Barrel Aged Cigar & Two Stout Beers

We got the first fire of the season going last Sunday. The last weekend of the summer was cool enough for a fire to be enjoyable, yet still warm enough to not require bundling up. After a late brunch I uncovered the woodpile and prepped the pit. Looking at the amount of wood left from last season, I estimated I had enough for two fire pit sessions before needing to restock. 

After lighting the fire, I grabbed an older stick from the humidor. I've been eying my last Camacho Imperial Stout Barrel Aged stick for some time, and finally brought myself to light it up. These were a limited, one time release, but cigars are meant to be smoked, not just admired. 

The story behind the cigar reads like a travelogue. The barrels used in the aging of the tobacco for this blend first housed bourbon at Heaven Hill Distilleries. The barrels were then sent to Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado to age their Imperial Stout beer. Next, the barrels were then shipped to the Camacho factory in Honduras. There, the company’s signature tobacco, Honduran Original Corojo, was aged inside for a minimum of six months. The cigar is comprised of 100% Maduro tobaccos. The wrapper is Mexican San Andrés. The binder and fillers include the barrel-aged Honduran Corojo, along with Brazilian and Dominican tobaccos.

As soon as I lit the cigar, I really had few regrets about burning my last one. I knew it would be as enjoyable as I remembered. The 6" x 50 Toro is tightly packed, with a slightly restricted draw, but still produces copious flavorful smoke. Dark, rich roasted coffee and dark chocolate predominate, with a touch of sweet vanilla coming through as well. 

To go along with the stick, I also dug deep into the beer stash and pulled out a Stone Brewing 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. The bottling date stamped on the bottle is 01/15/16. The beer features roasted malt with a sweet, toasted bread graininess. The beer is moderately bitter with a full mouthfeel. It was an excellent match for the flavors of the cigar.

The warm fire added to the enjoyment of the rich beer and cigar. As this would be a nearly two hour smoke, I headed back to the basement to dig for another old beer. I came up with a bottle of Smuttynose Imperial Stout, this one bottled way back in 2006. 

As expected, this stout also paired well with the Camacho cigar. The beer featured roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, and some hints of dark fruit. There was very little in the way of hop bitterness. The mouthfeel was creamy and smooth, with a dry aftertaste. After cellaring for fourteen years, the carbonation was still moderate.

As Colleen and I chatted and continued to enjoy the fire, we became aware of the sound of generators in the distance. Soon after that, I received a text notification that our house was without power. At that point, there was little left to do except to feed the fire, grab another cigar to smoke and pull another old beer from the cellar. Apparently I'll need to restock the wood pile sooner rather than later.

To be continued …

Smuttynose Steal the Glass Night

We went down to Capital Ale House Tuesday evening for dinner and the Smuttynose Brewing "Steal the Glass" event. They were featuring four beers this evening, Finestkind IPA, Big A IPA, Cluster's Last Stand IPA, and Tripel. Note, that's two American IPAs and a Double IPA in that list — I was in for some tough decisions.

Cluster's Last Stand is the result of a collaboration with Stone Brewing Company. The beer is described as a "post-Prohibition" IPA recreated from the Ballantine IPA recipe of the 1930's. That piqued my interest so my decision was made. Colleen opted for the Tripel.

Cluster's Last Stand & Tripel

Cluster's Last Stand has a nice malty aroma backed with floral and citrus hops. The flavor is well-balanced with an earthy,  slightly sweet malt base with pine and citrus hops in the forefront. There's a bit of bitterness that lingers in the finish, but overall it's clean with little hint of the 8.8% ABV. Simply put, I enjoyed this beer. A lot. It was also a fine accompaniment to the Gyro Burger with lamb, red onions, tomatoes, baby spinach, feta cheese and tzatziki on grilled flat bread. Once I finished my meal and drink, I was torn between enjoying another glass of the same, or trying another Smuttynose beer.

I eventually ordered a glass of the Finestkind IPA. The difference between the two beers couldn't have been more distinct. Finestkind IPA is focused on the bitter end of the spectrum. There is plenty of grapefruit zest and grassy bitterness in the flavors. The finish was dry with a lingering bitterness.

It was actually quite interesting to drink the two IPAs back to back to see the differences between two beers of technically the same "style." I am an admitted fan of the bitter, and Finestkind was a beer I've had in the past, so I had no complaints. That said, I did tell Colleen I'd like to get back for another glass of Cluster's Last Stand before that keg is kicked.

Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale

Last night we enjoyed a rare evening when we were not on the run for some school/sports/church/community event. Colleen and I actually had the opportunity to sit down after an early dinner and relax. Our son was out riding his bike so it was a good time for us to just sit and talk. I decide to break out the bottle of Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale from Smuttynose Brewery that I had purchased last Summer. Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale is part of the brewer's Big Beer Series. This is a bottle-conditioned special release Old Ale style beer. I had no idea on how long I should sit on it before opening or what to expect flavor-wise. However, I wasn't disappointed.

The beer poured a reddish-brown color with a moderate pale beige head. The aroma was bready malt with very faint chocolate notes, along with a bit of dark fruit. I found the flavor to be reminiscent of a standard English brown ale but a bit stronger. There was a nice caramel malt base. We also noted raisins, apple, and some chocolate flavors. Hop bitterness was mild. The mouthfeel was clean and creamy. In the brewer's notes, the brewer remarks that he felt the brown malt was overdone causing the chocolate brownie character to dominate, however I did not notice any unbalanced characteristics.

At 7% ABV the alcohol was not noticeable in the taste, and the beer went down very easily, and quickly. I lamented that I only had one bottle to open. It was an enjoyable addition to an enjoyable evening. The Really Old Brown Dog Ale is not listed in the tentative 2008 Big Beer Series lineup. If you come across a bottle from 2007 I suggest you grab it, I certainly would.