Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale - Christmas Mint
Cigar City Brewing

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From:
Cigar City Brewing
 
Florida, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 9.22%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 16, 2014
Added:
Dec 09, 2009
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bret27:
Photo of bret27
Reviewed by bret27 from California

3.9/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
750ml bottle generously shared by illidurit

S: mint and chocolate meld together

A; Medium brown and clear

T: chocolate and mints. Exactly like the little Andes thin mints actually. Spicy but not sharp or bitter. No etoh presence.

M: pretty water and thin.

D: Fairly drinkable. As far as a flavored brown ale would go I think this would be about as good as I could imagine.

Overall: It does not show any alcohol and is pretty tasty. Very unique and recommended to try at least once.
Jan 11, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by Bartos from Florida

Jan 16, 2014
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
First had: on tap at Cigar City, Tampa, FL

Listed as "Candy Cane Brown" or something, which I'm assuming is just an alias for this beer.

Dark brown pour, either murky or opaque, I don't quite remember, with a foamy, well-retaining beige head that left some doily lacing on the glass. Distinct mint-chocolate aroma, toasted oatmeal with a bit of raisin sweetness. Taste of dark malts, semi-sweet chocolate, crushed candy canes, toasted grains, distant earthy hop bitterness...though that could've just been the roast from the malts. Medium body, pretty smooth, nice flavor melding, quite enjoyable overall.
Dec 31, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by umopuew from Florida

Jan 11, 2012
Photo of ktrillionaire
Reviewed by ktrillionaire from Florida

4.84/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
A - It got mad swag, cuz that what Maduro do.

S - Like chocolate dutchies, cannonballed with creme de menthe.

T - Yo Santa, I can have this for breakfast xmas morning?

M/D - Seriously, this is one of my favorites. Chocolatey minty deliciousness; understated, sublimely balanced, decadently tantalizing, just totally delelctable.

I cannot even write seriously about this beer. *Its delicious*. Should be a two-word tick, cuz that covers it.
Feb 25, 2011
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to Jw347 for this extra in a recent trade. Shared at a birthday party, and served in a pint-shaped taster glass emblazoned with some sort of tequila brand on it.

A - A finger of ecru foam that dissipates rather quickly to a thick ring and some haziness. Nice lace is left behind throughout. A hazed semi-transparent body that is mostly orange-brown but with some ruby red highlights. Some obvious bubbles as well.

S - Mint, milk chocolate, earthiness, multi-grain bread, and cake. Not the biggest aroma - I really had to get my nose in there to tease out the different flavors.

T - The taste is fairly similar, with a good deal of mint, spices, chocolate malt, and sweet breadiness. Reminds me of Christmas cake mixed with thin mints, which I'm guessing was the point! I can also taste the oatmeal, which is unusual as it's usual more of a texture thing for me - still it was pleasant addition. There's a bit of a yeasty aftertaste that I didn't care for, but it was fairly mild.

M - Light-medium body, lower carbonation, no trace of alcohol warmth, and quite smooth. Very easy to drink.

D - Considering this is made with mint, a flavor I don't generally like all that much, it was quite enjoyable. The 32oz growler was split a number of ways, but I refilled my glass on more than a few occasions.

While it wrecks havoc on the Beer Advocate database, I do like the idea of making 5 gallon experimental batches from a solid base beer - if something works, you do it again, if it doesn't then no harm done. I also like the 32oz growlers, as they are much easier to trade and consume. If I'd gotten 64oz of this it would probably have been too much, but as it is it's a nice seasonal experiment that I'm sure mint-lovers will get off on.
Jan 19, 2010
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours out a clear, medium brown body with a foamy, lasting, light ecru-colored head.

Smell: Engaging choco-mint combo in the nose with supporting notes of roasted grains, mild coffee, and even some hot chocolate mix.

Taste: Chocolaty, roasty malts with an added bonus of blackened grains and plenty of deep earthy tones to it. Then, there's the mint, which, thankfully, is well blended into the taste. Phew! I'll admit, I feared the combination could be disastrous. Light bitterness which seems to come more from the roast than anything else. All in all, it's reminiscient of those lil' Andes Crème de Menthe candies.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Lightly creamy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Surprisingly good! For me, when it comes to beverages, a little mint can go a looong way. Fortunately, I found it to be 'just right'.
Jan 17, 2010
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

4.07/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Hand bottle shared by illidurit at a tasting. Thanks, David! Also huge thanks to my girlfriend, Tracy, for driving me an hour each way to this tasting and putting up with hours of beer talk while she had to stay sober.

Pours a somewhat cloudy dirt-brown color with minimal head and lacing.

Aroma is chocolate, herbal notes, spices, and lots of mint.

Flavor is chocolate and caramel, gingerbread cookies, and intense peppermint. Really tastes great.

Carbonation is low, possibly due to the packaging. Nice palate, medium bodied and very smooth.

Drinkability is really high. An interesting beer and another solid one from the king of brown ales, Cigar City.
Jan 11, 2010
Photo of illidurit
Reviewed by illidurit from California

3.92/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Handbottle courtesy gunhaver. Pours a dark amber-brown with no head. Aroma is dark chocolate (but not too dark) and peppermint. Flavor is tannic but not really astringent. Leafy tea influence, dark chocolate and dark bread crusts. Aftertaste like those chocolate peppermints you sometimes get at a restaurant. Interesting and tasty, drinkable.
Jan 09, 2010
Photo of tpd975
Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Served at NoHo Bistro Cigar City beer dinner.

A: Pours a nice nutty shade of brown with a cream colored head. Okay retention with some lace.

S: Nice notes of chocolate malt, coffee, and subtle mint.

T: Wonderful flavors of regular maduro up front. Chocolate, coffee with a nice roast. The mint comes through in the finish. It is a nice spearmint flavor. Tasty kind of reminds me of the girl scout mint patties.

M: Medium in body, pretty slick mouthfeel.

D: Very good, one I could sit back and sip on for hours. Love the use of the mint tea.
Dec 09, 2009
Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale - Christmas Mint from Cigar City Brewing
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 10 ratings