Gas prices have been dropping lately. Rest assured they’ll rise again. But for now, “Ten Fidy” is not the price per gallon, but simply the name of the latest, greatest beer from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado — one that’s nonetheless about as close as you can get to the appearance and consistency of purest petroleum. It’s jet black, turbid, dense, and delicious.Oskar Blues gets lots of attention for being “The Little Brewery That Cans.” (Despite the many practical advantages of packaging beer in aluminum rather than glass, the vast, vast majority of craft brews still use bottles rather than pop-tops.) But seldom has a beer been better suited to a metal cylinder than this one, glugging goopily from its barrel-esque can like so much crude oil.
The blackness is topped with an impressively muddy foam head that hints at the deep and dusky flavors lurking within: this mammoth beer (nearly 10 percent ABV) smacks of smoke and dark chocolate, espresso beans and malted-milk balls. And its creamy, chewy consistency means you’ll want to relish those flavors for as long as possible.
As the temperature drops and the heating bills rise, this is a beer you’ll want to have around. Stay at home and indulge instead of driving around at night. Even at $32 per gallon, it’s a better value than what you fill up with at the pump.
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout is available for approximately $12 per four-pack at Downtown Wine & Spirits, 225 Elm Street, in Somerville, 617.625.7777; and Bauer Wines and Spirits, 330 Newbury Street, in Boston, 617.262.0363.
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