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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UPDATED: JUN 5, 2009 Bottle from tpd975. Holy shit another amazing beer from CC. Pours a deep black with a nice creamy head that was brown and reddish in color. Aroma hits right off the bat with asphalt, rich roasted malt, chocolate, molasses, hops, coffee and a hint of black pepper. Flavor is just awesome. Anyone who rates this palate below a 4 is NUTS. So thick and coating. Flavor bangs your tastebuds with beautiful roasted notes, chocolate, espresso, chicory, tobacco, licorice, tar, and the hops come though in such perfection. Holy shit this stuff is good. I am seriously addicted to the Cigar City brews. But what do I know, I am just a homer.

Pours a dark black with a dark brown head. Aroma is great. Raisins, coffee, chocalate and toffee. Taste has espresso, chocalate, coffee, roasted malts. Palate is perfect. Well balanced and excellent warming ability. This beer is nirvana.

Bottle: Pours a dark, thick black with minimal head and lacing. Nose is huge, unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. I get massive amounts of anise, cinnamon, chocolate, cedar and some earthy hops. Unbelievable stuff...flavors follow all of the above and it finishes amazing, very dry and woodsy. Great, elite-level brew.

750 mL bottle courtesy of Immy shared at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown. Pours black with a tan head. Strong aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Taste of smoke, chocolate, toffee, and coffee. Thick palate. Moderate alcohol burn but low for the ABV. This one is incredible. I am very impressed with this brewery so far.

UPDATED: JUL 7, 2009 Re-rate.... Bottle... This beer rocks! I can’t believe this stuff is even better in the bottle, but it is. Better than Dark Lord, but not Vanilla Bean Dark Lord! Think Dark Lord without the high final gravity - less sweet, but not overwhelmingly bitter. Imperial Stout perfected! Now, throw this stuff in a bourbon barrel with vanilla beans. ***Original Rating**** Draft… GOBF ‘09… This beer rocks!… Pours tar black with a large, frothy, light brown head. Lengthy retention. The aroma is very Dark Lord-esque – molasses, soy sauce (love the stuff), leather, cedar, pipe and pouch tobacco. The viscosity is the very closest to Dark Lord I have found. In fact, it may match it… I may update this rating once I pop the top on a bottle of ’09 Dark Lord. Ultra full-bodied with a motor oil-like, velvety mouthfeel and faint carbonation. The flavor is carbonic and deeply roasted with notations of charred wood, espresso beans and ash. Some very pleasant sweetness and smooth, well-rounded bitterness – not at all harsh and not boozy. Finishes mildly bitter and very lightly acrid. Leaves a thick coating on the inside of my mouth. Wow! I love me a thick beer. World class imperial stout!

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.

22 oz bottle via thecheesman (big thanks!). Pours a deep black with a nice compact tan head. Nose is chocolate, dark fruits. Taste is complex, with some mild licorice, dates, chocolate, coffee, spicy hops. A nice roasty earthy goodness lingers with the hops in the aftertaste. Body is medium/full, carbonation is just right. Awesome Impy!

UPDATED: NOV 13, 2009 Well I can’t thank Mar enough for sharing this one months ago. Kudos! Pours black with a brown head. Aroma of spice, pungent hops, fudge, roast, chocolate. Tastes extremely malty, yet mellow and rounded with flavors of chocolate, espresso, raisins and fudge. Finish lives up to the brewery’s name with tobacco, nuts, and earth, all coated in fudge. Raisins are still there too. Thick and heavy, yet rounded with no alcohol presence. I’m reminded of the more chocolatey batches of Expedition. This is rediculously good. Can’t wait to try more!

I’m not gonna adjust the score, but I got a bottle for myself and found it lacking that special malt presence that made my first taste of this so special. Alas, not every bottle can be perfect I guess. Still, it was great with enough other positive attributes swirling in the mix.

Big thanks to northernbrews for sharing this one!! Viscous, black pour with a frothy tan head. The aroma smells of woody pine resin, coffee, and smoke. The flavor is smoke, cedar, chocolate, molasses and a bitter hop finish. Full oily body with soft carbonation. I really loved to uniqueness and layers of flavor and aroma in this one.

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!!!