Jai Alai IPA - White Oak - Cigar City Brewing

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Wow hard to imagine this is the same Jai Alai I just had a couple of months ago. The non oaked version is more of an IPA this oak version is just out of hand unlike any offering I've had from an IPA. I get a nice oak and spicey aroma but the flavor just oozes out with vanilla and a hot boozey bite of spiciness. There is a bit heavier diacetyl in the mouth. A decent beer but not really my type.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 13:57:53 | More by TheFightfan1

Treebs

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle served in a FFF Anniversary party pint glass.

A: Exact same the regular Jai Alai that was sampled before this. Golden straw body with amber hues mixed in, a white head that leaves some nice sticky lace.

S: This white oak did some crazy things to this beer. I'm getting something crazy, almost like banana liqueur with a peppery oak like taste and some subtle hoppiness.

T: Same as the nose. The white oak gave it a peppery zing with a very sweet fruitiness. It's almost spicy in nature. Quite interesting.

M: Medium bodied with a long lingering taste of white oak left on the palate.

O: This was way different from the original Jai Alai that was sampled right before, but it is still about the same type of beer. I'd be interested to try other beers that have been aged with white oak.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 15:58:54 | More by Treebs

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.28/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I think this is another from the BIF package from djmichaelk. The gift that keeps on giving.

Fairly gentle pour ends up with half of glass of foam. Nice cloudy gold/orange color with mentioned massive head.

Slight citrus smell, but really the oak dominates the nose.

Starts off with a slightly pleasant citrus. Again almost immediately the oak overpowers everything else. Finishes with a huge woody flavor. A little more complexity came out as it warmed a bit. The oak was still heavily presence, but allowed more other flavors to come through as well.

Good mouthfeel and carb.

I'm beginning to think IPA's don't lend themselves very well to oak. The oak overpowers most of the good IPA flavors in this one although as noted it became a much better beer as it warmed.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 00:17:02 | More by jmarsh123

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle courtesy of PALMEJ1. Thanks again Jacob!

Pours a hazy dark golden orange/copper color with burnt orange hues when held to a light source and a frothy two finger yellowish beige head. Good retention, slowly fading into a lasting cap that coats the glass with chunks of soapy lacing.

The aroma of this beer is kind of odd with a blend of toasted oak, earthy hops and a buttery malt backbone. I'm not picking up much of the citrus and pine hop presence f the base beer. Those notes are only faint under the barrel character and the nose s dominated by oak and malt. Hints of caramel, wood, toffee, biscuit and butter.

Medium bodied with more of a hop forward presence than the aroma suggests. Dry and bitter with lots of resinous, earthy pine flavor. The white oak presence is very prominent adding more dryness and a toasted wood flavor that takes away from the sweeter tropical/citrus notes of the base beer. As a result, the malt backbone is stronger with hints of toffee, caramel and biscuit. The ABV is well masked making this beer pretty quaffable but t could use some more balance.

Overall, this was an interesting beer and the white oak barrel really changes the base beer, but it could use a bit of sweetness to balance things out.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 06:31:01 | More by corby112

russwbeck

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thank you jcartamdg for this, along with the wonderful vessel I'm drinking it out of!

A: Small white head rests on a hazy orange pour, but lacks the retention Jai Alai IPA obtains. A nice ring forms along the rims of my brand new Cigar City snifter.

S: Big vanilla smell on this one, lots of oak mixed in. Missing a bit of the piney hops.

T: As with the smell, missing the hops here. Grapefruit, and some maltiness, mix with an oakiness and some vanilla towards the end. Really way more malt forward than I expected.

MF: Finish is dry, carbonation is low.

D: Not on the level of Jai Alai, good experiment, but I'd take the original any day.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 04:59:19 | More by russwbeck

brew3crew

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-hazy orange with white head that sticks around for awhile.
S-almost smells like white cheddar cheese its. Must be the white oak
T-get a lot of the wood compared to the hops. Wood really over powers it.
M-medium body and very dry
O-OK at best. Oo much wood

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 00:51:55 | More by brew3crew

harrymel

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 14JUL11

A: pours an apricot ale with a full finger of maple foam which falls slowly to a quilt of the same. Sheets of lace. Slightly hazy.

S: So, I've heard there are coconut/pina colada notes in this beer. Never believed it....Turns out, they were right. Nice woody character with pineapple and a slight follow through of dry coconut shavings. Pretty cool.

T: Sweet and dry. Some citrus and more sharp pineapple with a resiny midsection and a dry biscuity malt profile lends itself well to the dominant bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with hi carbonation and a dry finish. Would like a bit of a slick on the palate to work with here.

O: A good beer, but the more I drink this, the more I think I prefer the O.G. in this unit. I like how the oak has added the unusual suspect of coconut and dry woodiness (which I found less so in the original). The mouthfeel is off on this for me: needs lower carb and something to resonate the finish off.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 15:52:00 | More by harrymel

chinchill

South Carolina

3.44/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

2012 bottle served in a pint glass.
The aroma is dominated by fruity hops, with notes of tangerine and orange, as well as oak. The oak becomes even more prominent in the flavor. Too much oak IMO. At least the oak aging has the benefit of creating a very smooth feel in this medium-bodied IPA. Moderately bitter but has an overly earthy/woody aftertaste.

O: quite woody IPA. I much prefer the regular Jai Alai.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 02:56:58 | More by chinchill

IrishTed122

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, poured into pint glass

Appearance: Orange-like gold, not perfectly clear but just a tiny bit cloudy, good amount of an off-white head.

Smell: Very unique. I get like a coconut somehow. It smells tropical but there is something there that gives it a bit of funk too. Can't tell what it is. Not too much of a traditional hop smell. Maybe a bit of a buttery smell in there? To be honest, it's not very appealing.

Taste: It tastes better than the smell, but you are overwhelmed a bit by the tropical flavors. You get hit with the hops at first but the fade away as the other flavors take over. Honestly, I think this is one of those IPAs where the aging on wood didn't help. The normal IPA couldn't hold up to the additional flavors added from the wood. It's not bad, but it's just not something I would seek out.

Overall: I know some people rave about this. To each his own. It's not for me. I'd rather have a good normal IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 00:24:06 | More by IrishTed122

olfolxholme

California

3.48/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into Duvel tulip

A - Strange looking sediment in the bottle - way more than expected or than I've ever seen. Was a really distracting image in the back of my mind while I watched a small amount of sediment settle in my glass even though I poured carefully. The beer is a burning orange color with white head. Quite a bit of lacing, some patches of head retention.

S - Sharp oaky vanilla dominates classic citrusy American hop aromas. Behind that, earthy aroma.

T - Some pale malt mixed with a smoother version of the aroma. The woody oak really dominates, and the IPA allows for this nicely.

M - Crisp and dry. Not harsh, but not a thirst quencher. Puckering.

O - I rinsed out the bottle right after pouring the beer and was really disturbed by the sediment that came out of it. I know that this is not always a sign of deathbeer. I like pouring all the yeast into my weissbiers and witbiers. But. Still, I approached the beer with some trepidation. It was interesting and not bad at all. Not sure it is one that I would go out of my way to have again, but i wouldn't turn it down. It was nice to drink a lighter beer with the oak flavors present. Most of the oak aged beers I've had are DARK. If you have a chance, give it a shot. I'm grateful I was able to try it.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 03:15:17 | More by olfolxholme

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.48/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Received this "new to me" bottle from a fantastic trade with ohsaycanyoubeer. Big props Matthew!!

Poured into my HotD goblet.. hazed orange with a nice white head that leaves plenty of lacing.

Nose is oak, light toasty malt and lighter caramel, and a big sorta tangerine hoppiness.

Big and oaky.. pithy citrus zest.. a bit of vanilla for sure.. malts come out swinging but get carried away by the other flavors.. finishes with a fermented out toasty maltiness and a dry oak quality.

Body is big for a standard IPA.. but I generally get that from CC IPA's.

Nicely done... I would buy this pretty regularly if I had it available.

3.5/3.5/3.5/3.25/3.5

Thanks again Matthew!!

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 05:58:56 | More by JohnGalt1

mdaschaf

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes.

A: Pours a very hazy orange/peach color with a small white head on top. Decent retention and some lacing, but nothing really special.

S: Slightly hoppy, but not as much as regular jai alai. There is a little bit of apple and a little bit of wood. There is some toffee on the back end.

T: Kind of muted, a decent amount of woody oak, some caramel and toffee. A bit of citrus/orange and vanilla round it out, but the citrus level is relatively low.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: Not bad, but I prefer the unoaked version more. The oak seemed to mute some of the hops a bit.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 19:04:13 | More by mdaschaf

Sideswipe

California

3.53/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received this bottle in yet another incredible box from Palmej1. Thanks Jacob! 12oz bottle into my Brugges Zot chalice.

The beer pours an appealing copper color with a finger of white foam. The head recedes leaving a thin white coaster and some very nice lacing. I can smell the wood in this beer immediately, sweet biscuity malt and citrus hops round out the nose. The taste is an initial blast of bitter citrus. Orange, pineapple and mango dominate. The malt profile provides a nice sugar cookie backbone, but the hops are showcased here. The oak persists throughout, however, and while it is initially interesting, I think that after awhile it takes away from the experience. Feel is medium bodied with a high level of carbonation. As the beer warms it becomes creamier. Overall this was pretty good. I think I prefer my IPA without the wood though, as I like the regular version of Jai Alai better than this iteration. If you like your IPA with oak seek this out.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 07:55:49 | More by Sideswipe

thetomG

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice clearish amber colored pour with a beautiful layer of thick white foamy head.

Smell is a good blend of bitter hops with a hint of citrus. The flavor is DOMINATED by oak. I'm really amazed how the wood flavors come through here. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by this brew - particularly after having the regular Jai Alai and loving it. Its not bad, just a bit underwhelming. I think that if this a bit less "woody" in flavor it would be much much better.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 04:01:18 | More by thetomG

augustgarage

California

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to BPRESTON for sending this my way. Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Gamboge and tenné gradient, somewhat cloudy and topped by a fist of rocky beige merengue. Huge soapy lacing.

Oak pervades the nose - coconut and vanilla overwhelm the caramel malt and citrus of the base beer. Lightly spicy perhaps as well.

Toasted coconut, grapefruit rind, and a touch of apricot and earth from hops on the palate. Palm sugar notes offset the moderate bitterness - citrus is strong but comes across as muted compared to the regular Jai Alai - leading into the finish which has a distinctive coconut/vanilla/very-lightly-tannic white oak flavor (which I only recall being this forward in White Oak from The Bruery).

Creamy, medium-light bodied, well carbonated, and faintly slick.

While this is an interesting idea, the execution leaves me missing the potent citrus and gentle balance of the base beer; particularly in terms of drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 05:58:44 | More by augustgarage

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Burnished, dark gold color, smallish head with nicely clinging lacing. Very boozy in the nose..that continues in the mouth. The taste is a powerful mix of booziness and hop bitterness. Full, creamy mouthfeel that's one of the beer's best assets. Not very drinkable, just too boozy and rich. Interesting beer but not a favorite, certainly very untypical for an IPA. Reminded me more of an American barleywine than anything else.

I'm not digging the CC beers very much so far..maybe because, while they ARE available in the NE, I keep drinking them in the sweltering Florida heat. Maduro Brown and this one: not very satisfying when its 90 out and super humid.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 18:49:50 | More by tobelerone

kylehay2004

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Crimson and copper. half finger head. Hazy.

S: Oak, vanilla and some hops in the aroma

T: lot of oak and wood flavor. More vanilla. The jai alai hops are kind of overwhelmed however

M: Moderate carbonation and medium body.

Overall: I like the beer but the oak was a little stronger than I like and I am not sure if the flavors off-set each other or cover up the hops. A little off for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 22:52:35 | More by kylehay2004

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received in trade from Meadme, thanks for the opportunity!
Pours a fairly cloudy deep golden orange color with a heck of a frothy white head that leaves lots of lace on the way down. Smells of earthy fresh cut wood, woody hops and a hint of cardboard. There's a malty bready component deep underneath, but its subtle at best. Really it smells like fresh cut wet wood. Taste is spicy and woody with bits of bread and caramel. The hops are faint or maybe my palette has trouble tasting through the wood. Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation and a light almost watery mouthfeel. I love the out of the box thinking, but this is not my favorite result of that thinking. The fresh wood flavor and aroma is a bit intense and seems to overpower rather than enhance a great ipa like Jai Alai.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 04:15:28 | More by johnnnniee

drabmuh

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer gifted by Mike, thanks. Beer is yellow to orange and completely hazy. Forms a decent head, decent lacing, carbonation moderate. It looks fine.

The aroma is oaky, almost linolenic acid in character and pretty piny.

Beer is light to medium in body and quite bitter, the oakiness in the midpalate brings an odd character that almost acts as a new hop in the mix. Its very nice overall, just not my bag, one of the better wood aged IPAs I've had.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 04:57:32 | More by drabmuh

ninaturner

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Burnt caramel. Two finger head. Lace on the glass.

Aroma: Bitter, citrus, and smoky. Hints of spice and you can pick up on the cedar right away. I prefer the aromas of the original Jai Alai.

Taste: Again, bitter taste but also a good balance with the cirtus flavors and spices. Nutty and burnt aftertaste really compliments the orange flavors I pick up.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel. Not as much carbonation for this IPA--which I enjoy.

Drinkability: I'm partial to a beer with low carbonation; so for me this beer is very drinkable. If you find yourself liking increased carbonation, you might not enjoy it as much. Altogether, I have to agree with other reviewers--very smooth.

Overall, this is a great IPA. I prefer the traditional CCB Jai Alai, but this isn't a bad spin on the original and may be worth a try if you are partial to nuttier/woody flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 01:03:30 | More by ninaturner

tectactoe

Michigan

3.61/5  rDev -13.8%
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

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours hazy amber with a two finger head of sticky foam that leaves some excellent lacing once it starts to drop. faint smell of coconut and vanilla comes through with the oak-like woody aroma - not a whole lot of kick from the hops but the hops that are present are tangy pineapple and citrusy. The flavor is not nearly as hoppy as I expected it's all just balanced with each characteristic just connecting one to the other - nice sweet caramel malts reach out to the subtle oily tropical hoppiness and a sawdust woody flavor to round this beer out as a more balanced less "in your face" hoppy beers. The mouthfeel was pretty full almost syrupy but somehow not too sticky - there was a whole lot of carbonation. Overall this beer is a nice sipper and enjoyable for a new beer that isn't readily available to me. I can appreciate the craft but I was a bit underwhelmed when comparing to my expectations of the incredible beer I was anticipating. Perhaps I shouldn't get my hopes up as much as I did - oh well - it was still a good brew!

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 02:54:20 | More by antlerwrestler19

nataku00

California

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours a very hazy copper color with two fingers of off white bubbly head. The head dissipates after a few minutes, leaving a lot of sticky lacing on the glass and a few patches of bubbles along the surface. Some tiny bubbles visible right at the edge of the glass, but not much visible through the very hazy beer.

Really interesting nose, tropical fruit, predominantly pineapple, but some mango and sweet tangerine. There's a spicy and earthy aroma that I'm going to guess comes from the white oak soaked in the beer, nice complement to the tropical fruits. Not much of the malt in the aroma.

Big tropical fruit on the taste, with pineapple really dominating the flavor, with light sweet orange and tangerine as well. Mid tongue, the oak presents as this woody, earthiness, and slightly resinous. Finishes with some residual earthy flavors and a light bitterness.

Medium oily mouthfeel with some light carbonation that barely registers on the tongue. The beer is interesting, heavy oak influence, but a touch more hop bittering would have been nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 03:39:13 | More by nataku00

Beerenauslese

California

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a tulip glass. Like the base beer, a hazy amber gold with an ample off-white head that leaves lots of sticky lacing.

Smells of light caramel malt, green, citrus and earthy hops, vanilla, and caramel sugar--like the base beer.

This doesn't taste as smooth as the base beer. The oak aging has made this a bit less balanced and the hops are more harsh. There is a very distinct flavor of vanilla that is immediately noticeable and permeates the taste of the beer throughout the palate and the beer is sweeter than the base beer. There are notes of citrus and grassy hops, but they also seem somewhat harsher--especially the bitterness--and the result is the beer is not as nicely balanced as the base beer, being sweeter and harsher.

The body is medium and the carbonation is a bit fizzy, giving this a more crisp than creamy mouthfeel compared to the base beer, whose creaminess I liked better.

Overall, the wood and vanilla notes dominate what is a delicious and nicely balanced base beer. This version teaches me that I don't find vanilla to be a pleasant addition to an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 04:12:22 | More by Beerenauslese

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.65/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle gifted by Chaney. Thanks Brandon! I split this with Paul earlier this summer. Review from notes.

The beer is a copper orange hue with a thick, white head that displays lasting retention and leaves ample lacing cascading down the pint glass.

The aroma is a huge blast of oak and vanilla, followed by hops and some caramel malt. I can smell the beer from a few feet away. Alrighty then.

The flavor is decent. The beer is done well, but a little bit goes a long way here. Sweet and oaky, this is best enjoyed in small doses. I don't see this brew as an IPA, per se, but more of a wood aged strong ale. Again, lots of oak and vanilla dominate the flavor profile to a large degree. The heavy malt bill works with the beer, but not if you were expecting or hoping for a hop forward IPA. This drinks more along the lines of an American strong ale or barleywine, as the hop profile is being overrun with oak, vanilla, and sweet malt.

An interesting brew. I have yet to truly relish any sort of barrel aged IPA. I am all for exploration and creativity, but it seems, to me at least, that IPAs are better left alone. I am grateful for the opportunity to try this. Not my favorite type of beer, but I would certainly try it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 02:19:23 | More by Huhzubendah