Jai Alai IPA - Cigar City Brewing

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Momar42 for the can! 12 oz can poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy golden copper color with a lot of sediment floating around. The head is a two finger white color. I love its thick texture, and how it leaves impressive lacing down the glass as it recedes.

S: Right off the bat, the nose is slammed with tons of grapefruit, mango, lychee, papaya, and guava. It's a bit catty as well, but the Simcoe hops used here give of an excellent tropical vibe. As it sits in the glass, the malt profile comes through more strongly, with notes of biscuit and caramel.

T: A moderate level of tropical fruit flavors appear on the palate initially. This is soon replaced by a midtaste and finish comprised of grapefruit peel, herbs, biscuit, and caramel maltiness. Simcoe comes across as a very 'sweet' hop to me, but these guys have done a great job extracting all the nuances out of the hops without any bitterness. I really like the hop complexity here. My only complaint is that it's a hair too sweet for me.

M: A bit on the heavy side for my tastes. Personally, I prefer a drier, lighter IPA (see: Troegs Perpetual IPA), but the wet finish manages to be lush rather than slimy. Some hop resins linger quite well without providing any bitterness. Personal preferences aside, this is how you execute the mouthfeel of a sweet IPA, plain and simple.

O: Damn this is really good. Despite all my nitpicks, I'm really loving this one. A fantastic choice for those who want an IPA without any unpleasant bitterness.

Serving type: can

01-27-2013 21:52:45 | More by ThisWangsChung

sblank

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-22-2013 15:52:28 | More by sblank

stooge

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-22-2013 05:39:20 | More by stooge

velcrogrip

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-22-2013 03:57:26 | More by velcrogrip

Hopsiam14

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-22-2013 03:20:56 | More by Hopsiam14

griffiam03

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-22-2013 02:03:22 | More by griffiam03

DanGeo

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-22-2013 00:35:00 | More by DanGeo

Claytonbrewsby

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-21-2013 23:47:38 | More by Claytonbrewsby

In_Control_Mike

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-21-2013 21:35:51 | More by In_Control_Mike

Andreias21

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-21-2013 16:59:18 | More by Andreias21

Pecan

California

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-21-2013 03:26:44 | More by Pecan

tehzachatak

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-21-2013 02:03:20 | More by tehzachatak

ironchefmiyagi13

New York

4.4/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Just got a shipment in from lets pour.com and they sent some freebees with my order. Canned on May 14th...doesn't get much fresher than that for someone way out in the boonies of Long Island.

This beer is definitely worth the hype. Great IPA nose with the classic hops resin, citrusy grapefruit and lime with a little pineapple coming through. What I like in my IPAs are a faint malt backbone. Not a huge fan of malty, sweet beers and this one is right in the middle. The sweetness comes in the form of fruit juice instead of malt. Very nice touch.

I still have 3 more cans to hoard and will definitely savor each and every one of them.

Serving type: can

05-20-2013 23:00:17 | More by ironchefmiyagi13

Mullen2525

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -28.7%

05-20-2013 17:42:23 | More by Mullen2525

duobob

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-20-2013 04:37:55 | More by duobob

thampel09

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%

05-20-2013 03:50:27 | More by thampel09

NJB145

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-20-2013 00:30:10 | More by NJB145

Listers

Illinois

5/5  rDev +18.8%

05-19-2013 22:39:31 | More by Listers

DinoFight

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-19-2013 20:57:57 | More by DinoFight

moonknight31

California

4.25/5  rDev +1%

05-19-2013 17:08:33 | More by moonknight31

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%

05-19-2013 01:51:06 | More by jakeox

clay23

New York

4.5/5  rDev +6.9%

05-19-2013 01:37:29 | More by clay23

teraflx

Arizona

4/5  rDev -5%

05-18-2013 20:16:32 | More by teraflx

beechner224

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a can into a standard pint glass. White head with enough foam, nice lacing as the glass was emptied. Color was light orange. Looks very good. Doesn't smell as strong as I remember. But whats there is very citrusy. Love the taste, but again, not as strong as I remember it being. Very balanced with citrus, grapefruit and orange. Mouthfeel is just a tiny bit syrupy. Overall, love this beer and it is my go to IPA.

Serving type: can

05-18-2013 19:43:18 | More by beechner224

chrisp450

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -5%

05-18-2013 03:53:26 | More by chrisp450