Jai Alai IPA - Cedar Aged (Humidor Series) - Cigar City Brewing

mfunk9786

Pennsylvania

2.1/5  rDev -48.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Had this beer out of a firkin at Capone's during Philly Beer Week.

Overheard someone at another table say "my first sip was horrible, but I guess I'm warming up to it." I guess I had the opposite experience, and so did my friend who ordered the same beer. Not sure if this beer is the same out of the bottle as it was on cask, but what we had was major league woodsy. And not woodsy in a good way. The beer was an appealingly cloudy orange, suggesting a Jai Alai with a dark secret. Some secrets are best left hidden. Upon sniffing this beer, the cedar that we'd been so charged up about was evident, but the wonderful tropical fruit notes that make Jai Alai so unique were still peeking through admirably. I was very excited to take a sip. Until I took one. I convinced myself that I needed another to truly appreciate this brew. And another. And another. It was just dreadful. Majorly medicinal wood character combined with a bone dry finish that left a minty herbal note in my breath, and I don't mean that in a good way. I wanted this gone. I haven't chugged a beer like I did Jai Alai Cedar Aged IPA since I needed to dispose of a warm Natural Light in college.

Serving type: cask

06-07-2011 05:20:23 | More by mfunk9786

katan

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep dark brown color. Bright white head, lots of lacing. Certainly opaque.

Lots of caramel and toffee. A light fresh cut wood scent. Hops are fairly hidden.

Starts with those malts married to a little woody note. Mid stream gains some caramel toffee and even vanilla. Smooth finish. Malt forward version of the IPA.

Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Somewhat sticky at times. Restrained carbonation.

Very complex ale. Hard to imagine it based on their IPA. Abv seems high but workable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2011 20:46:16 | More by katan

shand

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 32oz growler into a CCB snifter. My experience with this fresh from the source is substantially different from my bottled experience, thus the re-review (I tend not to review the same beer bottled and tap unless there's a noticeable difference between the two).

Pours a great hazy red color crested with a good two fingers of head that retains nicely. Absolutely huge chunks of lace make their way down the glass. There's quite a bit of apparent carbonation. The aroma is awesome, fresh zesty hops pair perfectly with the Spanish cedar. This has a lot more hop presence than the bottles I've had. The pungent hop strike sticks around for quite a bit until the second dimension comes into play - the Spanish cedar. This is a highly aromatic wood, and keeping my nose in the snifter after sipping brings the cedar much more forward. The cedar completely covers up the malts, which almost pushes the hops even more forward than in the base Jai Alai, with a very interesting backend. The cedar is much more prominent in the bottled brew I've had, this is surely more hop-forward. The aftertaste is a great spicy hop with just an bit of cedar.

The mouthfeel is nice, it's nice and sticky with a medium body and a fairly high amount of carbonation. The drinkability is absolutely exceptional. Overall, this is just a great beer. It's a great twist on the traditional IPA that any hop head should adore. I enjoyed this a lot more fresh from the source than bottled.

Serving type: growler

05-17-2011 01:33:54 | More by shand

wcintula

New York

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Certainly interesting, being aged on cedar. Pours like most any other Jai Alai with a smell of hops and faint cedar. As the brew warms up the cedar smell become not only more apparent but dominant. It helps bring out the citrus flavors and other bitters in the beer. It has a unique woodiness that I've never tasted before until this medium has come bearing the flavor. Cedar imparts its own bitterness as a very flavor altering aging ingredient. A must try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 23:23:29 | More by wcintula

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Growler thanks to fogdog. Poured into my duvel tulip.

A: deep golden orange, full two fingers of cream hued head, tons of sticky lace

S: holy cedar chips, This smells like a new set of dresser drawers that someone spilled a fresh IPA in. Once you get past the cedar the citrus fruits really shine. Unique for sure.

T: The cedar does not let up in the flavor. Nice mix of citrus and pine help to balance the cedar out. smooth malty finish.

M: Medium body moderate carbonation

D: Overall a strangely tasty IPA. Not something I could drink all the time but a refreshing change of pace for sure.

Serving type: growler

09-11-2010 02:19:58 | More by beerwolf77

REDBIKE22

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had this on tap at CCB earlier this evening...

medium orange pour, thick foamy head, average lacing. cedar adds an interesting twist. drinkable, smells of light citrus and black pepper...earthy taste. thoroughly enjoyable, but i prefer the jai alai...

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2010 02:14:38 | More by REDBIKE22

CampusCrew

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wow.. just had this again on cask and I had to reiew. What an intresting complex IPA!

appearance: amberish cloudy mess. not that appealing.

smell: heavy citrus and some nice cedar aroma meshed in.

taste: loaded IPA, almost double. decently balanced and loads of citrus, more the bitter ornage taste. cedar was present but not dominate. The cedar has a similar taste to hop flavor.

mouthfeel: medium bodied to full for an IPA

drinkability: overall a great beer and even better on cask

Serving type: cask

06-03-2010 22:53:23 | More by CampusCrew

jf60657

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Drank @ work off a cask.

Poured a cloudy yellow with a nice thick head into a standard 4oz tasting glass. Pretty murky for an IPA but thats not a problem. Head was about finger thick and receded quickly.

Nose was of fresh grapefruit and just a tiny bit of wood. I also got some sugary tones like melted watermelon jolly ranchers. If you take the wood out it smelled like every other big, citrusy IPA I've had as of late. There was a slight peaty smell as well.

Tasted it and BANG, HOPS! Pretty much a hoppy grapefruit spritzer mixed with a picket fence. I wanted the candy tones I smelled to come in and rescue this beer but it did not happen. Unbalanced and a little confused, this beer was interesting but by no means great. After a few sips it turned into a yawner. Hops, hops, hops. Yeah, I get it.

Mouthfeel was viscous and warm. A little oily and chewy.

I had 8 oz's of this and I was set. Did not want more

Serving type: cask

05-29-2010 19:39:26 | More by jf60657

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On-cask at Datz Deli, served with Sunday brunch.

A - It appears an iced tea hue, way cloudy (turbid), no head. On par with the cask norm.

S - Smells of humidor cedar, apple cinnamon, and black pepper.

T - Tastes of super humidor cedar, less black pepper than usual, lots of tobacco notes. Outstanding!

M - It appears still and does have a scant level of carbonation. And yet it works so well.

D - An amazing brew, this Humidor IPA; it is the soul of Tampa, fermented.

Serving type: cask

05-17-2010 16:57:24 | More by ktrillionaire

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fresh growler sent straight up from Florida, I cracked this puppy open on Saturday afternoon and watched Avatar and ate Pizza while I enjoyed it. Consumed on 04/24/2010.

Nice pour here, mellow amber in color with a nice head of white that caps it off quite well leaving some nice lacing down the sides of the glass. Aroma is citrus, mango, lots of cedar and tobacco notes. Very nice and complex. Smooth, very rich creamy feel really lets the flavor settle in very nicely. Rich notes of cedar dominate here but letting them breathe lets the hops come through and leave the mark. Rich follow though with hints of pine, light herbs, touch of grassy notes, but the wood and tobacco dominate here for sure. Really easy to drink, I would not have even guessed this was 7.5 percent to be honest. Easily polishd off the growler and was looking for more.

Overall I really liked this, it worked well for me, then again I really liked wood aged IPAs.

Serving type: growler

04-25-2010 01:32:37 | More by mikesgroove

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is one of the most unique cask beers I think I have had the chance to try. I had a 10oz half pint at cask temp.

A - The color is a murky hazed (due to lack of cask finings) color of apricot with smallish head of cream

S - The smell is a strange but pleasant blend of piney hops and cedary woodiness w/ a light fruit ester

M - The mouthfeel is intensely hopped upfront with a astringent/resinous cedar bark texture which leaves the palate dry - medium body, a bit on the thin side of 7.5%

T - The taste is good, but not great as the hops are sligthly overpowered by the cedar, there is a nice Ipa flavor with mild fruit and subtle citrus of the hops, but it seems like they just went overboard with the cedar to prove to you that this is Really REALLY a cedar beer and IPA second. I love the experimentation, but when in balance with the total beer in mind

D - I will sum up here with a good, but not great along the lines of the taste portion of the review. I could probably only handle a 1/2 pint to be honest. I like the way cedar smells and Jai Alai is a decent IPA, but the combination seems to detract slightly for me rather enhance the drinking experience -just my .02

Serving type: cask

03-25-2010 16:36:30 | More by Slatetank

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A cask offering at the General Sutter. Hot damn!

A: The IPA is unfiltered, looking like pulpy orange juice, only much darker, in my glass. The thickness renders thea le opaque. As with may cask offerings, there isn't much head.

S: The nose rocks. Sweetly bitter citrus rinds up front yield to white pepper at the end. I'm not sure what cedar aging adds, but the ale has a strong wooden scent that further accentuates the pepper.

T: The ale is a juxtaposition of flavors, sweet at first but quite hot at the end. The oranges stand out at first, sweet and juicy with a does of rind bitterness. The sweetness quickly transitions into a spicy pepper heat. The black and white peppercorns nip at the tongue with a bit of cayenne sharpness. The ale is very filling, as though the pulpy look adds heft to the body. A good dose of caramel malts serves as a foundation for the hops, which don't disappoint. Even on cask, this beer is hot.

M: The mouthfeel is sweet and spicy, zesty and full. I was down on Cigar City unti this beer. I really dig it.

D: Doesn't feel like almost 8%. The combination of orange and pepper is what makes the ale click.

Serving type: cask

03-14-2010 00:49:36 | More by akorsak

Billolick

New York

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cask offering at Rattle N hum in NYC. This unfiltered, barrell aged brew pours cloudy medium amber, lighter tan head, typical sheeting and lace. I get mostly grapefruit on the nose with maybe a glimmer of cedar in the rear. Soft on the tongue, with low carbonation, ample fruity hops, again with a healthy dose of grapefruit. Tasty hopped up IPA from the sunshine state. The cedar here was lost on me.

Serving type: cask

03-07-2010 14:38:25 | More by Billolick

brentk56

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy apricot nectar appearance; the creamy head leaves plenty of lace behind

Smell: Toffee malt and grapefruit pith; hints of cedar

Taste: Toffee malt flavors up front, joined by the cedar and followed with a blast of pithy grapefruit that arrives by mid-palate; after the swallow, the subtle cedar elements are detectable in the bitterness, though the beer is more about the fruity hops

Mouthfeel: Medium body with creamy carbonation

Drinkability: Don't know if I am the biggest fan of the cedar; it adds an interesting element and is definitely worth a try (Note - I liked it a lot better in the bottle than on cask.)

Serving type: cask

02-26-2010 20:33:18 | More by brentk56

illidurit

California

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler from the free table at Woodshop 5.0. Pours a clear orangey gold with a thin white head. Aroma is massively cedary with a big spruce/pine hoppiness as well as grass and citrus. Cigar City does not fuck around when it comes to cedar, according to this beer and Humidor Zhukov. If I was molested in a 100% cedar lumberyard and with every subsequent breath of my life I couldn't get that aroma out of my lungs, it would still be less intense than the cigar box battering received upon each inhalation and sip of Humidor beer. But anyway, the flavor has some unripe citrusy notes and the bitterness marries well with the woody dry finish. Rad.

Serving type: growler

02-23-2010 10:00:30 | More by illidurit

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On cask and also on tap at Cigar City takes NYC event at Rattle 'N' Hum. Great bitterness, with cedar and complexity. Had again on cask bringing out big aromas, graperuit and orange.
Taste was bolder on tap, with appropriate carbonation. A pioneer cedar, settting the bar.

Serving type: cask

02-21-2010 18:18:42 | More by northyorksammy

dudecandle

New York

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cask into shaker at Rattle n Hum Cigar City night:

A: Orange-mango, murky body with soapy off-white head

S: Mango, herbal hops, and apples

T: The mango remains the strongest flavor from the hops, but the herb is well represented. The apples really show up on the finish, giving the beer a nice progression from fruit to fruit. The cedar gives a pleasant dynamic, but nothing all-too-significant. Definitely some caramel sweetness going on throughout.

M: It was on cask, so it was a bit thin, but the long finish was very respectable.

D: Hops don't really pop, but there's a nice variety among them. It's pretty well-balanced, and I think the cedar really mellows it out.

Serving type: cask

02-18-2010 20:12:25 | More by dudecandle

tpd975

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Copper colored with pillowy cream colored head. Nice retention and lace.

S: Same great hoppiness of the standard Jai Alai. Lots of nice pine with intermingling grass and citrus. Strong notes of spicy cedar can be picked up as well. A real nice fruity aroma as well that reminds me of fruity pebbles.

T: Love how the cedar plays off the hops. If you had not had the regular Jai Alai you would think it is rye or a herbal hop. It's not its the cedar and boy does it work. Of course it is backed up by ample amounts of malt and lots of grass and citrus. The finish is bold and sweet. Nice orange with hints of pineapple. Really top notch, can't wait for the bottle release.

M: Medium in body, nice and smooth.

D: Very tasty, I love what the cedar does to this already tasty IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2009 20:01:04 | More by tpd975