Cigar City Humidor Series Gruit

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Traditional Ale
Tampa, Florida USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard

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Appearance: orange with an off-white head and solid haze. Slow steady stream of carbonation while her receding head leaves a heavy network of lace along the way.
Nose: wow. Intriguing. Spices, dark earth, herbs, mossy, swampy. Wood meets anise meets sweet cedar meets wet leather and barnyard funk. Tree leaves and tree back, earthy and dusty. Star fruit, papaya skin, and guava skin. Thyme is the prominent herb while juniper dapples here and there. Less smoke with far more cedar freshly cut and aromatic.
Palate: full, chewy, and of the earth. Has an essence of old earth and a different time then our modern days. Herbs, moss, wet leather, over-ripe plantains. A short finish, her flavors are wholly centered in the middle though my breath does linger with thyme and juniper. Pungent all around. Star fruit and guava skins. Barnyard funk and wet leather, saddle bags come to mind, find old dank corners covered in moss and wet earth. Cedar is a gentle permeation throughout each flavor; never dominant but never overpowered.
Final Thoughts: for a beer which really didn’t contain that many added herbs and such to honor her beer history origins of gruit, she was nonetheless replete in what I can only imagine a gruit back in old England smelling and tasting of. Very much a product of mother nature, if my eyes had been closed I would have easily been standing in the middle of a damp wet rainforest or the green rolling fields of England or Scotland. Fantastic.

Pours a bright orange with minimal white head...almost non-existent. Not much lace results. Aroma is very sweet tropical fruits along with a strong cedar presence. As the beer warms, miscellaneous, unascertained "gruit herbs" make their way into the picture. Very well balanced. The taste is a little bit more off, as the herbs and cedar take over too much and it ends up tasting a bit like a holiday beer. Mouthfeel is of a medium body with low carbonation. Good drinkability. Unique, but not one of my favorites from CCB. Either way, it shows what cedar can really do, as this was one of the better--if not more interesting--gruits that I’ve come across. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-25-2010

Bottle: Poured a orange/yellow with a huge carbonated white head. Aroma is fruity. Taste is carbonated fruit very bitter and cedar.

Draft at Capone’s on 6/5 and at TJ’s on 6/6. Pours murky yellow golden, topped with a thin off-white head. Aroma of cedar, berries, juniper and Elderflower. Flavor begins with berries, peach, and flowers. Cedar becomes evident towards the finish, and adds a nice dimension to this beer. Finishes very dry.

Bottle shared by JoeTheYounger... Pours orange with a white head...Aroma is cedar and a ton of black pepper...Flavor is fruity with some cedar, slightly tart. Pepper finish...Tasty.

Bottle from Florida. Pours a golden orange pour with thin white head. Aroma is black pepper, tart cranberries, black pepper, cedar, and santa’s village. Taste is not tart like the aroma but lots of cedar and wood taste with no bitterness and a hint of sweetness.

Bottle. Orange pour with a white head. Pepper nose. Tart taste with spice and yeast. Good.

750 ml bottle via trade with smith4498 - Pours a clear amber color with a one finger thick off white head. Very light lacing. Aroma is cedar, spice, and esters. Very nice. Flavor is tangy fruit and spice. Medium body. I’m not real sure what to make of the flavor. I do love the aroma. Thanks Jason.

bottle thanks to Shawn, pours hazy orange, thin off white head. Aroma is very fruity, strawberry, and mango. Flavor is mildly fruity with a nice herbal finish. This is great stuff and very unique.

I opened a bottle a got at the brewery several months ago. It was much different than when I had it on tap. Poured a dark copper with medium head. Smells like a cigar box. Tastes like a lambic, but more fruity. Very good. Possibly one of my favorite from CCB.