Category Archives: Cigar City Brewing

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Cigar City Brewing, USA

Cigar City Jai Alai Spanish Cedar

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 65 IBUs. Rested on Spanish Cedar

Brewer Description: (from can) The bold citrus qualities of Jai Alai IPA are complemented by sandalwood and cracked pepper notes imparted by Spanish cedar, the same wood used to build the world’s finest cigar humidors.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can with a canned on date of 8th June 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear copper orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Piney, wood, perfumy wood, cedar?, herbal, floral, with citrusy and pepper notes.
Taste: Herbal bitterness, wood, light sweetness, biscuit malt, pine, citrus, lemon, peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’m enjoying these wood aged Jai Alai IPAs even more than the base beer, and this Spanish Cedar variant is no different. Very interesting perfumy, herbal, and floral wood notes.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cigar City Brewing, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Cigar City Marshal Zhukov’s Vanilla Hazelnut

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 11.2%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout with vanilla and hazelnuts added

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This Russian Imperial Stout is dedicated to Georgy Zhukov, arguably one of the finest generals of World War II. Huge in body with strong flavors of espresso, chocolate and molasses, this unique iteration of Zhukov’s adds roasted hazelnuts and vanilla to impart even more complexity and depth of flavor to this massive, jet-black stout. In the immortal words of Marshal Zhukov himself, “Есть вещи в России, которые не являются, как они кажутся.”

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, raisin, plum and a touch of vanilla.
Taste: Roasty, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, chocolate, coffee, molasses, licorice and hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: The base of roastiness, chocolate and dark fruit is good, but I’m not getting much of the adjuncts. The vanilla come through lightly with just hints of it here and there. While the hazelnut, I’m just not really getting at all. It’s a good sipping Russian Imperial Stout though.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brown Ale, Cigar City Brewing, USA

Cigar City Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 5.5%
Style: American Brown Ale
Other Notes: 25 IBUs. Ale brewed with raisins, cinnamon and lactose

Brewer Description: (from can) The addition of raisins, cinnamon and milk sugar to our full-bodied and chocolatey Brown Ale base creates a unique beer that tastes exactly like it was pulled out of Grandma’s oven.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 15th May 2018. Poured into an Epic Brewing pint glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with a slight red hue and a slightly more than one finger foamy tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly to a lasting thin cap while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Strong cinnamon and raisin followed by caramel, chocolate, brown sugar, cream with light biscuit and toasted oats.
Taste: Cinnamon, raisin, chocolate, brown sugar, cream, vanilla with some light caramel and toasted bread.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Cinnamon was a bit too strong for me and body was probably on the light side, but raisins and chocolate still is a good combination.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cigar City Brewing, Stout - Milk / Sweet, USA

Cigar City Café Con Leche

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: 28 IBUs. Sweet Stout with coffee & cacao nibs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer is made with bold, strong coffee beans to emulate the most characterful Cuban espresso and lactose, a milk sugar that adds sweetness, body and flavors reminiscent of scalded milk. We’ve also added cacao nibs to further enhance its satisfying chocolate quality. Despite its assertive flavors and full body, our Sweet Stout is deceptively low in alcohol, making it the perfect accompaniment to a late-morning plate of eggs, bacon and tostadas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 10th November 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a two finger brown head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, chocolate, cacao, roasted malts with hints of vanilla and cream.
Taste: Chocolate, coffee, cacao, cream and vanilla with a light herbal element on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice and easy drinking Sweet Stout that is creamy, smooth and has great coffee flavours.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Cigar City Brewing, USA

Cigar City Jai Alai India Pale Ale

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Jai Alai, the “merry game,” is a game native to the Basque region of Spain. Tampa was once home to this high speed game, but sadly all that remains here is this India Pale Ale that we brewed in tribute to the merry game. Pair Jai Alai India Pale Ale with Empanadas, Deviled Crabs and other spicy dishes.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with a canned on date of 21st March 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy light copper orange colour with a two finger slightly off white head that had great retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Lots of citrus grapefruit peel, orange rind and lemon with hints of tropical pineapple and pine.
Taste: A nice sweet-ish malty caramel and biscuit backbone, followed by some nice citrus grapefruit and orange with a touch of pineapple and a mildly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: To be fair, perhaps this was hidden in my fridge a bit too long. It was however, still well balanced and enjoyable to drink.