Cigar City 110K+OT Batch #2 I.R.I.S.

Formerly brewed at Cigar City Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

Serve in Snifter

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Originally reviewed: 6/23/09. Poured this big bottle into my tulip glass. Now, I haven’t seen any beer pour this thick. Serious viscosity going on. Like dirty motor oil...that was partially frozen. I thought I needed to grab a spoon for this. Huge, over the top, brown head. Not tan, this thing was dark as chocolate. No lacing or rings, no, this was a ’coating.’ The entire glass edge was murked over with the leftovers of the gorgeous head. This is the prettiest beer I’ve ever seen. Smells like leather, raisins, wine, walnuts, coffee, and booze. A smorgasborg of scent. There’s so much going on here, I had to mute the TV because I couldn’t concentrate on capturing it all. I could hardly grasp the depth of scent of this. The mouth is pure silk. Smooth, buttery creaminess coats the entire mouth and flows steadily down the throat. I want to wrap myself up in this. This is a very coffee-forward beer. I wasn’t expecting that. Huge bitter espresso presence. This melds with a roasted nutty flavor that is ever satisfying. The finish is drying and chalky, but I think that’s because I failed to chew after every sip. Thick coffee-goodness. This is, by far, the best RIS I have ever had. This belongs on everyone’s list that loves a good thick RIS. No tasting panel is complete without it. Get some.

Preamble: This will be my first beer from FL, obtained in a trade from the most excellent Hopscotch himself. Being from the 303, I would never seek out a beer from the SE, yet alone FL. Rating: Deep dark pour with a redish-brown thin head, Reminds me of tenfidy with a lighter head. Get hit with intense sweet molasses in the nose with a coffee nib background. Also gather in come piney hops. This is a tasty balanced brew. A little sweet up front which quickly give way to the cedar and hops and a burnt coffee taste lingers on forever only to be balanced by pineyness on the outsides of the tongue. This is a world class beer.

75 cl. bottle shared / thx to sebletitje – black with a disappearing white head, smell is sweet with chocolate, slight dark fruits & lots of hops, taste if toffee, pralines, chocolate, caramel, dark fruits, mocha, vanilla, roasted, wood, very slightly smoked, hint of ashy & lots of bitter hops in finish, dry in the finish, medium to low carb, smooth body, quite solid

14/IV/2012 - 75cl bottle @ home - BB: n/a (2012-376) Thanks to sebletitje for sharing the beer!

Pitch black beer, big creamy brown head, pretty stable. Aroma: very fruity, caramel, mocha, red wine, alcohol. MF: good soft carbon, medium body. Taste: caramel first, mocha, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla, dry hoppy. Aftertaste: coffee, ashes, very dry hoppy. Good but not amazingly good.

Bottle with friends, courtesy of markwise. Thanks Mark! Dark black appearance with a dark brown head. Charred licorice, dark chocolate, woody aroma. Rich, thick, roasty, dark chocolate malty, licorice, burnt, a touch smoky flavor.

Pours black with a tanned head. Sweet with aromas of toasted malts, coffee, very dark chocolate, tobacco and some cedar wood. Also hints of smoke. Full bodied. Medium to soft carbonation. Dry finish.

Bottle. Heavy to harsh aromas of toasted, molasses, bitter chocolate and strong coffee for the malt, moderate resin for the hops, moderate dough and earth for the yeast, with tar alcohol, solvent, tobacco, and a mulled wine and fruit cake essence. Head is average size, frothy turning creamy, brown with fair lacing and super sticky legs, and is mostly diminishing. Color is almost black, Flavor starts lightly to moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and moderately to heavily bitter. Palate is full, creamy with a soft carbonation and a chalky and slightly sticky/chewy finish.The somewhat harsh aroma belies the fantastic smooth and well balanced flavors and palate. You almost want to hold your nose as you slowly sip this enigmatic Imperial Stout.

Pours rich dark oil black with a beautiful bright cinnamon dark caramel head. The aroma is light roasted coffee notes and sweet developed malts, the hops are gone with the age. The flavor is sweet roasted coffee notes on a smooth medium to thicky delicious body.

Entering old-rates. 75cl bottle. Une RIS très agreeable qui profite d’un dry-hopping qui se ressent et devient modéré en bouche avec l’age de la bouteille, je dis dans les 6 mois, le profile fort en avant du houblon commence à se dissiper. Le tout garde un gros profile de malt chocolaté, grillé. Porte bien avec un aspect houblonné très agréable dans ce style de bière. Une pointe de réglisse à noter sur la fin, reste épaisse en bouche.

Slightly hoppy aroma, followed by cedar and chocolate. Nice on the palate, it’s aged well. Dryer, not a lot of sweetness, moderate bittering. Pretty good.