Cigar City – Life Is Like

“Of the many similes used to describe our journey through the mortal coil of life, our favorite includes a reference to a certain group of confectioneries wherein you’re unsure of what flavor you’ll end up with. We put our heads together with our Danish friends at Mikkeller and seized our collective destinies by deciding exactly what we’ll get: an Imperial Stout brewed with cherries and cacao nibs that’s been aged in bourbon barrels, that’s what. Boasting decadent flavors of rich dark chocolate and ripe cherries, this enormous stout evokes some of the best things that life has to offer.”

Final Rating: 4.58/5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2017 vintage. Poured from a 750mL bottle into a cigar city snifter. Shared with Ryan.

Pours a deep brown body with a brown head that reduces to leave spotty and a ring of retention.

Aromas of heavy coffee and chocolate, vanilla and caramel and berries, cherries.

On the tongue is sweet milk chocolate and caramel covered cherries, finishes coffee and roasty, dark chocolate and toasted malts. More on the sweeter side, heavy body with low carbonation.

Really enjoyed this beer, a definite win for Cigar City. Subtle fruit / berry sitting on a massively delicious stout backbone.

De Garde Nectarine Premiere

Nectarine Premier is a wild farmhouse ale aged in oak wine barrels with nectarines.

Final Rating: 4.81/5
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a oversized wine glass. Thank you Ryan for sharing this!

Pours a sunshine golden hazy body, this is literally glowing. Small white head. Beautiful beer. God damn that is thick on the last pour. Oh my god, straight fruit purée.

On the nose.. straight stone fruit, pulp to the nasal, like someone just crushed a bunch of nectarines and peaches and the aromas are wafting in my general direction.

On the tongue is straigh stone fruit pulp, sour peaches, orange juice and nectarine pulp goodness. Thick and juicy. God damn this is amazing.

One of the best sours I’ve ever tasted. This was perfect on every account.

 

Side Project Saison Du Ble

Saison du Blé is our Chardonnay barrel-aged Wheat Saison. Batch 1 was fermented in stainless and then aged in oak for 3 months with our rustic house blend.

Final Rating: 4.6/5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a stemmed Side Project wine glass. Acquired in trade.

Pours a nicely hazy golden straw body with a pretty decent size white head that reduces very slowly to leave a ring of retention and nice lacing.

Aromas are nice and funky, musty, white wine and lactic acid, yeasty and lightly fruity. Smells very nice.

Taste is superbly balanced tartness, light stone fruit and white wine, hay, lacto funkyness, oak barrel, dry champagne-like finish. Very easy to drink, crisp and quenching light body.

I was really impressed with this Saison – extreme balance and drinkability with a good amount of flavor.

Imperial Porter aged in Bourbon Barrels with Cherries, Coffee and Vanilla beans added. Brewed in Collaboration with Three Floyds.

Final Rating: 4.47/5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a Bruery reserve snifter. Thanks Ryan for sharing this one!

Pours a deep brown translucent body with a decent sized brown head that reduces to a layer of foam.

Aromas of coffee , freshly ground coffee grounds, cherry and chocolate, heavy vanilla bourbon.

Taste is chocolate covered cherries, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, milk chocolate, lightly tart cherries, finishing roasty and lightly bitter. Medium heavy mouthfeel, can’t tell this is 13.5%. Low carbonation.

I get every flavor as advertised here. Awesome beer.