Cigar City Barrel Aged 110K+OT Batch #2

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

First, thanks to Dakine for shipping this one out to me. Suprised my brother with this on his 44th birthday and shared it with several beer geeks, although I’m the only one who rates here. With that being said, this was a mind-blowing, tongue-exploding, sensory-overload impy stout if there ever is one. This one belongs up there in the stratosphere with other world-class imperial stouts (KtG, Darkness, etc).

Batch #2 2009, bottle #259. After cutting away the wax, popping the top the beer just glugged out of the bottle. An obvious thick consistency, black as black can be, and billowing from the body of this beast was a thick, creamy brown head that seemed like it was on Viagra it lasted so long. Tons and tons of chocolate and roasted goodness permeates my surroundings. Huge notes of molasses, vanilla, smoke and bourbon punch it’s way thru the chocolate and coffee and join the party in my nose. First sip....pure, unadulterated, bliss. Like eating a mouthful of dark chocolate coated coffee beans and then chasing it with a sip of bourbon. Everything just coats the inside of my mouth like a blanket of loving goodness. Light smokey notes, a bit of wood, finishes wonderfully and leaves my mouth longing for the next sip. Just insane how good this is.

Bottle from 5 Points. Sampled on Thanksgiving. The perfect brew. Oak, awesome imp stout, and hints of bourbon. Similar to Firestone 12. Excellent.

Bottle from Kingdom Liquors. Poured a black color with a large frothy brown head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Heavy roasted coffee, earthy hop and chocolate aroma. Heavy dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavor with a heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration with a small alcohol burn as it warms. Full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. This is a standout top 20 beer.

Bottle Shared at Ryan & Max’s Tasting @ Pauls. Pours a abyss of a body with a coffee tan head. Huge bourbon and oak, with some lighter vanilla notes. Chocolate malt, the barrel slims down in the flavor profile leaving room for a woody, soft creamy body with coco notes. Awesome.

Rating number 1200, though it was actually my first beer of the tasting not the 19th as I’m putting it in, but just means my notes on it are probably a bit better. Bottle at Paul’s tasting. Pours the darkest black I have encountered on a stout, with a thin dark brown head. Piles of roast, chocolate, malt, vanilla. Loads of coffee, bitter cocoa, bourbon, warming alcohol. Hmm, where the 110k seemed balanced and subtle, this seems off-kilter a bit. The bourbon is overpowering on the back end, and the roast takes on a slight acrid character. Still phenomenal however.

Bottle number 57 of 449. Thanks to Juicisloose for picking this bottle up for me. Pours black with a swirly light tan head. Smells of dark rich malts, light bourbon, graham crackers, chocolate, and vanilla notes. Money. Real nice oilky mouthfeel to it with a great body. Flavors of big chocolate malt, bourbon notes blending well, and vanilla bean all come together to form a great taste character. Another well crafted beer from these guys which is the norm, no surprise here. Awesome brew!!

Bottle shared by either Nick3 or mfielden on BA at a tasting. Both of those guys provided awesome CCB beers for this event. Bottle #274 of 440. Great appearance, similar to Marshal Zhukov’s, but with a tan head rather than darker brown. Pitch black in color. Aroma is roast, coffee, chocolate, oak, and bourbon. Smells great. Flavor is roasted and caramel malt, cedar, oak, light bourbon, and some smoke and hops on the finish. Not quite as tasty or well rounded as Marshal Zhukov’s or Hunahpu’s, but very nice nonetheless. Very smooth, full, and slightly bitter on the palate with a long finish. Drinkability is high, as the bourbon and intensity does not overwhelm. 11.5% ABV well-hidden.

750ml. Tx Kan!! Pours black with creamy dark tan head. Aroma is ashy, smokey, chocolate, flavor chocolatey, coated with a mild ash and bourbon oak notes. It’s really the body that is working so well-full and coating the palate well. This beer was about the hops but no more which is to b expected but it still makes me sad. Tasty stuff but the reg version was even better!