Has anyone ever tried to brew their own beer?  I might get a kit for Christmas.

Check out Midwest Supplies. They have some great kits and recipes. I've done a Spring Ale and an English Strong Ale. The latter was pretty good. The Brewing Starter Kit has most of what you would need, but you'll also want a big kettle, at least 6 gallons. Those are cheaper on Amazon. It's a fun hobby!

Ok, decided to go with Oscar Blues Ten Fidy, in a can.  Pour deep black, head latte tan with great lacing. Aroma yeast and faint hops. Taste bourbon, citrus, coffee, caramel, oak. Lots of alcohol. Finish is bitter hops and coffee. Palate is fine, tingly bubbles and high viscosity. Overall this is great beer!

Wow.  An imperial stout in a can.  That takes some guts but the reviews I've seen of that beer are incredible.  Damn shame I can't get it in this area.

Modelo, here.

LtH: How is your back?

Damn, that stinks, but at least it is getting better. I once tweaked my back by simply getting out of the car... You know how you kind of duck down when you get out? I felt a twinge and I was out of commission for four days.

Grabbed a 21st. Amendment back in black black IPA.

Big tan head dissipates to 1cm, dark redish brown. Aroma of hops, caramel. Taste is hops and lemon/grapefruit, faint spruce. I get very little malt. On the palate it is smooth, slightly viscous, with fine bubbles. Finish is bitter.

I'm not a big IPA fan, for all I bought a half dozen different ones today. Of it's an IPA, it might as well be black, but this doesn't seem all that special. I rated it a three.

Mmmmmm.  Sitting here with a Ten Fidy.  Imperial Stout in a can.  Whoda thunk it?

Appearance:  This beer is black.  Completely black.  No light shall escape the depths herein.  Abandon hope all ye photons who enter.  Surprisingly, with a 10.5% a.b.v. there is a luscious, creamy tan head.  Not surprisingly, it doesn't linger too long.  A couple of minutes and it has receded.

Smell:  Surprisingly subdued.  Your nose is not assaulted by anything in particular although I get plenty of deeply roasted malt along with some licorice and coffee notes.  Maybe a bit of dark chocolate or maybe I'm imagining that.

Taste:  Dayum.  Just dayum.  My nose may not have been assaulted but my taste buds were and I say that in the best way possible.  There is all kinds of stuff going on in the palate.  Deeply roasted malt is obvious.  Lots of dark chocolate here.  In the background is some assertive hoppiness not normally present in a stout but welcome here.  At the end is an alcohol burn.  In many imperial stouts, the alcohol is hidden but not in this one.  Typically, that's a flaw but here it seems to add to the overall complexity of the taste.

Mouthfeel:  Medium body with something of a dryish finish for imperial stouts.  Nowhere near as dry as many porters but dryer than a lot of stouts I'm used to.  Almost like an imperial Irish Stout.

Overall:  This is very different from something like Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout but the dryness in the finish is appropriate for the style.  The French would say, "Vive la différence."  The Russians would say, "Да здравствует разница."  I say, "different is good."  If you happen to find this lingering on your neighborhood shelf, grab it.

As with any imperial stout, don't ruin it by grabbing it from the fridge and pouring straight away.  I left it for a few hours in my 54 degree wine cellar before pouring.  Perfect.  As I sit here, it has warmed to 64 degrees and, much to my surprise, there is some sweetness lurking deep within this complex brew.  

Sierra Nevada Narwhal imperial stout. Love this stuff. Rich, fruity, caramel, hint of bourbon & dark chocolate, faintly spicy.

I have a couple of those laying around myself.