Cigar City Cafe Con Leche Stout

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

Rich black with tan head. Anyone familiar with Cuban coffee will instantly recognize the cafecito looks. Aroma is bang-on cortadito, but better than coffee. Creamy luscious mouthfeel is perfectly carbonated and smoother than a nitro pour. Finishes with a cream flavor, a sly nod to the leche. The flavors are long, lingering with a deep roasted bean flavor permeating each sip and perpetuating throughout the drink. Actually--this is a perfect rendition of a coffee brew. Impressive.

Bottle, courtesy Degarth. Pours black with reddish highlights and fizzy wet lacing on the glass and a healthy white head. Nose is huge with incredible coffee roast and very nutty. Lots of spices as well. Flavor has big roast. Lactose and chocolate come through big, too. Coffee is interlaced nicely throughout each sip. Body is sticky and delicious, balanced very well. Smooth and just good, damnit.

Bottle thanks to retorp. Pours a dark brown with a nice tan head. Yellow laces like crazy. Nose is a ton of espresso, roasted malt, chicory, and the bitterness inherent in those. Flavor is a lot of coffee and espresso flavor, but balanced overall. Lots of different roasted flavors in the beer, and it refuses to be pigeonholed into being labeled a "coffee beer." I swear it has the caffeine to match, too. Very good beer- will stand up with any of the top ten coffee beers.

Draft at the brewery, courtesy Joey & Wayne. Pours just about pitch black, perhaps showing a hint of mahogany at the outer reaches. A thick, spongy, light brown head displays excellent retention, leaving gobs of sticky lace on the glass. The aroma is knock your socks off espresso, roasty as all hell. Being married to a Cuban woman, I am used to this aroma on Sunday mornings, as the little *cafetera* is always brewing up some Cuban Coffee. After the initial blast of espresso, the nose opens up to reveal malted chocolate, scorched caramel, and heaps of earthy hop bitterness. Flavors follow suit, again incredibly roasty and very accurate in interpretation of a Cuban Coffee beer, complete with a lightly acrid finish. I will note, however, that the name implies that there is lactose in the brew, which I was unable to detect. Nearly full on the palate, with a silky mouthfeel and light carbonation, even the body resembles that of a perfectly roasted cup of espresso. This is a really nice brew, especially for those with a penchant for hearty coffee, but I think the addition of some lactose would improve things overall and bring things more in line with both the name of the beer and the sweet stout category.

Tap. Pours black with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma is loaded with fresh heavy roasted coffee followed by chocolate covered malted milk balls. Taste is like a thick double shot espresso with the perfect amount of caramel, sweet malt, and chocolate to balance everything out. Full mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness. As Ibrew2or3 put it, YUM!!!

Two words describe this beer best, YUM. Well, maybe one word. But its yum squared. It pours very dark with light brown head. Good gravy, the aroma is amazing. It is full of robust rich dark roasted coffee beans that nearly bring me to my knees. Wow. Behind that are notes of dark chocolate and a touch of heavy cream. The flavor does not disappoint. I love the full rich decadent yummy very dark roasted coffee. Too many coffee flavored beers just smell and taste like Folgers crystal, meh. This beer has the goods with mouth watering espresso like coffee beans that I need to find and start making coffee with as soon as possible. Like the aroma there are supporting notes in the background like velvety dark chocolate mixing with a mildly drying lactose sensation that play together in harmony with the bold coffee notes. Wow.

Bottle courtesy of Retorp. Pours a dark black color with no head. Aroma is pure freshly cracked roasted coffee beans (that I could smell the minute the bottle was opened). Flavor is almost exactly the same with some hints of vanilla and cream with fainter notes of raisins, roasted malts and spice. Full body with lingering coffee finish. If you like coffee beers, this is the granddaddy of them all.

Draft... Pours black with a small, creamy, light brown head. Good retention. The aroma is an acrid marriage of rich, dark chocolate and espresso, along with dabs of vanilla, molasses and soy sauce. Medium to full-bodied with tingly carbonation. Espresso bitterness is perfectly balanced by chocolate sweetness and a lightly acidic note. Lengthy, bitter, coffee finish. My after breath smells like coffee, not booze. Perfect nightcap!