Jai Alai IPA - Cigar City Brewing

samyoung

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beers you find in the random bodegas...
I was heading back from dinner at a friends and stopped into a neighborhood store expecting to get a Sierra Nevada; instead I found a beer I have been wanting to try for months. Picked up a single for $2.39.

A - Cloudy, autumn haze; it looks fantastic.
S - Slight scent of hops, vanilla and citrus; really had to smell hard.
T - Vanilla, pine-cone and bitter oak.
M - Thick and sticky.
D - Very robust and complex; may be hard to have multiple.

I think this one may be an acquired taste. I really like the oak aging idea - it definitely shows in the beer. The vanilla-oaken undertones make this beer unique as far as IPAs are concerned. I want to try it on draft.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 03:30:31 | More by samyoung

chrisp450

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -4.8%

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

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

05-18-2013 03:12:08 | More by iHeartMNBeer

SSEngelbrecht

Louisiana

4.49/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a can into a standard pint glass.

White head, light foam, nice lacing as the glass was emptied. Color was typical light orange / golden.

Smell is dominated by herbal hops with a light citrus in the background.

The taste is on par with the best. Nice bitterness balanced by malt and tons of citrus, lemon, grapefruit and orange. There's an initial sweetness on the palate which rolls into a pleasant bitterness with great balance.

The mouthfeel is thicker than I expected with a syrupy body that is very pleasing, especially as the beer warms up a bit.

Overall, this is a winner and ranks up there with many of the greats.

Serving type: can

05-17-2013 23:40:25 | More by SSEngelbrecht

MPSTARR

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-17-2013 21:36:18 | More by MPSTARR

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

05-17-2013 16:17:26 | More by twenty5

tattoopunk031

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-17-2013 14:18:19 | More by tattoopunk031

jsmith6051

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-17-2013 14:15:51 | More by jsmith6051

olmane

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-17-2013 05:58:41 | More by olmane

bigfatflounder

Wyoming

5/5  rDev +19%

05-17-2013 03:40:43 | More by bigfatflounder

michaeljstraub

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

05-16-2013 19:49:59 | More by michaeljstraub

gdub

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.8%

05-16-2013 14:07:07 | More by gdub

Pelican5

California

4/5  rDev -4.8%

05-16-2013 07:23:24 | More by Pelican5

acc88

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

05-16-2013 07:13:37 | More by acc88

HeyOhhh

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-15-2013 22:25:06 | More by HeyOhhh

Beerdudenumberone

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-15-2013 20:27:29 | More by Beerdudenumberone

Wheelzie

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-15-2013 12:03:53 | More by Wheelzie

Lisicjm

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

05-15-2013 02:48:04 | More by Lisicjm

oldedog

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-14-2013 21:26:19 | More by oldedog

Ethan-UF

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-14-2013 18:56:59 | More by Ethan-UF

harpus

Alabama

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-14-2013 15:00:25 | More by harpus

aLenwell

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-14-2013 00:52:03 | More by aLenwell

johnsilk

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-13-2013 23:58:11 | More by johnsilk

Kelp

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -4.8%

05-13-2013 23:55:38 | More by Kelp

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-13-2013 16:26:59 | More by leftstagebrew