rich flavor. I recommend this beer, but the only drawback is that I'd prefer a little less burnt bitterness in the taste.

Serving type: can

02-24-2008 21:39:37 | More by TurdFurgison

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12Oz can poured into my Duvel tulip

A: Black as pitch with a persistent dark brown frothy head. Pours thick as blood and probably will stain clothes just as badly!

S: Combination of sweet and burnt chocolate/chocolate malts up front. There's cream, notes of coffee and just a hint of raisins in there. This is what i expect from a good RIS

T: Thick bitter burnt chocolate, coffee that slowly fades leading into sweeter palate with just the hint of cream and milk chocolate. The finish is long and bitter. It's "standard" world class RIS.

M: Smooth, fluffy with a pleasant carbonation

D: Split one after dinner as dessert or have two for dinner.

**Edit 10 March 2013**
A 5 year old can, my last one. My notes above are accurate in terms of flavors, but not for feel. Despite a fullness, there's a lightness/wateriness interspersed with the thicker, chewier finish. Pretty solid. 4/4/4/4/4

Serving type: can

02-19-2008 04:02:04 | More by DefenCorps

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours an intimidatingly viscous black color with a dark brown foam. Impenetrable to light. Decent retention and very good lacing.

Plenty to sniff on here. Cocoa-like chocolate, tons of roasty malts, figs, raisins, a bit of nose-tingling hops and a bready yeast aroma.

This might be the smoothest Impy stout available...awesome beer. Creamy as hell and milk chocolaty. Alcohol is detectable, but well hidden and deceptively drinkable. A bit of roastiness and coffee flavors, but not as much as most of this style. One fine stout.

Serving type: can

06-19-2009 16:13:22 | More by twiggamortis420

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can poured into a Nonic. "canned with care" 10-27-09 @ 14:52 "Join the dark side" on the bottom. Part three of "Birthday Beer Extravaganza"

Thanks to Beerwolf77 for this canned beauty!

A - I absolutely did not expect this from a can. The pour showed the beer to be extremely dark cocoa brown with a good clarity but I have never seen a beer so black in my life. It's as black as the can it comes in, blacker even than Satan's soul. It also poured with a head darker than any I've ever seen. Totally chocolate brown and dense, it has moderate retention with specks of lace left on the glass.

S - The aroma broods with deep roasted malts, cocoa, and unsweetened chocolate. Unfortunately like the Rochefort 10 before it, it also has a strong metallic nose. A bit of alcohol comes out on a swirl and, thankfully, the malts become more prominent than the metallic nose.

T - The malts seem to be at an insanely roasted level. Lots of molasses flavor with bittersweet chocolate too but damn it, it's got that same metallic-like thing the nose does. I don't know if it's from the can or from the malts being roasted beyond comparison (if that's possible) but it makes it much less appealing to me. It also has a slight nutty, woody hint to it and a little spice with the alcohol. A bit overly roasted methinks.

M - This beer would compare to some motorcycle oil in weight. It's as thick as molasses and coats your throat the same. Almost no carbonation to speak of and an utterly full-bodied beer. The finish is a bit dry and bitter from the sheer level of roast.

D - OY, this beer is out of control. I'm having a hard time sipping at it for two reasons; 1) The ridiculously roasted flavor, and 2) that pesky metallic thing. Sometimes more is not better which is exemplified in this beer. I'm going to try and share it now.

This might be the Star Wars geek in me, but my favorite part of this beer besides its ink color is the "join the dark side" quote on the bottom.

Serving type: can

12-01-2009 03:58:08 | More by BeerFMAndy

francisweizen

Australia

3.93/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one glugs, glugs, glugs out of the can a dark ruby/obsidian black with a nice small tan head of foam. Aromas are run-of-the-mill imperial stout with no real stand out aromas to mention. Dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, maybe a bit of toffee or caramel in the malt backbone. Anyways. This is a ncie smooth, yet big and bold imperial stout. A bit more raw and less refined than I usually like them, but than again it is nice in it's own way. The mouthfeel is thick and coating and the drinkability is good, but not the best because honestly this has all been done before. Stilll, for a canned imperial stout, this is pretty damn good !

Serving type: can

11-16-2007 00:37:46 | More by francisweizen

nickfl

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A half finger of cinnamon colored head appears on a thoroughly black body that looks like motor oil coming out of the can. The head quickly shrinks to a thin film and leaves behind little lace.

S - Lots of dark, roasty malt notes. Coffee, roasted tea leaves. There is a bit of chocolate as well, but the character is mostly roast, with low hop aroma.

T - Strong, coffee like bitterness along with herbal hop flavor. Lots of tannic, earthy roast flavors follow along with a strange mint/ licorice note. The finish is full of lingering bitterness as well as a bit of alcoholic warmth that is the only time the beer reveals its significant ABV.

M - Heavy, oily body with moderate carbonation. Slightly tannic mouthfeel and mildly sweet finish.

D - Obviously not a session beer, but a bit hard to drink even for a 10% ABV stout. The aroma is very nice, but the overwhelming malt bitterness in the taste is a bit out of proportion despite the heavy body and residual sweetness. A very complex and interesting beer, but a bit over the top on roast character, in my opinion.

Serving type: can

02-10-2008 06:30:29 | More by nickfl

tpd975

Florida

4.47/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow franksnbeans threw this one in as an extra on our last trade.

A: Pours as black as black can be. Used motor oil and the night sky has nothing on this one. The head is insane. At least three fingers of thick bubbly goodness. It does die down, but this one laces as good as any beer I have ever seen. Add all this up with the fact that is comes in a can....makes it an absolute thing of beauty.

S: Nice roasted aromas with hints of dark coffee, and bitter chocolate. To be honest not the best smelling RIS, but I can't wait to taste.

T: Touchdown! This is a world class brew. The flavors are actually fairly simple and forthright. Tons of dark roasted bitter coffee, with hint of dark chocolate. A tinge of hops can be felt in the end along with a kind of tobacco taste. The taste of this one is not all clouded. It comes straight at you big and bold all chocolate and coffee and I have to say that I love it.

M: Absolutely wonderful. Big and thick and as smooth and creamy as any RIS you will every find. In one word Velvet!

D: No sign of the ABV here. I just wish I had more than one can.

Overall: I reaalllly liked this beer. Nice straightforward flavors that are big and bold like I like them. Add in the touch of hops and you have a masterpiece. Younger35 sent me two others that got lost in the ABYSS between here and Idaho. I would give my left hand to have them right now. There is hope on the horizon, as I have heard that OB is going to start canning this one full time. If they do the availability will make this the #1 RIS in America for those not so long cold winter days here in Florida, at least in my book ;)

Serving type: can

01-19-2008 20:11:44 | More by tpd975

smakawhat

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the can into a pint glass resembling black motor oil, not much head but does give way to a coffee like chocolate brown bubbles. Head does disintegrate eventually and leaves no ring whatsoever.

Smell consists of faint leaf tobacco but also metallic... don't like that, but there are some very good noses on here but they are weak, faint roast, tiny alcohol heat on nose also. I really do like this nose I just wish it had removed some faults and wasn't so weak. Sometimes from a can I can get that metal/aluminum thing others times I don't, on this one I did.

Taste is syrupy, thick bodied, more so than I would prefer, with tobacco flavors, masking the alcohol well, some malt, with a good finish. There is also a very nice smoked meat/sausage quality on the afterfinish which is great. Luckily the metal/aluminum on the nose doesn't come through on the taste so much. I would like this more if it wasn't so syrup/thick in consistency.

Drinkability though all considering is better than average because there are things worth exploring in this brew for sure.

Serving type: can

12-09-2010 23:54:18 | More by smakawhat

FosterJM

California

4.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

273rd review on BA
Can to New Belgium Globe

App- Motor oil from a can like the old days in a full service station. A one finger head formed as well. Was excited to see that. Thats a stout pouring for you.

Smell- I get booze, molasses, dark fruits and roasted malt.

Taste- It's a little cold so I think the flavors are muted on this. Very roasted malt with a creamy smoothness. Suprising chocolate flavors burst during the drink with some dark fruits more leaning towards raisins and slightly bitter.

Mouth- Full bodied thats for sure. A nice medium carb level with a slighly creamy texture and a slight roasty/bitter taste. Get a little pepper in there as well.

Drink- It's big from a small can. I could see myself drinking all 4, blacking out and asking WTF just happened? Very tasty beer though.

Serving type: can

02-22-2011 05:16:34 | More by FosterJM

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Once again, thanks to jgasparine for this great brew! 12 ounce can, canned on 9/25/2009. Served in a DFH snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch brown head. Head retention is decent, with a small amount of lacing. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, molasses, and some dark fruit and licorice. Great malty aroma. The taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like roasted malt, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, coffee and a bit of dark fruit. Starts off sweet, and then has a slight bitter roasty finish. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's velvety, sticky and creamy. Drinkability is pretty good, it's nice and smooth and very easy to drink. I think this is a good overall brew, luckily I have 3 cans left so I know I'll have some to try another day.

Serving type: can

06-28-2010 00:44:46 | More by bluejacket74

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.9/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 3/18/08. Can. Poured oily black with hardly any head. The aroma was not very strong, but I got some chocolate, roast, and alcohol. Flavor strong in roast and citrusy hops. At some points, it tasted like I was having a stronger/thicker Gordon. This was a thick and hearty beer, definitely a slow sipper. I liked it, but it had a little too much roast/bitterness than I cared for. Also a very strong alcohol presence.

UPDATE: Had on tap at Plan B (suspect it was on nitro). It had a much larger and creamier head than from the can. Much smoother and easier to drink and there was less roastiness/bitterness than I had detected previously. Definitely prefered the on tap version, so sample on tap if you can! 7/4/8/4/16 (3.9/5)

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-02-2008 02:19:34 | More by LilBeerDoctor

dgilks

Australia

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Inky black with a big, creamy brown head. Good head retention and some nice lacing.

Sweet, rich malt with sweet alcohol and chocolate notes. More chocolate and a touch of fruit. Nice.

Sweet, American RIS. This is a brilliant beer with a nice creamy chocolate character, a touch of roast, lots of malt, some nice alcohol and fruit notes.

Full body with moderate carbonation. A touch fizzy for me but well within style.

A delightful beer. Big, bold and full of chocolate and malt flavour. Delicious.

Serving type: can

06-19-2012 12:35:20 | More by dgilks