Jai Alai IPA - White Oak - Cigar City Brewing

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
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 -14.8%
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 -14.8%
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 -14.3%
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 -14.3%
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 -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

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

3.63/5  rDev -13.6%
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 -13.6%
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 -13.6%
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 -13.1%
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

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The pour is orange in color with a dense and creamy white head.

S: Smells quite sugary and oak forward. I get a lot of brown sugar, vanilla, and fruit notes. Seems to be some peach and orange aroma in there. Maybe a bit of oxidation as well.

T: The amount of oak flavor in this beer is surprising. A lot of tannins and vanilla to go with the sugary notes I get. Brown sugar, caramel, and oranges, maybe some of the peaches, too. A pretty mild level of citric hops.

M: The body and the carbonation are both medium.

D: This was interesting. I didn't dislike it as a beer (thought it was pretty decent), but as an IPA, it's not what I would be interested in having.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 18:12:01 | More by womencantsail

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from notes, 3-25-11

A - low white head settles to a white ring over a clear amber body.

S - tomatoes and carrots, earthy citrus hops, and a touch of oak.

T - Not much oak, sweet vegetal flavors, earthy hops.

M - dry woodiness, medium body, and quite smooth.

O (D) - decent, pretty interesting

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 15:53:58 | More by ColdPoncho

sliverX

New York

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy copper pint with a nice thick cap good lacing
Smells big coconut with hops in the back
Taste follows the nose but with a pronounced wood flavor, reminds me of the smell from freshly split wood the longer this goes the more woody it gets which just gets a bit unpleasant.
Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied bright carbonation
Overall not a bad beer but a pint was a bit much by the end

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2011 20:51:50 | More by sliverX

Spider889

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to sendsilk for this. I have been looking forward to it after experimenting with wood aging in some of my home brews.

Pours quite cloudy, a tarnishing bronze color. The head is better than the standard Jai Alai, a light balsa wood color. Decent head retention and a smearing of lace.

The aroma isn't as oak forward as I imagined. The base beer really holds fast here. Lots of the same juicy hops providing pineapple and other tropical notes. There is a faint woody dryness, but nothing overpowering.

Oak is much more prominent in the flavor of this beer. Grainy fresh young timber mingles with the citrus and pine flavors of the hops. There's still a good malt backbone to this beer as well.

Dry with lingering bitterness and a bit of wood pulp texture also coats the tongue.

Overall I think I prefer the base beer to this, but as a wood aging experiment it certainly succeeds.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 02:06:21 | More by Spider889

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Liter flip-top growler into a tulip glass. Thanks go to Jw347 for this in a recent trade.

Pours a great looking clear copper here, with maybe just the slightest haze to it, topped with about a finger of bright-white foamy head. This retains with a tight ½ finger that throws a heavy cascade of rich and spotty foam all over the sides of the glass. Really nice rich look here. The Jai Alai jumps out immediately, being floral, spicy, and lush with tropical fruit character that it then undercut some more herbal and danker character as well. Stiff smelling grains and warmth sit underneath the hop flavors but it's the wood and vanilla notes that are most prominent here. Maybe a bit too much actually, but it doesn't seem to interfere with the other flavors in the nose much.

The taste is initially pretty sweet with lightly toasted grains and juicy citrus character but is well balanced by a hoppy bite of bitter grapefruit and lingering notes of rind and spice which give this a deep and assertive finish. The vanilla and tannins from the oak add a LOT of extra woody and earthy tanginess to the profile that then lends this some considerable dryness as well. The mouthfeel has a heavier medium bodied feel to it, with a fuller creaminess that fills up the mouth in the front but then gives way to a much slicker feel from all of those hop oils more towards the swallow. There is some warmth here in the body and it about falls into what you would expect for a 7-8% beer.

I haven't had a whole lot of wood-aged IPAs to compare this to but this one seemed a little too heavy on the oak flavors at times. I would have liked to have seen all of that vanilla and wood be a bit more integrated in with the other flavors and that combined with the alcohol heft that is present in the body are what held the drinkibility of this back some for me. I'm definitely glad that I got to try it but this liter growler was more than enough for me.

Serving type: growler

10-07-2010 17:08:21 | More by Kegatron

rye726

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Always good to see beers aged on wood. They are the best!

Beautiful pour, orangish tan with a perfect beige head. Lace down the glass!

Nose has candy malts, bitter hops and oak.

Taste has nice piney hops up front and through the finish. Well balanced by malts and wood.

Medium body well carbonated. Nice IPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 01:40:24 | More by rye726

Radome

Spain

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A -Beer is a medium copper color, slightly cloudy. Head is very fluffy and off-white colored. When I poured it the head foamed up drastically and I had to stop pouring to keep it from overflowing the glass. Possible contamination?

S - Crisp Northwestern hops dominate. Then there is a strong nutty or coconut note and lots of wood. No malt aroma breaks through.

T - The initial hit is strong hops flavor and bitterness. As that fades the coconut and nut flavors roll in. There is also an astringent quality in the end, like iced tea.

M - Body is light. Fizzy carbonation. Massive hops bitterness. No alcohol burn.

D - Overall a good IPA with very strong hop level. The coconut flavor and aroma are very pronounced and I guess they are from the white oak.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 05:58:50 | More by Radome

Genghis22

California

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Gusher! Exploded out of the bottle and pours a deep hazy amber color. Huge foamy slightly off white head. Lots of lacing.

S - Earthy hops with oak and alcohol. Faint hints of citrus. Bready, biscuity malt.

T - Big sweet biscuity maltiness. Lemongrass hops and wood. Bitterness sets in as the tongue dries out. Oak and alcohol are left behind.

M - Medium body with lots of carbonation. The carbonation is very refreshing.

O - Meh. Not exactly sure of the age of this bottle. I think it may be a little past its prime. That being said. The body, appearance and aroma are nice. Not a ton of hop bite, but I think it perhaps has just faded.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 00:19:40 | More by Genghis22

olimpia84

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this on-tap at CCB. Served on a pint glass.

A: dark amber/brownish color, more on the opaque side. Small fizzy head but good retention. Very good lacing decorating the glass with foamy strands.

S: strong coconut smell, oak, pineapple, also some floral hints and hops. More on the 'sweet' side.

T: herbal, hoppy, wood. The taste of the hops is disguised a bit as the beer goes down and ends with some sweet notes.

M: light to medium body, carbonation was a bit on the high side.

O: overall it was a pretty good beer and a very peculiar IPA. I wish carbonation was on the lower side. Regardless, I recommend this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 17:39:34 | More by olimpia84

WesM63

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip. Many thanks to dachshundude86 for this one.

A: Pours a dark hazy amber with a 1finger head that quickly dissipates to a thin film. Plenty of lacing is present.

S: Oak, Toffee, Vanilla, a hint of resin/pine a hint of tropical fruit lingers as well.

T: Very close to the nose. Lots of Oak, toffee, vanilla some pine and hint of grapefruit.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Finish's dry and slightly watery.

O: Not sure what to make of it. Lots of oak but minimal citrus /IPA. Worth a tick non the less.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 22:15:01 | More by WesM63

maximum12

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Well, that will teach me to send an unsolicited box to moose3285. I sent him a little box a couple months ago &, lo & behold, he ships a mammoth box full of Cigar City treats that I've never tried before. I know where you live, man.

Popped open & de-virginizes an excellent Great Lakes glass sent recently by bb189 (thanks!). Marshmallow head leans over a cloudy beer of light orange character & naked carbonation. Smell is a lovely blend of subdued wood & tropical hops, but less prominent than the base beer.

White Oak Jai Alai brings the oak in the form of a gentle clubbing. The oak doesn't dominate the front end, but the entire second half & locker room belong to the wood. Jai Alai's floral, tropical fruits duck & weave into view immediately, but slink away under the weight of the oak.

Let's be honest, I'd love to try every version of Jai Alai CC can dream up. This is the third version I've tasted & it's *only* very good. The oak bludgeoned some of Jai Alai's best qualities into the second tier. Don't get the idea I'd ever turn one down, though.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 04:18:51 | More by maximum12

Overlord

California

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to a generous trader!

Pours a billowy yellow-orange with about a two inch off-white foam head.

Smells like a bit 'o pineapple, something else tropical...mango? .... and a slice of fresh grapefruit and bittering pine. The oak cuts through it like a razor blade.

Wow, the oak is present in the flavor. Kind of reminds of oaked arrogant bastard, but here the oak is much more abrasively aggressive. Grapefruit, some tropic notes, and the pine/bitterness is more than I expected.

I think I've now had 3-4 versions of this beer, but never the "base" jai alai. I have a feeling that's the best beer of the lot, since thus far, the extra stuff has proven distracting.

Mouthfeel's nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 03:29:34 | More by Overlord

Trilogy31

California

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A slightly hazy ruby red amber with a finger of fluffy foam poured into my tulip. Nose reveals a touch of sweet strawberry, blood orange, creamy vanilla and custard filled pastry. Tasty is creamy and refreshing with a light hop bite as well as a touch of tannins from the oak the the finish. The taste is nearly as complex as the nose but does have some red fruit along with bitter citrus peel and a nice dry malt taste. Very nice ipa and easily drinkable as well.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 07:17:53 | More by Trilogy31

smakawhat

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Date on bottle is May 4th 2011, I think.

A very nice tight retention off white head of a good solid 3 fingers. Foamy, clumpy and tightness sits on a suspended glowing orange body with some hazyness. Too bad for the cloudyness unfortunately still looks good.

Woah what is that on the nose! It's buttery floral and grass. Garden, honeysuckle and bee pollen. Hints of salt and pickle brine. Bizarre but I am going to say I actually enjoy this.

Hit of hop and pickles. No joke, hint of salty brine of cucumber and dill pickle on the finish. DILL DILL DILL holly cow batman! I don't mind this but woah is this ridiculous. A good hop finish and initial bent, some hints of diacetyl like butter comes through also matching the butter sense on the nose.

Fairly simple feel and body, nothing off putting or outlandish.

Overall I am beginning to think aging IPAs with oak either resting, chips, or barrels is a recipe for disaster but we'll see. Right now though I need some sour cream to go with these Dill potato chips I just drank.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 22:27:37 | More by smakawhat

Sean9689

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, thanks to whoever sent this to me as an extra. Poured into imperial nonic.

A - Pours a mirky/hazy orange color, white head, thin ring, wisps on top, spotty lacing.

S - Oak, citrus, hoppy bitterness, some malty sweetness. Not exactly sure how old this is, but the hops are pretty faint while the oak takes a front seat.

T - Oak, light hoppy bite, tropical notes, citrus peel. The oak, hops, and sweetness are really nice and smooth. Nothing is too over-the-top, although the oak is very easy to pick out.

M - Light, good carbonation, oily semi-dry finish.

O - This is really the first oak-aged IPA I've ever had. I really like the oak characteristic that this beer has. It doesn't hurt the hops or tropical notes, which surprises me. Really nice for something different and I would drink again but not a session IPA by any means.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 23:31:38 | More by Sean9689