Jai Alai IPA - White Oak - Cigar City Brewing

tectactoe

Michigan

3.61/5  rDev -14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Review #300. Seeing as how much the original Jai Alai took me by surprise, I was pretty stoked to try this one. Pours the color of copper pennies (as if there were other kinds of pennies) with a hazy, light-brown colored center. The eggshell-beige head lasts for a substantial amount of time and leaves some nice lacing along the glass. Aroma has a HUGE oak profile; woody, wet, dense, tiny hints of vanilla and tannin. I am actually picking up a whiskey aroma, much akin to Jack Daniels, possibly due to the heavy white oak. Some hop aromas are present; mild citrus, orange, pineapple - unfortunately pushed to the background by the heavy oak. I mean, I know it's a "white oak aged" beer, but it's almost a little TOO much.

The taste falls right in line, heavy white oak, whiskey, touches of vanilla, wet cardboard, and some light spice. The citrus from the hop is there in flavor, but certainly not in bitterness - but what do you expect from an aged IPA? Citrus peel, orange zest, pineapple, mango - the fruit jubilee is extremely mellow compared to the original Jai Alai, which was one of the things that made me so crazy about the original. This is partially due to the fact that the IPA has been aged and the hops therefore will lose some of their "oomph", but it's also not helping that the white oak is a little too overshadowing. It still has that bright and sweet flavor, and the malts add a little bit of bready sweetness, but overall it's pretty dull compared to the original. Medium bodied, carbonation is medium, a touch slick on the palate.

Not a bad beer - definitely interesting and unlink anything else, but honestly I'm kind of disappointed and was let down just a bit. Maybe it's because I was so emphatic about the original Jai Alai and I was expecting too much. The white oak would be a nice addition if it were toned down just a bit, but it's a little too strong, distracting from most of the other flavors in the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 03:58:40 | More by tectactoe

BeerGut4Life

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

06-18-2013 02:22:11 | More by BeerGut4Life

illy0sis

Texas

5/5  rDev +19%

06-17-2013 01:26:22 | More by illy0sis

Twoheartedzombie

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-16-2013 01:22:49 | More by Twoheartedzombie

SkiBum22

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-15-2013 13:19:27 | More by SkiBum22

nesarebad

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-15-2013 12:34:05 | More by nesarebad

Devi0us

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-15-2013 05:43:23 | More by Devi0us

TheCuriograph

New York

4/5  rDev -4.8%

06-14-2013 17:52:15 | More by TheCuriograph

Hopbrizio

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-12-2013 17:59:52 | More by Hopbrizio

dbc5

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-11-2013 02:20:11 | More by dbc5

Ryan_C

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

Appearance - A beautiful golden/amber color. Slightly hazy.

Smell - Wood. Hops. It's in your face and it smells amazing.

Taste - Very apparent notes of oak. There is a subdued note of vanilla from the oak barrel. As with the standard Jai Alai, the hop profile gives a very nice citrusy/floral taste.

Mouthfeel - Slightly creamy. This is likely due to the bottle being in my refrigerator for a few weeks, but nonetheless, it's amazing.

Overall - This beer is in a class of its' own as far as IPA's are concerned (I know, that's subjective). In my humble opinion, this is one of the most delicious IPA's out there if you can get your hands on it!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 20:23:58 | More by Ryan_C

TheRuss9585

Vermont

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

06-10-2013 17:27:16 | More by TheRuss9585

CameronMcDaniel

Mississippi

5/5  rDev +19%

06-09-2013 23:38:32 | More by CameronMcDaniel

Grant35

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

06-09-2013 05:51:26 | More by Grant35

Metalaero

New York

4/5  rDev -4.8%

06-08-2013 21:15:47 | More by Metalaero

Tyler1tiger

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

06-08-2013 01:54:48 | More by Tyler1tiger

savagepm

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

06-07-2013 23:27:14 | More by savagepm

BMart

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

06-07-2013 19:18:49 | More by BMart

bcm75

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

06-07-2013 01:53:57 | More by bcm75

ironchefmiyagi13

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

06-06-2013 01:36:51 | More by ironchefmiyagi13

pisano

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

06-05-2013 12:50:20 | More by pisano

thegoon55

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

06-04-2013 22:56:30 | More by thegoon55

FullObs

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

06-04-2013 22:54:39 | More by FullObs

Justin_Brown

California

4/5  rDev -4.8%

06-04-2013 22:47:01 | More by Justin_Brown

maddicts

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

06-04-2013 22:11:24 | More by maddicts