Cigar City Improvisación (Oatmeal Rye India Brown Ale)

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

0.75 l - Wonderful color and lace, nose is pine and wood. Palate is rye spice backing up hops and malt.

Dark brown pour with thin tan head. The flavors are stronger up front than on the back. The alcohol being more prevalent in the latter.

Bottle @ home, courtesy of markwise. Thanks Mark!! Improv pours a clear, dark maroon/brown appearance with a one and a half finger, light brown head and has good lacing. In its nose is a toasty caramel malty smell with some rye spiciness, moderately piney/earthy hoppiness, and notes of chocolate, caramel, and leaves. There’s a soft mouth feel to the beer due to the oats and a rich yet spicy, dark caramel, rye malty flavor, again with a moderate earthy, organic, lightly piney hoppy taste. Smooth, easy drinking beer that doesn’t taste like it has 9% abv.

on tap at blind tiger. it was a brown color (slightly dark) with an off white head. aroma was little roasty and had hints of spice and caramel scents. caramel taste and first with little bitter pinch in the end of citrus. very nice selection from chalsk and my first cigar city

Pours a hazy brown with some dark red highlights and a good sized Foamy tan head that lasted the whole glass. When the cork was popped, It come flowing out of the bottle, all over the table, Hilarious. Aroma is toasted rye and oats, light caramel, chocolate, citrus and a little earthy spice. Flavor is more of the same,toasty rye and oats, chocolate, caramel and a hint of spicy pine on the finish. Very drinkable and tasty. When warmed up, the flavors were much better. It was good, but not 1 of my favorite CCB brews.

On tap at CCB. Thick dark pour. One finger slightly caramel head. Some Hoppiness in the aroma. Very smooth. Some Hoppiness present, to be expected considering this is an India rye oatmeal brown. A very complex beer, an intriguing balance between the hops and the oatmeal flavors. A good beer but not an everyday beer.

Pours a very dark brown with a good-sized khaki head that leaves a little bit of lacing. Wonderful aromas of citrus, chocolate, caramel, oats and a little spiciness from the rye. Flavors are more of the same; creating a rather complex and unique beer. Bitter finish. Medium bodied. I like this beer a lot.

750ml bottle in a snifter. Pours dark brown/ruby with a thick, lacy, light tan head. Aroma of strong citrusy hops, some caramel and chocolate malts, oats, and spiciness of the rye. Flavor a nice blend of all of these elements that would seem to clash. Smooth texture. A really good beer.