Narwhal vs TenFIDY

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by BradenMK, Oct 15, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 5
  1. BradenMK

    BradenMK Pundit (897) Sep 24, 2012 Alaska

    So the poll thread discussing whether or not TenFIDY was worth $6 (or so) more per 4-pk than Narwhal got me thinking, as neck and neck as the race was, and considering my own memory of TenFIDY being less than stellar. Could I have been wrong? So I had to conduct a side-by-side taste test. Just to see what all the fuss was about.

    [​IMG]

    The results were not what I expected. The start with, both of them poured a fantastic, mocha/latte colored head that lasted, let's say three minutes, and both left really great lacing as the drinking went on. The Narwhal left slightly better lacing. Even holding them up to the light, both were an equally opaque motor oil black/brown.

    TenFIDY performed much better than I remembered. Last year I had been comparing it to Bell's Expedition, aged 3+ months, so perhaps not a fair comparison. This year, side-by-side with Narwhal, I actually preferred TenFIDY, by a small margin. Interestingly, I didn't care for either all that much until I paired with food.

    Once the food hit the table... Narwhal took the lead, again, by the smallest of margins. The tough thing about these two beers is that they don't take kindly to being tasted side-by-side. The flavor profiles, while extremely similar, destroy the taste of the other once imbibed. Take a sip of one or the other and then the other immediately after? It's just not going to taste great. No matter which you lead or followed with. I had to do plenty of palate cleansing between tastings to make sure I was being properly objective. Narwhal was boozier than I remember giving it credit for, while TenFIDY was about the same. Narwhal still had a bit more flavor profile going on for it, while TenFIDY was creamier and fuller than I remember.

    By the time I was done, honestly, I think I prefer TenFIDY. But am I willing to spend $1.50 more per beer to get it? Absolutely not. It's good. It might even be better than Narwhal. But for the cost, for me anyway, it's never going to be worth it. Has anybody else done a side-by-side of these two who wants to chime in?
     
    #1 BradenMK, Oct 15, 2013
    firstlighthiker and barleywinefiend like this.
  2. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    IMO Narwhal is the better beer the fact that it cost less is a bonus.
     
    #2 dennis3951, Oct 15, 2013
    CurtFromHershey, Jvrdz24, youbrewidrink and 3 others like this.
  3. tjensen3618

    tjensen3618 Maven (1,391) Mar 23, 2008 California

    I think blind tasting these is the way to go, personally.

    I'll set one up with Narwahl, Ten Fidy, and Old Rasputin.

    I prefer Narwhal, but then again I've never tried them blind or side by side.
     
    #3 tjensen3618, Oct 15, 2013
    KhakCane and Potatocrawler like this.
  4. pecokid

    pecokid Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2007 Pennsylvania

    I don't know what it is but Narwhal hurts me. It does not matter when or how much, there is just something about that brew that disagrees with me in a painful way.
     
    #4 pecokid, Oct 15, 2013
  5. TequilaSauer

    TequilaSauer Initiate (0) Dec 31, 2006 Florida

    I haven't done them blind yet, but Fidy is an absolute monster. I actually took Narwhal in the cost/benefit discussion, but there's no doubt in my mind, Fidy is a far better beer. Both are great though.
     
    #5 TequilaSauer, Oct 15, 2013
    TheJessica, KhakCane and ExaltedNecrosis like this.
  6. TequilaSauer

    TequilaSauer Initiate (0) Dec 31, 2006 Florida


    Make it interesting and toss in a Speedway and Yeti.
     
    #6 TequilaSauer, Oct 15, 2013
    SFACRKnight likes this.
  7. williamjbauer

    williamjbauer Initiate (0) Jan 17, 2012 Colorado

    Ten Fidy is one of my favorite beers. Period. I'll pay for it.
     
    #7 williamjbauer, Oct 15, 2013
    TheJessica, nawset, KhakCane and 13 others like this.
  8. DWheeler379

    DWheeler379 Zealot (747) Jun 15, 2012 Colorado

    Had Ten Fidy recently at their brewery in Brevard. I just don't get all the love for it. I guess I'm not into the imperial stouts as much as everyone on here. For my money and ABV, I'd much rather have 2 good porters or many other beers really (love FBS). Ten Fidy was just very boozy and I don't care for the motor oil thickness or mouthfeel either. There are undoubtedly some complex flavors in there but IMO get dominated by the alcohol flavor.
     
    #8 DWheeler379, Oct 15, 2013
    APH likes this.
  9. BlackNote

    BlackNote Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2013 Michigan

    I've had both recently, but not side-by-side. I don't know what all the fuss is about Narwhal, but the Ten FIDY hipe is real IMHO. Plus, I don't like Bell's Exp Stout.
     
    #9 BlackNote, Oct 15, 2013
  10. cpjtr9559

    cpjtr9559 Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2007 New York

    hype
     
    #10 cpjtr9559, Oct 15, 2013
  11. DarkDragon999

    DarkDragon999 Maven (1,331) Feb 13, 2013 Rhode Island

    I had Sam Adams Imperial Stout over the weekend. I guess its not rated as high as Narwahl, Ten Fidy, and Old Rasputin but it tasted good to me. Im not a huge Imp stout fan because Id rather drink more easy drinking/less boozy beers rather than a beer I can only have a couple of max in a sitting.
     
    #11 DarkDragon999, Oct 15, 2013
  12. SenorHops

    SenorHops Initiate (0) Aug 10, 2010 Rhode Island

    Narwhal hands down. Ten Fidy is too syrupy and boozy IMO.
     
    #12 SenorHops, Oct 15, 2013
    Kadonny likes this.
  13. jplopez21

    jplopez21 Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2012 Illinois

    I've noticed throughout my short time on BA that most prefer more bitter less sweet imperial stouts (I'm the opposite). So naturally most BA's would prefer TenFidy since narwhal is a little on the sweeter side. That said I love both, but narwhal is def the clear winner for me.
     
    #13 jplopez21, Oct 15, 2013
  14. ChrisMyhre

    ChrisMyhre Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    Drinking ten Fidy now. I enjoy both, but Ten Fidy probably isn't worth the extra dough. I actually think Stone's RIS beats them both as well.
     
    #14 ChrisMyhre, Oct 15, 2013
    npala86 and lehueve like this.
  15. Givemebeer

    Givemebeer Savant (1,219) Apr 6, 2013 Vermont

    Setting up a blind tasting soon with Narwhal, TenFidy, FBS, Storm King, Old Rasputin, Mission Dark Seas and BCS. Too many Imperial Stouts? Maybe.
     
    #15 Givemebeer, Oct 15, 2013
    tmaestro and lehueve like this.
  16. derftron

    derftron Pooh-Bah (1,663) Feb 8, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Had a Narwhal on Saturday for the Ducks game, and had a Ten Fidy tonight for Monday night football. Very close call for me, both fantastic. For the $1.50 less, I think Narwhal is the call. But Ten Fidy is worth $4 a can for sure
     
    #16 derftron, Oct 15, 2013
  17. tsauce2

    tsauce2 Savant (1,138) Oct 12, 2011 Indiana
    Trader

    The most recent batch of Narwhal is the best so far, but if you are going for a great stout, Ten Fidy hands down. If you are going for the economical stout, there are better choices than Narwhal imo.
     
    #17 tsauce2, Oct 15, 2013
  18. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,616) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    There, fixed :wink:

    I had Narwhal this weekend for the first time and loved it. Very good Impy for the money.
     
    #18 Kadonny, Oct 15, 2013
  19. Quickicks

    Quickicks Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2013 North Carolina

    Ten Fidy is an awesome beer for the price and availability. Yes there are better values out there but I keep a few cans around. It does benefit a lot from about a year on it, wouldn't go much further with it being in a can. As for Narwhal, its decent and the most available to me. Really the only IRS I can buy from the grocery store when I'm in a pinch.

    I get a case of stone IRS every year and that's the best bang for your buck. I think I paid about 60 bucks for a case this past year. Actually.. that works out to almost the exact same price as Narwhal. Idk about aging Narwhal tho and stone is a good one to sit on IMO.

    To each his own. There's a million good IRS's to choose from and most are in this price range.
     
    #19 Quickicks, Oct 15, 2013
  20. SerialTicker

    SerialTicker Pooh-Bah (2,851) Jun 18, 2012 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    I haven't had Narwhal, but I had Ten Fidy. Factoring in price, I find it hard to believe Narwhal wouldn't beat Ten Fidy. Ten Fidy tastes pretty good to me when it's colder, but it becomes too sweet for me when it starts to warm up. I've only started really enjoying bigger stouts the past couple of months though, so it's about time to revisit.
     
    #20 SerialTicker, Oct 15, 2013
Page 1 of 5
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.