Jai Alai IPA - White Oak - Cigar City Brewing

richkrull

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +19%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured a very cloudy darker orange color with some beige head and pretty good lacing.

Smell is very hoppy with some citrus coming throw.

Taste is fantastic, hoppy throughout with some malt undertones.

Mouthfeel is mediu. This beer went down very smooth.

Overall I really enjoyed it. I would love to drink this beer on a regular basis. Really love this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 00:59:44 | More by richkrull

ccastro

Illinois

5/5  rDev +19%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Delicious! Great beer, highly recommended. From a 12oz bottle pours with a perfect head into my vintage mushroom glass, no sediment perfect appearance. Aromas are citrusy hops, fresh malt, vanilla oak. Mouthfeel is creamy, delicous flavors jump out alternating hops, malt, and wood. What a deliciously balanced, perfectly executed beer. Will gladly pick up several 4pks of this beauty. Will be staggering if I can find any draft. Great job boys!

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 00:36:37 | More by ccastro

JebediahScooter

North Carolina

4.97/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First beer review, here it goes.

Poured out of a bottle into a DFH Signature glass on 12/3/10. 3 White Oak Jai Alai's were part of a lovely birthday mixed six pack--which also included my first PtE, a Founders' Devil Dancer, and a Burton Baton--from my good friend and brahim Moses Mendoza.

Hazy orange/copper hue with a fluffy, pillowy tan two-finger head that subsides to a nice crown with decent lacing. This beer is murky and colorful.

The smell really stands out as absolutely unique. Tropical fruits dominated by mango and coconut are the predominant. Vanilla, wood, and citrusy hops are in there, though more subtle. I've really never smelled a beer like this before, and I didn't expect it to smell like this. It's almost like a hoppy Pina Colada.

The strong bitter hop presence kicks off the first sip, fairly aggressive and similar to the regular Jai Alai. The beer departs from the original version as the bitterness mellows out through the sip into more of the tropical fruit, again dominated by mango and coconut. It's quite different than other IPAs dominated by the citrusy/grapefruit hops like Sculpin, Racer 5, Maharaja, etc, and it's a nice change of pace for an IPA. The vanilla is there, and the wood comes through subtly. It's not overpowering like some other wood aged stuff I've had recently.

Mouthfeel is the perfect balance between a good amount of carbonation up front and a smooth velvety finish. This is how beer should feel when it's all up in your face.

I could drink a 6-pack of these...the fruity flavors just mellow out that heavy hop bitterness of the regular Jai Alai so nicely. This is an extremely unique offering, one that should not be missed if you have an opportunity to lay your hands on some. This is a flat out fantastic beer that's true strength lies in the fact that you've never tasted anything quite like it. It surprises you, pleasantly.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 01:50:21 | More by JebediahScooter

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.95/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The beer has been tweaked since my initial review. The oak has been dialed back a bit, and the result is nothing short of phenomenal. I already expect a lot from CCB, but they have exceeded all that with this offering.

The change is in the aroma, taste, and feel, and thereby drinkability. The appearance remains the same.

The nose is so complex; notes of coconut, anise, boozy barrel, vanilla and absolute fabulousness emanate prodigiously. To be clear, this is not barrel-aged, nor touched by any spirit liquor, but many of its characteristics mimic fine BA traits.

The feel is velvety-rich and ultra-luxurious. So nice.

The taste is fantastic; the base IPA has been beautifully transformed resulting in strong vanilla, coconut and anise flavors. I am thinking of Sambuca, buttery Coconut Rum, vanilla Cognac- and Bourbon-like impressions; I am also strangely reminded of Nemesis 2009 and Backwoods Bastard, like this is their flavor-cousin. And yet there is still a very aggressive bitterness that should be expected from an IPA; the total balance of the brew is outstanding.

CCB! You've done it again!!!

Serving type: growler

07-01-2010 19:21:25 | More by ktrillionaire

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Out of the bottle this pours a cloudy tangerine color with a great off-white head. The head retains nicely and leaves a variable web of lacing down the sides of the glass.

Smell: Perfect. The white oak really comes through nicely. White oak, pineapple, white grapefruit, tangerine, orange blossoms, and some sweet pale and caramel malt in the background.

Taste: Sweet honey and pale malt up front sets the table for the hops. Juicy pineapple, grapefruit, and tangerine flavors burst onto my palate. The white oak really helps to smooth all of the flavors out.

Mouthfeel: White Oak Jai Alai shares the mouthfeel characteristics with its base beer. Smooth and creamy, even buttery, it is very juicy up front and gradually dries out toward the end. A light stickiness is present throughout and lingers after the finish. The hoppy bitterness pulls on the taste buds a little bit.

Drinkability: I absolutely loved the effect the White Oak had on the original beer. It added new depth and a flavor profile I am not really familiar with. Maybe the novelty will wear off after trying it a few more times, but for right now, this is one of my favorite IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 18:18:11 | More by KickInTheChalice

Triples

Florida

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer has just become my new favorite after a half last night and a full bottle tonight. Paired with a peppery, herby baked tilapia it was fine, fine, fine.

It poured with pale head and an amber body and left a trail of lace. The aroma was a pleasant mix of hops and woody oakiness. This has to be the best balanced IPA I've ever had. A wonderfully drinkable beer. The complex flavours continue to surprise and delight down to the last smooth drop.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 00:42:57 | More by Triples

lnashsig

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Many thanks to BPreston for the chance to try this one. CCB doesn't dissapoint here- another solid gold beer.

Poured into my Dfh snifter- nearly opaque dark orange color with crazy head that fills to the top of the glass, and stays around forever. Crazy great retention. 2 feet away I can smell the coconut grapefruit scent coming off this bottle- major tropic fruit scents. Taste- blood orange fruit, coconut, lemon citrus, breads malt flavor. Wow! The tropical sour flavors hit the back of the palate last, minutes after the taste. I can still smell the coconut scent.

Mouthfeel- creamy smooth mouthfeel, this gets better and better.

Drinkability- only issue here is to keep myself from drinking this all day every day.

I'll say it....this is the best IPA I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 03:18:16 | More by lnashsig

CampusCrew

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: golden amberish with a solid head retention

smell: very bold and assertive hop presence. pine and citrus, some vanilla

taste: the wood toned the bitterness and citrus down. pretty smooth and interesting flavor. some interesting tropical flavors like toasted coconut and pineapple.

mouthfeel: medium bodied to full bodied IPA,

drinkability: a wow beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 23:37:25 | More by CampusCrew

dcs1548

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Little foam, hazy orange color and strong smell of sweet tropical fruit, pineapple some kiwi. Excellent taste of tropical fruit, pineapple, kiwi. A Fairly hoppy and extremely tasty beer. Very enjoyable. A slight bit of a pleasant oak taste is also evident. This beer more than lived up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 18:57:19 | More by dcs1548

BrewCrew2010

New York

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a brillantly clear amber body that tends to be more on the red spectrum. The head is massive with a rocky texture that is very long lasting and leaves behind some lace.

S: This one has a big nose. A great IPA aroma of citrus hops, tropical fruits (pinapple & mango for sure), vanilla (definitely picking up the oak), and a hint of malt. I wish this was a candle I could burn in my house.

T: An explosion of flavor on the palate. A sweet malty upfront followed by a hoppy bitterness- tropical fruit and citrus. Finishes dry, oaky, and bitter, but overall, very well balanced!

M: Creamy (almost oily) texture, medium body, & light carbonation.

D: Another great one from CCB. If you can get your hands on this while it's fresh, do so ASAP. Could drink a ton of these in one sitting. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 01:25:11 | More by BrewCrew2010

godfathermg57

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a CCB snifter

A: Hazy amber, very similar to original Jai Alai

S: Oak, orange, pineapple, grapefruit, flowers, basically a tropical forest hop bomb.

T: Glorious taste. The white oak takes the original Jai Alai IPA and injects a burst of tropical paradise and a shot of vanilla. The oak seemingly has brought the fruit flavors to the forefront but in a way that perfectly compliments the other flavors.

M: Once again similar to Jai Alai. Definitely some body to it and not thin.

D: Very drinkable. I wish this were available all year round because this would be my IPA of choice.

Out of all the Jai Alai versions I've had, this is my favorite and is one of the finer IPA's I've had. Goes great with the Florida weather.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 19:29:17 | More by godfathermg57

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my over sized Founder's snifter.

Liquid is a cloudy amber with a fingers width of off white head. I let it settle a bit before I sniff. A good amount of lacing helplessly clings to my glass. Pleasant smelling. Tropical foot with a wood kick. A huge whiff of stone fruit that is quickly beaten down by a cedar stick. Quite interesting. Wood dominates my palate. Stone fruit slowly follows. The caramel of the malt is in there but the supporting role is very small. A nice hop bite rounds out the sip. The aftertaste is so damn satisfying I pause long in between sips. The carbonation is dialed right in.

If I had more there would be a pile of bottles next to my kitchen sink. This is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 01:26:30 | More by TheDudeRules

UTCengOwl

Texas

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at CCB. Definitely my favorite thing I had there... and I was a big fan of the Humidor IPA from a previous tasting, too. Just plain interesting. Where can I get some White Oak? Served in a shaker pint glass.

The beer has a creamy, inviting foamy head that just opens my eyes and waters my mouth. Heck yes. You can tell they put a lot of effort into clean glassware here... and since I'm getting it at the brewery, I feel like I can include that in the beer's score. The body itself is a slightly hazy, standard IPA. However, the head alone merits the 4.5.

The IPA was fruity as all get go... and that's how I love my IPAs. They said it was made with a blend of hops and dry hopped with Simcoe. Every one of them added to the smell and taste. It was a veritable mixture of fruits and succulent flavors. The oak itself provides a different kind of fruit flavor. This stuff is addictive and I keep loving every extra sip. In addition to the wonderful flavor, the mouthfeel is solid, but not mindblowing. This isn't exactly a Live Oak beer or anything... but it will do the job.

CCB's experimentation provides some hits and misses, but this hits all over the place. This may be my favorite standard IPA I've had and I'd jump at the chance to have it on tap again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2011 18:29:27 | More by UTCengOwl

Lefty1881

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Amazing IPA here

Appearance is a nice golden, hazy color, with eggshell colored head, and light carbonation.

The smell of a big ripe fruity burst hits you immediately, with a small alcohol burn, and finishing with a big lasting pine scent. Really enjoyable

Tastes hits the front of the mouth with a ton of fruity, almost pineapple and mango taste - then bitterness hits the back of the tongue , and finally a big juicy bitter finish. Amazing. A little heat from the 7.5 alcohol, but blends perfectly with the sweet tastes - and only gets better while it warms up.

Overall - My favorite IPA by Cigar City.. Their Papaya IPA doesn't even have this immense of a fruity taste. This is right up there with Hopslam. I love it !

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2011 22:32:42 | More by Lefty1881

BWarrington

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2013 March release batch. I have not been able to get regular Jai Alai for months but Cigar City threw a bone to South Florida and sent some cases of the oaked stuff down.

A- Dark cloudy gold with tons of sediment

S- Floral and oak

T- Delicious soft grapefruit, with wonderful tones of oak and vanilla

M- Nice carbonation for an IPA and has a long finish which is nice and smooth.

At first I thought I had been lucky and received the bottom of the barrel due to the amount of haziness and sediment but however reading the recent posts I have concluded that this batch had more morsels of goodness then in the past. I guess if the trade off is no reg Jai Alai and they send this stuff down every quarter or so, I would not complain.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 03:25:19 | More by BWarrington

arambler

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to heatwave33 for the trade.

This one poured a milky golden hue that was a little difficult to see through. It had a slightly creamy mouth feel, reminiscent of a Belgian golden ale, but with a slight hop bite that was refreshing. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and could see myself drinking many more if it were distributed up towards Chicago.

Bravo to Cigar City for brewing such a complex brew that is available year round.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 03:11:56 | More by arambler

Lare453

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap into a ccb pint glass

A golden, hazy, nice thick white head, light lacing, head dissipates at a medium pace into a nice white crown

S wow! Coconut, vanilla, sweet hops, light citrus. Amazing!

T the best thing ever! Heavy coconut, vanilla beginning and middle, almost tropical hop and citrus ending. The after taste is mellow and smooth coconut milk.

M smooth as silk. light, good carbonation, fun.

O in my top 3 ipas of all time.,, this beer is delicious, if you have the opportunity get it and get a lot of out. Highly recommended by me, not that it matters, but wow, it is great

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2012 04:20:41 | More by Lare453

GameFreac

Georgia

4.65/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the brewery and loved it so I got a 4 pack.

Appearance: Pours a murky orange color with floaties.

Smell: Smells of hops citrus and oak.

Taste - Tastes like the regular Jai Alai with an oaky twang - hard to describe but a very nice flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel.

Overall: Overall, really good. One of the best and most interesting IPAs I've ever had.

EDIT: After my 4th bottle, this is in my top 5 IPAs. Absolutely delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 06:06:45 | More by GameFreac

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

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.64/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

wow, this is one of the best beers ive ever had! it pours a deep copper color with good carbonation amounting to a few fingers of lasting white head. the nose is incredible. pine hops in full swing, but with some oaky and bourbon style vanilla essences giving a refined sweetness and earthen profile to an already outstanding ipa. the oak adds a lot of flavor too, with vanilla being the most evident contribution. its there through the whole drink, and really softens up some of the bitterness from the regular jai alai, without depleting the intensity of the hops at all. the malt is sturdy enough to support all this complexity, and the carbonation is mellow but just right. the alcohol is also very well disguised, and I could happily (and drunkenly) consume five or eight of these no problem. this beer is in many ways everything I stand for in beer, its artfully made, its super sessionable, is complex and hoppy, and its entirely unique. one of the more memorable beers out there, and one I would love to acquire more of. not sure ive had a wooded beer that I like more, no kidding. this is an A+

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 16:24:32 | More by StonedTrippin

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.63/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had a sample of this on tap at the brewery, but I'm reviewing the bottled version.

A: Splotchy, cloudy orange, with a nice finger or so head that continued to stick to the glass even as I siphoned down the liquid.

S: Weird how the oak makes this more bitter, fruity, and colorful than the actual based beer. Mango, orange, and vanilla.

T: Citrus Creamcicle! Honestly, that is the absolute best way to describe this one. I would say that overall it is more on the fruit (candy) side than the hop bitter one.

M: I got a mild, yet divine booze warming on the end, but overall, this was creamy and smooth. The sugar was tempered by the oak, and the carbonation was low to moderate.

O: Pretty awesome stuff. Cigar City makes some of the best non-bitter IPAs on the market.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 23:58:23 | More by Chaney

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.61/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 12oz bottle into a Grey Sail pint.

Appearance- Hazy copper with no head and a good bit of sediment floating around.

Smell- Oak (go figure), caramel malts, light piney hops, vanilla bean, mango (tropical Fruit). Very exciting!

Taste- Oaky caramel and vanilla, light piney hops with a solid malt backbone. No real fruit as was in the nose. Finishes smooth and malty with a light hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with light carbonation. Based on the taste of the beer, I want more viscosity.

Overall- Soooo much different than normal Jai Alai. Tastes more like a heavily oaked Bigfoot.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 15:55:11 | More by Seanniek91

nickfl

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a hazy, copper colored body. The head settles quickly and leaves moderate lace.

S - An incredible, complex aroma of coconut, vanilla, dill, and cardamom. The hops only come out in the background with notes of pineapple and resinous pine along with a subtle note of bready malt.

T - Bready malt up front with a little bit of toffee. Savory spice notes of dill and basil come out in the middle along with moderate pine hop flavors. Finishes with a hint of coconut and lots of herbal wood flavor as well as moderate pine hops and fairly strong, somewhat pithy bitterness. Lingering herbal flavors blend with the bitterness and leave a grapefruit note on the palate.

M - Medium body, moderately low carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - This is a great IPA that really benefits from the white oak in unique and wonderful ways. The aroma is absolutely spectacular and I find myself sticking my nose back in the glass time and again just to enjoy it. The character of the white oak is like nothing I have ever experienced in a beer before and it works with the base beer perfectly. The notes of coconut and dill mesh exquisitely with the hops and bring out a resinous pine note that is much stronger than I remember it being in straight up Jai Alai. A beer aged on an alternative wood like this had the potential to simply be a gimmicky one off, but in this case it ended up being something really different that showed me some character that I had never seen in a beer before, which is something that happens only very occasionally at this point in my beer tasting career. This has to be my favorite version of Jai Alai so far and perhaps the best Cigar City beer that I have tried.

Serving type: growler

09-17-2010 05:22:36 | More by nickfl

mondegreen

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz into a DFH Signature Glass.

Pours a hazy deep orange. Throws up a giant 3 inch head with nice retention and great lacing. Aroma is sweet citrus hops and lovely wood. Taste follows, with the oak taking center stage. I love what the guys down in Tampa are doing with Jai Alai. This beer is their canvas, and every iteration I have been lucky enough to try is a masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 18:31:54 | More by mondegreen

Danny1217

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Orange amber with a two finger white head. Nice sticky lacing. Good looking beer.
Smells of Grapefruit, vanilla, and coconut. Nice hop aroma balanced with sweetness from the oak. Incredible smell.
Tastes of citrus and vanilla. Orange, grapefruit, and coconut. Good balance. Bitter hop taste is melded together with the sweetness from the oak. Dry finish. Medium body and carbonation.

I still may like regular Jai Alai slightly better, but this is definitely a nice twist to one of my favorite beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 23:39:09 | More by Danny1217