Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale - Cigar City Brewing

heygeebee

Australia

2.3/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

From Warners

Hmmm, difficult to write a review of the worst gusher I have ever had, first time ever I have seen all head and no beer.

All in all a hybrid US/UK brown ale style, big and toffee driven, but when you can't actually get at the beer you are a supposed to be drinking and it takes a dozen pours to get the bottle into the glass, it's all irrelevant, isn't it?

Fail.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 08:44:57 | More by heygeebee

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.09/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

"Maduro Brown Ale is an all malt ale brewed in the Cigar City of Tampa. Maduro pairs well with hearty cuban foods such as Ropa Vieja and Boliche and it makes a fine accompaniment to a premium cigar." Bottle date is October 2011, and THREE is also printed on the label, perhaps a production number. Had a friend recommend I give this a year or so to age- this is the first beer from Cigar City that I've tried- looking forward to it.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served north of 47º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) An explosive pour yields a thick crispy chocolate cream head over a deep burgundy brown body with ample carbonation. Retention is quite nice- it takes quite some time and several repeated pours for this frothy beer to settle down without foaming over. The appearance is quite fantastic, indicative of a visually pleasing Brown ale. 4.5

(Smell) Aroma is sweet, roasty and creamy altogether. Medium roasted brown malts, creamy molasses, caramel and toffee build a complex, moist and sweet body. Hints of chocolate, coffee linger in the back. Bready, sweet malt character. A balancing bitterness comes from a nutty character. Very mild graininess doesn't upset the balance of this beer. Potency is medium+. 4

(Taste) Age has done quite fine by this beer. Upfront, sweet molasses malts, a pinch of smoke, some mild oaken tones, the sweetness is balanced by a matching grain character for a deep, complex malt body. The finish is accentuated by an earthy hop blend, perhaps tobacco leaf. Some mild booze is notable, but it doesn't distract much from the depth of this beer, only accentuating a mildly dry finish. This has quite an enjoyable and complex flavor for a Brown Ale. 4.25

(Mouthfeel) Buzzy carbonation. A subtle husky character and booze makes for a mild drying finish. Body is medium+ for the style and medium/heavy overall. Alcohol presence is mild/medium. For all the flavors this beer has, a slightly thicker body or creamier carbonation texture would push this over the edge. 3.5

(Overall) Wow- this was a great introduction to Cigar City for me. Even though it's over a year and a half old, this beer has maintained a great deal of complex malt character and depth, far more than most mainstream Brown Ales can dream to offer. The balance is quite nice, with a lot of specialty grain notes, caramel husk and semi-sweet chocolate building a strong body and a deep brown malt sweetness to pair. Possibly a good dessert beer choice or even a compliment to a cigar (I wouldn't know for certain), although I may think twice about waiting on it as long as I did, this may come off a bit cleaner given 6 months of age. Most certainly worth a try for those who haven't found a winner Brown Ale. 4

Cigar City Brewing's
Maduro Brown Ale
4.09/5.00

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 01:04:07 | More by Jadjunk

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle purchased from Slowbeer in Melbourne.

Pours a dark, cloudy brown colour, with a massively frothy head of large-inconsistent beige. It's pillowy, cloud-like and is going to be a pain to chew through. Body is quite light, and a little insipid. Holds little to no carbonation. Overall, it looks a little bit unappealing.

Chocolate and roast, with dark fruits on the nose. Some dusky cocoa, peanut brittle and some organic, earthy notes, like rich, loamy soil. There's a whiff of coffee in there as well, but it's well behind everything else. Overall, though. It smells pretty nice.

Taste is light and a little spritzy on the entry: this bottle seems to be a little too carbonated, meaning the flavours have to develop after the attack of fizz on the front. Once they come through, they're rather pleasant: mild roast coffee, rounded husky nuttiness, and a touch of that loaminess mingling with a slight English hop bitterness on the back. It's a little tannic more than crisp with hops as it finishes.

Feel suffers substantially from the carbonation, which is very much too heavy.

Overall, this is decent enough, but too carbonated: I'll try it again some time in a smoother form, where I'm sure it will be rather pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:04:03 | More by lacqueredmouse

olfolxholme

California

3.71/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle poured into Newcastle Geordie Schooner glass

A - Pours with a thin layer of head that dissipates quickly. A ring of bubbles lasts. Some lacing. Beer is a nice burnt copper color.

S - Wonderful aroma of vanilla and "cereal grain" malt character.

T - Very malt forward. Maybe a little on the husky side, but the darker malts push through. Heavy malt in the aftertaste. Some fruitiness, presumably from esters. A bit of a tanginess in the finish.

M - Nice and soft up front. Nice dryness in the aftertaste. Some oily coating, too. Enjoyable.

O - Glad I tried this. Thanks to hdelavega for this bottle. This is definitely more of a "malt" beer than I tend to prefer, but it still had great drinkability. Wouldn't be my go to beer, but I hope to have it again. I bet it would be GREAT with pub food and strong cheese. Oh man, is it lunchtime?

57

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 20:07:31 | More by olfolxholme

ADZA

Australia

3.56/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark sherry brown hue with a creamy one finger head and a rim of lacing,the smell is sherry,oak,chestnuts and a touch of chocolate,the mouthfeel is medium bodied with minimal carbonation and has tastes of chocolate,roasted nuts,tobacco,oak and finished with a toffee bittersweetness and overall it's easy to drink but could have a fuller feel cheers.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 11:50:42 | More by ADZA

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Lost Spring Break 2012 Beer Reviews-Chapter 6

Light tan head is densely bubbled, but breaks down to a film quickly. Dark brown ody with Coca-Cola highlights.

Aroma of roast coffee, cocoa, and oatmeal. Strong and inviting. Pleasing.

Taste follows nose. It's coffee, hen chocolate. Hops ride across the top with a solid bite at he swallow. Oatmeal at the finish.

Light mouthfeel, which is what keeps this a brown ale and not a hoppy porter.

A superior brown ale, recommended for both Florida vacations and home consumption.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 02:12:49 | More by RonfromJersey

sketchpunx

New York

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter. Huge rocky head bellows up, tanish white in color with super compact bubbles. Massive lacing. The beer is solid dark barely translucent deep brown.
The smell has a bunch of Orval/Rayon Vert style belgian yeast to it up front, rather unexpected but really nice! Caramel and molasses follow on the nose.
The taste is really nice. Lots of belgian yeast with subtle coffee caramel and vanilla notes but nothing overly sweet here. really balanced with a dry smack of hops that aren't at all in the front, but enable this beer to finish smooth and dry. Honestly at 5.5% i could enjoy this big tasting beer all day!
The mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin, but overall really well carbonated to my liking. maybe slightly chalky. While not distracting from my enjoyment of this beer,the feel might be it's weakest aspect.
Overall i think this is a great outside the box Brown ale. I would drink this again in a second and seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 07:01:10 | More by sketchpunx

themind

New Jersey

4.31/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Beer pours a very large head. Has a good aroma and good taste. The beers carbonation to me is a big plus, giving this brew a good mouth feel. This is the first Cigar City beer I have had and it does not disappoint. It is easy to see that Cigar City makes quality beer. I look forward to more variations of brew from them.

Bottom Line: I would buy this on a regular basis if it was available.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 23:44:52 | More by themind

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle thanks to CruisaC, thanks man. Soft brown color with a quickly disappating head. Aroma is ok, mostly malt and a touch of sugar. Flavor is about the same. Decent beer but nothing I'd go seeking out a second time. Still, I was thankful to get the opportunity to tick this.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 05:12:40 | More by ArrogantB

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

With the strong Tampa influence, Cigar City continues to brew contemporary-style ales but with a twist and a turn that harks to the culture of high quality and fresh tobacco. Maduro Brown Ale brings about the smooth earthy taste of well matured soft cigars with fragrant chocolate and toast and a super smooth texture.

Dark brown in color and with a light and fluffy head, the beer carries a very stout-like color, but has the viscosity and head character of something lighter. A fantastic long lasting ivory froth consists of loosely knit bubbles and endures the session well. Styrofoam lacing blankets the glass as the beer fades.

Aromas of toast and walnuts kick things off, but they do so with stern whiffs of dark chocolate, heavy toasted grain, burnt toffee, and a light blackberry-like twang. Where the brown ale doesn't seem as nutty or sweet as most English-style browns, it seems to favor a toastier and stronger American-type of version.

The char of heavily toasted breads lead right into the flavors. French roast coffee flavors stop just shy of espresso and allow a nuttier taste of strong walnuts and bittersweet chocolate to temper the dry almost-roast flavor. Its toffee flavors are also scorches as are the dry grain flavors that attempt to give richness to the taste. The light berry fruit notes are more subtle than the aromas suggest and hide deep behind the coffee bean taste.

The beer's remarkable dryness is evident early on as the strong carbonation carries the malts off into a finish even before the taste is completely understood. Its Belgian-like sprite exacerbates the texture of dryness and gives even more life to the toasty-roasty mouthfeel. Never ashy or astringent, the beer closes with medium warmth, soft powder, and fast fleeting malt richness.

Maduro Brown Ale is a surprisingly dry and effervescent dark ale that's focused in its toasty taste, aroma, and texture. Delicious and effortless on the palate- ideal for nutty parmesean slices or softer earthen cigars.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 05:44:35 | More by BEERchitect

Immortale25

Florida

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a Dogfish pint glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a see-through brown color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains a bit before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a mostly full sheet of surface foam. Light, spotty lacing.

S- Roasty chocolate, caramel and brown sugar. Kind of smells like a sugar daddy or Werther's tastes. Some faint vanilla and mocha.

T- Smooth and toasty with some mild hop bitterness. Not as sweet of a flavor as the aroma implies. Alcohol is extremely subdued. More subtle notes of chocolate and caramel. Semi-stale aftertaste.

M- Slick, borderline creamy with medium carbonation and a medium-full body.

O- Definitely not one of my favorites by CCB but it's, at least, a nice and sessionable brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 02:57:27 | More by Immortale25

birchstick

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a mahogany brown color with a nice white head on it

S - chocolaty macchiato with a bit of pecan nuttiness ascend from the glass into the nasal cavities

T - starts off with brown sugar sweetness with underlying tones of milk chocolate. These move on to more a nutty, roasted pecan slickness. A little bit of chocolate flavors sneak up on the back end, but the nuttiness and subtle roasted coffee notes see the rest of this beer through the palate.

M - full, slick, smooth - nice

D - overall this is a really nice brown ale from Cigar City. It has nice complexity and a really nice interplay between the different flavors. I would love to try some of the other variations of this beer, but just being able to try this base version makes me happy enough.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 22:54:26 | More by birchstick

williamjbauer

West Virginia

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

Bottled served in a pint glass, this is a pretty brown, clear, with red light throughout and 1 finger tan head with good retention, fluffy. Nice roasted malts on the nose, taste is sweet caramel and toffee malts on the front palate with espresso, tobacco, earthy hops on the middle, and very toasted peanuts or burnt bread at the back end. Moderate body, mod-low carbonation a bit thin/wet mouthfeel. A fantastic brown, has great drink-ability.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 20:49:02 | More by williamjbauer

starrdogg

District of Columbia

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer pours a dark reddish-brown with a thin off-white head. Smell is not quite what I'd expect from a brown ale, it's got that sweet caramel malt presence, but also a good amount of dark fruit like a Belgian dark ale, but not quite as well-integrated. Flavor incorporates that fruitiness from the aroma in a mellow way and combines it with some nuttiness and roasted malt - it's unique and fairly easy to drink. It's sweeter and less bitter than most brown ales. Mouthfeel is thin-medium bodied with nice carbonation, but a little too thin for the sytle. Overall, this is an interesting take on a brown ale that works fairly well. It's not a great beer, but it's certainly a good one.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 05:36:06 | More by starrdogg

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lightly chilled 12 oz. bottle into a shaker pint. No visible bottling date.

Look- Crystal clear deep red-brown with a finger of dense off-white head that settles fairly quickly. Sparse lacing.

Smell- Vanilla, woody, toasted biscuit, caramel, almost roasty. Light sweetness. Fresh-baked sourdough aroma adds something of an edge.

Taste- Lightly browned toast with chocolate-laced hazelnut spread. Vanilla, again a slightly woody feel. Mild dry leaf tea, balanced bitterness. Pretty clean finish, lingering whole-grain toast. I'm not generally a brown fan, but that's excellent.

Mouthfeel- Full for the style, silky on the swallow. Soft carbonation. An easy drinker, and not one I'd get bored of.

Overall- It's nice to see someone take a basic style and knock it out of the park. I don't typically seek out browns, but I will after stumbling upon this one. Absolutely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 07:36:08 | More by Lawl3ss

StJamesGate

New York

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

Rock solid lumpy whipped cream sepia head over disappoint dark amber with cherry highlights. Could be an IPA by the color.
Irish brown soda loaf, cherry stones and some toast on the nose but also acid sourness and, oddly, soap.
Cocoa powder, more brown bread and a coffee bean oiliness and a hint of tobacco leaf, then earthy but mild hops.
Carob finish and sour leafy linger. Medium edging towards light, tingly, some chew, a bit thin.

Dated March 2012 - are the hops gone after 6 months? Very much more on the English side of things – no citrus here and some interesting complexity. But too fizzy and a bit too… bitey.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 23:42:51 | More by StJamesGate

ckollias

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours an opaque brown hue with a 1-finger, off-white, fizzy head that quickly dissipates down the side of the glass leaving a decent trail and solid persistent lace.

S: Toasted malt aroma with hints of coffee and caramel.

T: Slightly sweet and tart flavor. Big toasted malt taste – with some mild chocolate, coffee, and caramel hints.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent brown ale – great balanced brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 00:49:23 | More by ckollias

barleywinefiend

Washington

2.45/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A: Poured brown with good carbonation leaving a nice off white/beige cap, with a 1/4 head leaving some bubbles and light lacing

S: A little on the mute side. Your typical toffee, caramel but that's about all folks.

T: Immediate toffee and light caramel sweetness with an odd and flat taste that starts after immediate taste and then finishes sordove blah..not much flavor, sordove muddy. There was an odd issue with this beer. See Mouthfeel. The finish was dry, light bitterness.

M: Sordove thin, perhaps a tad bit overbarbonated and this beer was leaving a gassy, bubbly type feel on the palate, like the beer was young or had some fermentation issues.

O: I did not finish this beer, five sips and I was done. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 15:38:52 | More by barleywinefiend

chanokokoro

Illinois

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

12 oz. bottle poured into a Cigar City Brewing shaker pint glass

Pours a deep darker brown amber topped with a two finger cream colored head. Biscuity and nutty on the nose. Opens with toffee, caramel, light chocolate maltiness, hints of espresso and biscuity yeast, and finishes with roasted nuts including hints of cashew, peanuts, and almond. Medium body, smooth, and a pleasant level of gentle carbonation. One of the better American brewed English Brown Ales. I had the pleasure of enjoying.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 18:47:10 | More by chanokokoro

Baguio

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served: bottle in Guinness style glass.
Nice Brown appearance with a splash of Red.
Smell is good dark chocolate with a touch of crunchy toffee and smokiness.
Taste: nice and complex with chocolate, toffee, hop and a linger of smoke.
Mouthfeel is good but perhaps a little thin for the taste.
Overall great from the bottle, I suspect Outstanding on draft the odd (in a good way) smokiness makes me crave a cigar, although I don't smoke cigars.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 19:53:57 | More by Baguio

macrosmatic

Florida

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

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a CCB pint glass.

A: Moderately dark burnished brown in color. I believe this is relatively clear but very dark and doesn't let much light through. Forms only a thin brown head despite an aggressive pour, and lacing is decent throughout the drink.

S: Some roasted malt, some sweetness, but also a flat cardboard aroma. Potentially from oxidation, but the beer is only about five months old.

T: Brown roasty malt, a bit of hoppy bitterness, and a bit of coffee.

M: Thin body, medium carbonation, no alcohol presence to speak of.

O: It's OK, but really doesn't do a lot for me. I wouldn't hesitate to order one if my options were limited at a bar, but I don't think I would seek it out. Not my favorite CCB brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 23:01:44 | More by macrosmatic

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

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

Obtained via trade from Mposha. Poured from a bottle into a Newcastle signature glass. The beer pours out a dark, fairly clear brown color with some orange highlights. The head is small and dissipates rather quickly, leaving a thin layer of lacing along the surface. The nose is mild and nutty, with notes of biscuits and toasted malt.

The beer has a nice firm mouthfeel, almost creamy, and a good medium to full body. According to Cigar City's website, this is ``a Northern English-style brown ale with some American affectations'', and they are not lying. The sweet toffee-like character of the toasted malt one expects on the front of the palate is immediately joined by a balancing, yet rather pronounced (for a brown ale) hop character, leaving one of the drier finishes I have encountered in a brown ale. The hop flavors, while not at all intense, are a bit overdone in my opinion. The lemony note they lend to the finish interferes with the complexity of the malt. Then again, this is a Northern English-style brown ale.

Overall, this is a very nice brown ale. I don't think it shows the malt complexity of the best Northern English brown ales (for example, Samuel Smith's Nut Brown), but the hop character must certainly appeal to a lot of American drinkers.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 18:12:44 | More by deadonhisfeet

rfbenavi80

Missouri

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

Thanks to miamimichael2 for the trade.
Bottle poured into a Nonic pint.

A- Pours a nice nutty brown color with 2 fingers of foamy tan to almost light brown colored head that leaves mild lacing on the glass.

S- Nice and toasty smelling. Hint's of chocolate and coffee, but just barely. Sweet toffee and caramel. Nutty, toasty malts.

T- Follows nose well. Lot's of toasty malts, sweet toffee and caramel, but not overly sweet though. Slight metallic taste. Some earthy flavored hops on the finish. Leaves a light roasted coffee aftertaste. Pretty taste brown ale.

M- Solid medium body, not overly carbonated at all. Seems spot on for style.

O- I enjoyed this one. Wish their beers were available where I live.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 10:03:29 | More by rfbenavi80

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Zappbranagan for the extra!!

A- A cloudy, murky medium brown body with a thin bubbly tan head.

S- Sweet toasted malt, a dash of piney hops, hazelnut, oats, sugary bread.

T- Nice sweet hazelnut brown ale taste in the beginning, with a malty body that has a bread/oat taste.

M- Pretty smooth, medium bodied, perfect carbonation.

O- Very solid brown ale, not too sweet, but great flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 23:09:10 | More by stephenjmoore

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Murky reddish-brown hue with a one finger tan head.

Aroma: Caramel malt presence. A touch of sweet coffee.

Taste: First thing I notice is a slight watery taste. However, it opens up a little more after the initial bit and approaches robustness as it goes down. There is a caramel fudge taste along with just a hint of black coffee bitterness on the end. Tastes a little murky, just like the appearance. There are some good flavors in there, they are just not being balanced correctly. Surprising amount of bitterness from the coffee-like malt in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: A little on the thin side but the oatmeal seems to be doing it's job as this is a decently smooth brew. Above average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: Definitely not the best Brown Ale out there. It would probably go well with a cigar as there isn't enough flavor here to really make it stand on its own.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 03:01:21 | More by JamesMN