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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Many draft samples. The pour yields a thick and oily, pitch black body that is simply impenetrable by light. A thick and lasting head of dark brown foam crowns the surface, leaving good lace. You simply cannot brew a stout that looks more menacing than this one. The nose is deep with rich chocolaty goodness, with roasted caramel, barley and oats adding malty complexity. Hints of dark fruit and licorice push through, along with traces of coffee and a massive, earthen hop billing. Flavors follow suit, displaying excellent balance between the sweet and decadent dark chocolate, the massive roast, and the strikingly bitter, earthy hops. The palate is as viscous as it looks, slick and full on the tongue. This was easily the best of show at the 2009 Great Orlando Beer Festival. Wayne brews stouts like nobody’s business.

Draft. Pours a thick dark brown/ black with a tan head. Nose is roast, dark chocolate, some molasses, and a bit of licorice. Flavor is a ton of roasted malt, licorice, and hops. Enjoyable beer. The cool thing about this beer is that 15 minutes after drinking it I think, "What is that roasted malt flavor still in my mouth." The finish sticks around for a LONG time. Nothing bad about this beer, but for an imperial stout it is uniquely roasty and hoppy. Wayne has made another great beer.

UPDATED: MAY 22, 2009 I think I drank a gallon of this at the Great Orlando Beer Festival. Thanks to Joey, Wayne and Sebastian from Cigar City and everyone involved with the GOBF. This pours an amazingly thick motor oil black, with a thick milkshake foam head that is the color of milk chocolate. The strong aroma of rich dark chocolate, black licorice and toasted malts is almost perfect. The most predominant flavor is delicious rich dark chocolate. This richness is followed up with some toasted malts, dark molasses and just a touch of hop bitterness. I was honestly expecting more hop bitterness, but that seems to be taking a back seat to the chocolate flavors. This is another amazing stout.

Pours deep opaque darkness with nice mocha chocolate head. The modestly strong aroma has dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, a bit of burnt malts and black licorice. The taste is smooth and velvety with dark chocolate, some burnt malts and molasses moving into some mild hop bitterness mixing with rich dark fruity esters. I get some black licorice into the finish to go along with lingering dark chocolate velvety goodness.

Bottle. Pours black with a one finger tan head that lasts leaving great lacing and upon swirling the beer coats the glass with an orange like stain. Aroma is rich roasted malts, licorice, coffee, and caramel. Taste is roasted malts, licorice, coffee, caramel, more licorice in the finish with light hints of cedar. Full mouthfeel with a moderate to strong amount of bitterness and very well hidden alcohol. Another damn tasty brew from Cigar City and I’m not saying that because I’m a homer. Know That!!!

Bottle, Big thanks to Retorp. Amazing! Poured pitch black with a thick creamy brown head. Aroma is of burnt malt, bitter chocolate, anise, and hops. Flavor is very roasted, slightly sweet, more bitter chocolate and anise with a very nice hops presence. Creamy mouth-feel slightly bitter finish. Tasted a bit green, love to age one for a couple years. Thanks CCB!

Bottle courtesy of retorp ... Pours Black. Stained the glass as I swirled it. Burnt roast, coffee, slight booze, licorice and floral hops. Flavor is roasted malts, mild cedar, hop bitterness. Licorice lingers on the tongue. Full mouthfeel, like all the CCB Beers. Awesome beer! Awesome.