Cigar City Monsieur Zhukov’s Biere de Stout

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Growler… Pours pitch black with a small, bubbly, brown head. The aromatics are of chocolate and fudge flanked by traces of clove, fig, dried plum and date. Full-bodied and velvety with soft carbonation. The flavor is chocolaty with layers of dried dark fruits, clove and dry vintage port. Finishes chocolaty and lightly spicy, then a touch flat and mundane. Very nice overall. Growler courtesy of Tony!

Thanks to a great friend! Nearly black pour, brown head. Incredibly roasty, charred, and bitter aroma. Flavor is very roasty, slightly bitter, ashy, espresso beans. Interesting, but not my favorite Zhukov.

9/27/11. Growler thanks to Adam! Pitch black pour with a thick brown head. Aroma of smoke, char, and coffee, but there’s also an astringent/medicinal aspect as well. Sweet malty flavor at first with plenty of char and ash, a bit of tartness, and a touch of medicine as well.

Draft at Cigar City. Pours a dark obsidian color with a small off-tan head. Nose is roast, earth, espresso, black coffee, and hints of licorice and small cocoa. Flavor is amazing- espresso, black coffee, roast, earth, and hints of char. Unsweet cocoa, and unsweet dark chocolate also pervade the beer. For what it is- second runnings of Zhukov fermented with a saison yeast, this beer is outstanding and unique in every aspect- from the roast presence to the color to the dry roasty and earthy finish.

medium brown with a light tan head, watery but its a touch old... smells pretty nice, cocoa nib brownies... the taste is boring, muted sweetness, light chalky yeast on the back... meh

32oz typical ccb medicine jar growler fill. courtesy of a another generous floridian for passing this along for others to try... pours semi-dark stouty hue, although it’s apparent that the consistency isn’t up to the normal zhukov standard and can also be attributed to the fact that it is a second running. lesser intense edges reveal a deeper shade of maroon. the head is skimpy yielding a thin film of bubbly soapy light tan head... aroma has that characteristic char that the base beer is known and relished for while then exhibiting lesser amounts of ash and what resembles a fruitier nature from the yeast profile... flavors promote more of that char and fruity foreign yeast qualities, rendering almost a sour-like bitter tinge late in the profile. body is a little thinned out and the carbonation is light. interesting experiment and what amounts to, at least to me, the weakest of the zhukov variants thus far. the yeast really takes away from its pure essence.

Draft @ Cervezas Cigar City tap takeover. Pours dark brown/black with thin brown head. Aromas of roasted malts, with some hints of coffee and cocoa. Similar flavors. Much thinner body and less sweet than the regular Zhukov.

32 ounce growler, poured jet black with very little head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malt, cloves, citrus, and some coffee. Very unique taste, lots of bitter coffee, touch of citrus, and campfire ash. Light on the palate, not as sludgy as the normal treatment, interesting experience.

Growler generously sent from mikeluke23...pours a ridiculous black with small ochre head. Aroma just insane...heavily charred malt, dark chocolate, black licorice, tobacco, and spice. intense stuff. Flavor of toasted malt, grass, bitter cocoa, and burnt lactose. Rich, hearty, overwhelming...but excellent! Wouldnt blindly still call this an impy stout, however

Appearance: black, oily, liquid obsidian. Crema hued head fades into a thin collar.
Nose: oily black viscosity. Roasted, tarry, and massive amounts of black licorice and anise. Dense black cake and charred dried prunes and figs. Oily peat in the back – Lagavulin comes to mind. Acrid bits in the middle – burnt and tannic.
Palate: big middle and finish, light in the front. Dry burnt smoky ashen finish. Oily viscous mouthfeel. Cigar leaf and cigars, slowly smoldering, trails of smoke wafting lazily up into the air. Dried prunes with pits. Peppery – like a peppercorn rub. Dried ancho chili peppers. Old leather.
Final Thoughts: quite intriguing. This was the second of 4 tasters I savored at the Cigar City Tasting room with my Love. The atmosphere was as perfect as the beers. Delicious! I was expecting a bit more of a different beer from the original Marshall Zhukov, which there wasn’t, but I wasn’t disappointed either. If anything, a bit rough around the edges which could benefit from a bit of smoothing out.