Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale - Cigar City Brewing

sjones5045

New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours dark brown with nice head. The smell doesn't really smell like a nut brown. Kind of doesn't smell much like anything I've had actually. Luckily the taste came through and was very good. Kind if heavy and thick with some chocolate notes coming through. Very smooth on the tough. Overall, I enjoyed it. Might not be world class but its definitely one that I enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 19:05:58 | More by sjones5045

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Total Wine in Tampa. From notes.

A - Poured nearly black with a one finger mocha head. Half finger of retention and good lace rings.

S - Odd aroma. Can't pin it down, but it's nice. Chocolate, nutty, toffee notes.

T - Chocolate, very much a double nut brown with lot's of chocolate, nuts, and toffee notes. Just an amped up brown ale.

M - Nice light carbonation. Full body and a dry tobacco-like finish.

O/D - Very much what they tried to put together, I think. A nice beer that was pretty drinkable for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 20:32:45 | More by tbeckett

Fux

France

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Short review from a fly at Cigar City.
The nose is rich, with notes of notes, chocolate and molasses. The palate mainly follows the nose but is sadly less expressive, a bit faint with not much length in it. The mouthfeel is smooth and silky but a bit thin.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 23:38:46 | More by Fux

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.89/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Portion of a 750ml bottle into a Hunahpu's snifter. From notes.

A: Pours a dark brown color. The head is...well, not really existent; it's just an offwhite-shade ring.

S: This has a lot of hazelnut, caramel, brown sugar, and even some chocolate. A good 'sweet' aroma.

T: There's a good nutty flavor to start. The midtaste and finish sees a minor appearance of balancing hops, caramel qualities, and some lighter fruits.

M: The body is medium, without too much sweetness or booziness. I could use a bit more creaminess, but that's nitpicking.

O: One of the better brown ales I've had - which is the same thing I said about Maduro, I do believe. The more I have from Cigar City, the more I think they really know what the hell they're doing down there in Florida.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 08:24:49 | More by ThisWangsChung

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.99/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cigar City Bolita Brown

Bomber split with my buddy Jeff. Thanks for bringing this back from Florida Jeffy... Poured into two CBS snifters. Served chilled...

A) Deep brown brew with a thin tan head, which quickly dissipated. No lacing to report.

S) Roasted malt, a good malt aroma. This has light toffee sweetness. A little earthy too. Better at room temperature.

T) Starts out a little sweet, nutty for sure. Light chocolate and roast. A little smoke as well. A nice malt presence in the flavor. Hint of hops for balance.

M) Medium body with light carbonation. Pretty soft mouthfeel. A nice smooth sipper.

O) This was a very nice higher octane Brown Ale. I could see myself reaching for this one on occasion if it were available here in Wisconsin. Glad to recommend....

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 13:36:21 | More by RoamingGnome

superspak

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 9/22/2012. Pours almost black dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of caramel, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, roasted malt, raisin, prune, light nuttiness, and earth; a bit of estery alcohol that reduces a bit as it warms. Pretty nice aromas with good malt complexity and balance. Taste of caramel, chocolate, toast, toffee, nuttiness, roasted malt, dark bread, molasses, light dark fruit, and light earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, toast, toffee, molasses, nuttiness, dark bread, light dark fruitiness, and light earthy spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and robustness of malt flavors; some slight estery off flavors, but not too bad; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good imperial brown ale. Huge robustness of flavor with good balance; and quite smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 05:34:25 | More by superspak

Lawl3ss

Texas

2.15/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 1.5

Chilled 25.4 oz bomber into a shaker pint. Bottled on Sept 22, 2012

Look- Deep ruby brown, Capped with two fingers of dense tan head that clings to the sides of the glass and falls slowly. Good lacing.

Smell- Faint cherry-almond, hint of vanilla. Toasty. Appealing, but faint. As it warms, there's a bit of a coppery twang.

Taste- Sharper than expected, cherry again, followed by a woody, almost smoky toast and biscuit. Moves on to overripe peach, caramel, and a strongly vegetal, tomato-like beefy flavor makes itself known. Finishes fairly clean, light marshmallow with a lingering beet/meaty/metallic something that's moderately to severely off-putting, some mineral character as well. Off-flavors grow stronger as it warms.

Mouthfeel- Slick, medium-full body, light carbonation. Hefty juice-like feel, a bit sticky. I didn't finish the pint, but it wasn't due to the heft.

Overall- There's definitely loads of malt here, but the all-around package is just... bad. I've never encountered DMS at this level in a bottled production brewery's product, but if I had to guess that's what this one is displaying. Quality control, please. This never should have even made it into the bottles.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 04:40:17 | More by Lawl3ss

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: A very dark brown, bubbly body. Light tan head that dissipates quick. Starts off thick maybe a finger's length but dries up just a little too soon.

Smell: Alcohol scent, paired with light chocolate feel and cant forget the toffee

Taste: Strong malt and toffee feel. Slightly nutty with a medium alcohol taste which I am really liking. I sometimes think molasses and brown sugar definitely played a role with the brewing of this concoction.

Mouth: Medium (almost heavy) and sticky.

Overall: A pretty good brew, definitely one of the better brown ales I've had. Crisp and strong with a sweet feel that still makes you appreciate quality. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 06:21:47 | More by BlurryVisi0n

portia99

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into a New Belgium globe. This is from an early batch that was known to be infected...took quite a while to be inspired to crack this knowing about the infection ahead of time, but had to give it a try.

A - Yep, definitely infected. A gusher from the bottle that never really calms down completely and steadily streams bubbles out of the bottle throughout the pour. Pours a muddy and murky brown in the glass with two fingers of tan foam with the characteristic infected loose, large bubbles that inevitably leave benind lots of sticky lace on the glass.

S - Tart and definitely infected. Some nuttiness makes it thru, but mostly just getting a tart/sour infected aroma.

T - Touch of infected tartness. Nutty and toasty, earthy and roasty with some light caramel underneath the infection. Actually fairly enjoyable still.

M - A bit foamy with a higher level carbonation consistent with the infection.

O - Definitely infected but actually still pretty decent - just different than intended, a bit of a twang on the tongue...but some smokey and roasty and earthy malt still comes thru. A bit dry overall from the infection.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 16:28:25 | More by portia99

KajII

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

[Suggested Glassware: Dimpled Mug]

The pour was a clear dark brown with an average (1-2 finger) tan frothy head that lasted throughout, reducing slightly down to a medium cap and possessed excellent sheets of lacing.

The aroma was mildly sweet with a toasted dark malt and a sweet doughy yeast and had notes of chocolate, coffee, toffee and a pronounced hazelnut presence.

The taste was moderately sweet and extremely malty with notes of toffee and chocolate from the start, and then became just a tad bitter with a decent note of coffee and a nice smooth nutty alcohol finish. The flavor hung on for a good long time following the swallow, with a really tasty mocha coffee flavor left to linger on.

Mouthfeel was medium in body with a dry, creamy texture and a mild carbonation.

Overall this is one of the better Brown Ale's I have tasted to date (and I've tasted quite a few). It has tons of flavor and a smooth drinkability, which did a great job of subduing the high ABV. If you ever get a chance to try this one PLEASE do so, you will not be disappointed...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 14:57:16 | More by KajII

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Man, what a solid beer. Pours from the 750ml bottle into a proper Newcastle Imperial pint glass. Pours a very dark, chocolate brown and is topped with a frothy, cuban-coffee like, espresso colored head. Quite nice looking. Brown ales arent exactly the most exciting style of beer.

Aroma is loaded with breadiness, caramel, toasty bread, absolutely wonderful. Toss in some coffee, licorice, some earthy hops, and you have the making of a great brown ale.

Solid flavors that echo the aromas. Full of coffee and toffee as well as toasty bread, sweet brown sugar, alcohol. Tobacco and dark fruits round out the complex flavor profile.

This a truly outstanding beer for the style. I am not generally a fan of the style but this one circumvents all preconceptions of the style. Absolutely loved this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 22:54:26 | More by SaCkErZ9

merc7186

New York

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber into snifter.

A: Dark Brown Hue, Passes Mild Light, Brown Head, Some Lacing

S: Nutty, Dark Sweet Malts

T: Sweet Malts, Peanut Shells

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Nutty, Mildly Sweet

Overall, a nice nut brown but the aftertaste tasted like peanut shells...weird.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 04:12:48 | More by merc7186

GallowsThief

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cant believe I haven’t reviewed this yet but here goes...poured out of a 750 ml bottle into my tulip.

A – Pours out a nice deep brown with two fingers of cola brown head. Head stays around and leaves a nice lacing all down the glass.

S – Chocolate, toffee, roasted malt and molasses all here. Touch sweet in the nose with a little smoke.

T – Always like the roasted flavor I get from this brew up front. Followed by a nice subtle sweet chocolate flavor. Has some great nutty quality with a bit of molasses. Just a touch of bitterness at the end with a nice warming alcohol feel.

M – Medium carbonation with medium body that leaves a nice slick feel.

O – One of my favorites here. Never disappoints and is a fairly complex brew. Tastey all day long but works well with desserts. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 23:15:49 | More by GallowsThief

beergod1

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted nuts, light roasted malt, caramel malt, and light fruitiness. Flavor has a nice smokey/oaky edge with roasted nuts, roasted malt, and maybe a touch of coffee. I like the smoked aspect of this beer, very tasty! Robust palate and creamy too.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:14:36 | More by beergod1

Danny1217

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown with a nice tan head. Good lacing and retention.
Smells Very nutty. Some caramel and vanilla. Alcohol isn't completely hidden, and certainly reminds you that this is a strong beer.
Smooth and nutty. A lot of toffee, peanut, and caramel flavors. Rather sweet. Bit of alcohol at the finish. Medium carbonation and a bit more than medium bodied.

Not my favorite offering from CCB, but still very good. A bit like a stronger version of Maduro with more of a roasted peanut taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 05:11:13 | More by Danny1217

lovindahops

New York

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The first cold, rainy summer I can remember this summer of 2012 calls for a cigar city bolita. I am very excited to try this

A- a completely opaque body with layers of mocha foam enrobing the glass. The layers of foam are almost in 3d as they burst off the glass

S- what a variety of scent that starts with a nutty chocolate and toffee scent. Some wood and even a bit of sour scent is present that really makes for an interesting combination. Not to mention there is no alcohol scent in this at all

T- all the toffee, chocolate, and sour flavors mesh into a dark and tasty treat. The wood theme shows up and literally positions the brew for a toasted nut flavor on the exit. What a combination of flavor

M- so creamy and carbonated at the same time... All the while the flavor is coating the palate with all these unique flavors in unison

O- bolita may be the best brown ale I have ever tasted. The presence of sour flavor compliments all the extensive flavors in this brew. I need cigar city to come to syracuse asap!!!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 03:18:23 | More by lovindahops

bbeane

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Poured into an oversized snifter... starts with a big fluffy head with nice retention and a fair amount of lacing. Beer is dark brown in color with the tiniest bit of light coming through when held up to the ceiling

S- Malty, with notes of chocolate coming through. Bit of alcohol present as well

T- Pretty much tastes as the nose leads on... bit of sweet malts to start followed by some notes of chocolate and light bitterness. Chocolate becomes much more pronounced as the beer warms

M- Medium bodied with light carbonation

O- Definitely not the best Cigar City offering available, but decent. The beer gets better as it warms and the chocolate notes become more prominant, but the beer still lacks something IMO

CHEERS!!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 00:17:21 | More by bbeane

birchstick

Missouri

3.2/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to SamuelJackson45 for sending this one my way a while ago!

A - pours a dark brown, almost black, with a taupe head that forms a small rim around the glass

S - smells has a lot of sour notes with some caramel malt notes and a touch of hazelnut

T - taste starts off with some sour notes that move to tones of caramel malt, hazelnut, and a touch of coffee. Pretty decent brown ale, but the weird sour notes dominate.

M - creamy and full, pretty solid

D - pretty decent double brown. I wish the weird flavors weren't present because I could tell what was under them was a really nice brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 02:25:11 | More by birchstick

JohnQVD

New York

4.04/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Dark brown with a thick, foamy head that slowly recedes leaving light lacing on the glass. Smell is toffee and chocolate. Taste is nutty and chocolately with some carbonic bite and a raisiny finish. Feel is medium bodied with light carbonation. This is a nice sipper that's heavy, but not too boozy. It could stand to be a bit heavier-bodied to match the taste, but overall this is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 14:57:26 | More by JohnQVD

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

750 mL bottle.

Pours a dark cola brown with a ruby hue against light; mostly clear. Massive rocky, foamy light tan head that dissipates slowly with soapy lacing. Slightly tart, fruity nose lurks under the robust brown ale notes; molasses, peanut, brown sugar and ash. Syrupy thick body, highly carbonated and fizzy. Much more berry fruit in the flavor and tartness in the finish. I assume there is a nice imperial brown ale hiding here, I get some milk chocolate, brown sugar and peanuts in the flavor, but the infection ruins it.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 00:55:36 | More by yourefragile

Thickfreakness

New York

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In person trade with BrewCrew2010

A- Pours the darkest, deepest brown with a dark tan three finger head that takes it's time fading away, and leaves a load of bubbly lacing.

S- Nutty toffee, cinnamon, dark belgian chocolate, touches of vanilla and oak. Some brown sugar and oatmeal/raisin cookie Hints of dark fruits and alcohol.

T- Figs soaked in rum, dark chocolate, vanilla and molasses. Sour and bitter fruits. Definately some cinnamon, nutmeg kind of spice thing happening here. Has a decent amount of alcohol bite. Some lingering sweetness with some charred wood flavors.

M- Nice blend of bitter, sweet and burnt malts. Medium thick with a nice chewiness on the tongue. Not much in the way of carbonation, leaves the tongue coated nicely with sweet and alcohol.

O- Wish this was available to me in NY. A fantastic take on the classic English Brown Ale. Big alcohol bite, wonderful warming cocoa and charred wood and spice. Really nice creaminess with a surprising hoppy punch.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 01:42:19 | More by Thickfreakness

warnerry

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

purchased June 2011, no bottle date

A - Pours a deep brown with almost two fingers of dense, creamy tan head. Head has very good retention and leaves quite a bit of lacing behind.

S - Initial aroma of brown sugar and toffee. Very malty, with a bit of bread, some lightly roasted malts, hints of wood, and a faint cola aroma.

T - Taste is similar to smell, initially sweet with brown sugar and toffee, but gradually revealing a bit of cocoa, bread, a nice nuttiness and toasted malt.

M - Medium/full mouthfeel is incredibly creamy. Definitely coats the palate, but not overly heavy.

O - A little on the sweet side, but hat seems to work really well for this beer. Still has elements of a traditional brown ale, just amped up a bit

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 01:46:34 | More by warnerry

vande

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a - a nice, deep, dark brown pour with thick, frothy head that quickly leaves a slight lingering after lace...

s - toffee, carmel, vanilla, sugar and molasses...

t - very enjoyable brown ale...a nice blend of brown sugar, nutty characteristics with dashes of vanilla and toffee... quite tasty

m - medium bodied, smooth drinking double brown...easy to pour, easy to enjoy...

o - very pleasurable

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 04:51:49 | More by vande

BrownNut

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Nearly black on first view, it's a deep, beautiful ruby when held up to the light. Thick foamy head that endures. Permanent lacing and plenty of it.

S - Malt and yeast. Something else like a dusty savory spice. Just a faint whisper of booze. Something faintly fruity on first pour while the head is full.

T - Nice layers of flavor. Initially toasty malt and chewy caramel and a sweet cocoa in the middle of the tongue, more syrupy lower down in the glass. A slight sweet/sourness then develops at the tip of the tongue that is almost lemon citrusy and almost metallic but not quite either, which is neat. It teases and makes you feel it just a bit back in the spit glands and salivate a little. It leaves you with sweet lips. And then on the exhale, in the aftertaste in the back of the mouth, there is a bit of mocha and dry tobacco leaf. Maybe even just a hint of smoke. I didn't think the brewery name had a literal implication but maybe so.

M - Nicely chewy but with just enough carbonation prickle to notice it.

O - What a treat. It's mild like most browns yet has several subtly interesting and pleasant things going on. Nice gentle buzz. Really a great beer. They say it would pair well with a cigar and they're right. I've never heard of a double brown but I'm so on board with the idea now. Turns out it's exactly what I wanted. This brewery continues to impress.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 00:26:17 | More by BrownNut

cwguy5

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

reviewed from notes taken on 9.16.11. thanks to JackTheBear for sharing this one!

A - very dark brown color with a very thick, tan head that left heavy lacing on glass

S - what smell? faint smell of... beer? glass smelled sweet and mildly nutty after i finished the beer

T - sweet and nutty! smooth nut flavors with some bitter notes similar to nutshell; some brown sugar and dark chocolate

M - super fine carbonation; thick bodied with a bitter, coating mouthfeel; short, mildly drying finish

O - fine tasting beer if you like sweet ones; for me, the drinkability suffers a bit due to the thick, sweet body; really nice nut flavors come through sweet base

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 07:27:42 | More by cwguy5