José Martí American Porter - Cigar City Brewing

azorie

Florida

2.13/5  rDev -47.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A: sadly too cold out the tap, Standard in Florida. Its a dark brown ale, filtered, no cloudiness. no lacing or head period.
I give it a pass since its poured to the top of glass.

S: overpowering nose of smoke, cigars and some chocolate malt. no hops detected. as it warms up it gets no better, in fact it gets more smokey. I had and love Stone and Alaska smoked porters and this one is overkill.

T: Bitter sour smokey mess of a beer. Balanced hop to malt ratio, about all the good I can say for it. If I not paid 5 bucks for it , I might have just left it on the bar. YUCK. chalky which is surprising. Some chocolate in there, its just overpowered by the cigar bomb that went off in the brew barrel.

M: medium body, medium to low Carbonation

O: overall I never pay for one these again. and I had a few years ago version that did not seem so bad. This 1 is a drain pour sadly.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2011 15:01:59 | More by azorie

claspada

New Jersey

2.55/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a very dark brown color with a big sticky tan head and some nice rings of lacing.

Aromas begin with huge roasted maltiness; some bitter coffee and chocolate notes are close behind. There are some really strong hop aromas here too, quite earthy and faintly citrusy.

The tastes, like the aromas, are an assault of bitterness on the palate. A ton of roasted/charred malts; the black coffee flavors are almost as intense as the roasted/burnt graininess, with some bitter dark chocolate on the backend. The hop notes are more citrus than the nose lets on, but still quite earthy. Astoundingly bitter, and really just not a flavor combination I am a fan of.

The mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied with a medium level of carbonation. Bitterness is overwhelming here and wrecks your palate in the finish.

Overall I could not drink this beer. Too much bitterness, too much hops, just too much. I do not enjoy hoppy dark ales so this just totally didn't work for me. This is not a porter in my opinion, but a black IPA/Cascadian dark ale. Not my cup of tea for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 14:11:34 | More by claspada

PorterLambic

Florida

2.85/5  rDev -30%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Three porters on tap? Love it!
Pours an extremely dark brown though dark red at the edges. Good head, tan colored with decent retention.
Smell is hops and very light malt.
Taste is hops first then light malt with a hint of coffee in the back.
Medium bodied with a light effervescence. Pretty good beer but way too hoppy for this malthead and the style. More of a DIPA vibe from it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2011 03:08:27 | More by PorterLambic

kingcrowing

Vermont

2.85/5  rDev -30%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a very dark brown with a small brown head, no lacing. Nose is woody, sweet and slightly funky.

Taste is also kinda tart, a bit sweet and a multitude Ness with some really good odd off flavors I can't name. Mouthfeel is light and slightly sharp.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 00:28:44 | More by kingcrowing

HalfFull

California

2.95/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep to moderate brown with crimson highlights from a 12 oz. bottle and into a large wine glass. Clear and bright on the pour with half an inch of mocha cap which offers good retention.

Nose of roasted malts and an intriguing fruit quality. More in the English style. Odd raspberry/strawberry milk aromas present at times.

Offers a robust coffee flavor with a bit of espresso, and some dark cherry and chocolate notes as well. Deeper chocolate with warming along with a fair dose of earthy hops. Flavors are a bit short however and don't linger for long. Lacks complexity overall.

Feel is moderate and offers a bit of viscous fruit, again reminiscent of an English yeast, but is overall rather thin for the style, particularly at 8%. Interesting yet a bit of a miss for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 02:18:13 | More by HalfFull

Trilogy31

California

2.98/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very dark brown bording on pitch black, with a fluffy two fingers of foam leaving thick lacing. The nose is a dose of ethel alcohol, roasted malts, coconut vodka, and barrel aged rum. Taste has has bitter roasted malts, toasted coconut, myers dark rum and a somewhat hoppy finish. Full bodied with a somewhat astrigent finish in the mouth. Really not that excited about this beer and it wraps up a somewhat disappointing night of beer drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 03:58:22 | More by Trilogy31

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into CC snifter - thanks to sendsilk

Pours a deep black color with a nice, buoyant tanned head. Retains really nicely, leaving plenty of patchy lacing all over the glass.

A swirl of pine hops and roasted malts in the nose, mixed with cocoa/chocolate notes. There's a spike of metallic (almost brett-like) weirdness going on though, which was slightly alarming.

Decent hoppiness up front with pine and some sticky resin. Thick malt bill, boasting cocoa and dark chocolate, along with some hints of caramel. Touches of nuttiness and roasted coffee. The off scents in the nose are more subdued in the flavor profile, although I could still detect something strange happening towards the middle. Slightly sweet and bitter towards the finish, very small touch of alcohol.

Fuller medium body, overcarbonated, chewy and full on the tongue, but prickly as well. A pretty interesting take on the porter, although the off scents/flavor were interfering with what might otherwise be a delicious beer. I love CC, but this is the 2nd time I've gotten an off bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 02:24:51 | More by xnicknj

barleywinefiend

Washington

3/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured a dark brown with a great look. A dirty tannish cap with some substantial stamina leaving behind a nice amount of bubbles and moderate lacing

S: A green like funk, grains and sordove husky. A moderate roastiness with bakers powder cocoa and light coffee

T: Immediate astringency with roast and baking cocoa, grains, a lingering funky, taint rides the taste buds until the finish. There is a borderline harsh bitterness, astringency on the end which is a little to much for the style.

M: Medium leaning full bodied, well carbonated, harsh roast and lingering greeny like seaweed funk and skunk on it

O: Average porter at best

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 18:55:05 | More by barleywinefiend

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.04/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Thanks to Momar42 for the bottle! 12 oz bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a very dark red color. The head is a one finger offwhite shade with poor retention.

S: I'm sure a fresher bottle would provide a better hop profile, but in its current state, it offers light notes of citrus and herbal pine. The malt itself provides light chocolate, hazelnut, toffee, and roasted malt.

T: The hops are evident at the onset - and even in their faded state, still offer notes of grapefruit peel and evergreen. After a while the hops fade to reveal more of the dark, chocolaty malts. Like many robust porters, it's ultimately too acidic, especially near the finish. The hop profile picks back up after the midtaste. Not bad, but there's something here holding back (maybe the catty Simcoe-esque tone on the aftertaste? That's what ruined Night Stalker for me) its potential.

M: It features a strangely chalky dryness to it - for some reason, it makes this very hard to drink. Or maybe that's because of how heavy it feels. At least the carbonation fits its resiny, heavy texture.

O: Don't hate it, don't love it. I'm finding it hard to drink, if not quite completely unpalatable. These robust porters never fully work for me. Still, I'd like to try this fresh - we can't look a gift horse in the mouth, can we?

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 01:48:27 | More by ThisWangsChung

homebrew311

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a dark black with brown highlights, 1 finger of frothy brown head, nice lacing.

S: weird sweetness on the nose up front followed by a combination of smoke, roast, and oak. The oak and smoke seem to compete with the sweet quality. Something I'm not digging here.

T: a little bit of sourness starts things off with smoke and oak coming through, the oak has a very raw presence and overshadows the base. Perhaps the oak is teaming up with the hops and bullying out the chocolate and roast that I'm searching for.

MF: medium body, mid level of carbonation

O: another unique brew from CCB, this one doesn't work for me though. The flavors seem to be competing with each other which takes away from the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 06:30:36 | More by homebrew311

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

India Porter... hmm unique style.

Poured into ccb snifter.

Pours 1/2 finger of tan head. Color is a copper brown.

Aroma: A lot of earthy, piney hops with a massive amount of roast. It has some chocolate malt and some light citrus showing. Very odd aroma.

Taste: Wow, this thing is hoppy. So much pine mixed with roasted malts. Chocolate malt, some citrus. I just can't believe how hoppy it is. It is too roasted for me. It almost has a smoked nut flavor to it.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and robust. Very roasty. Medium body with a medium amount of carbonation. A bit of booze shows. Ends sticky and dry.

Overall, it was a unique concept, and the more I drank the more I like it. However, it was too roasted for me which took a lot away from the beer. Somewhat drinkable for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 00:56:38 | More by mothman

billab914

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Three Floyds glass. It poured dark brown in color with a thin tan head covering the top. The head was small, but remained through drinking it as well as leaving some nice lacing on the glass.

The aroma has a lot of hoppiness to it. I get a citrusy, juicy aroma mixed with some chocolaty, porter flavors. It has a bit of a fruity, cherry like flavor to it as well. Very interesting aroma.

The taste shows off the hoppiness in it as well with some bold citrus flavors throughout the beer. I get some roasted and bitter chocolate flavors coming through as well. It's an interesting combination of flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, and moderately silky smooth. Carbonation is a little below average, but fits a porter pretty nicely. Overall, this was an interesting beer but not one of my favorites. It wasn't bad at all, but things needed to mesh better for me for it to be something outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 00:29:55 | More by billab914

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Russian River glass on 8/24/11.

Pours a dark black with the slightest hints of cola brown when held to the light. A huge powdery mocha colored head spills into the glass, about three fingers of head. Dissipates very slowly leaving a moderate amount of thick lacing on the glass. Its a pretty color but the carbonation seems off.

Smells sweet roasted malt, mocha, raisins, and dark fruit. I do smell some of that citrus pine hop aroma and its really throwing me off.

Taste is much the same as the aroma and the hops are really throwing me off. It starts out nice with chocolate, and sweet malts and finishes a really confusing hoppy pine bitterness. Not a fan.

Mouthfeel is medium in weight and the pine resin sticks to the pallet leaving an odd bitterness for the style.

Overall this is a huge miss for me. I just can't get past the hop forward profiles in this. Nice to try but I will pass next time.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 02:00:55 | More by UMNbeerhunter

Gtreid

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes, 10/8/10. Poured into a tulip.

A: Dark brown color. The pour produced a big 2 finger head that left great lacing and retained well.

A: Smells of big roasted malts and earthy hops. Some light coffee and dark fruit are present as well.

T: Again, big roasted malt character. Some light coffee, figs, and dried cherries. Hops are rather prevelent and unexpected. Finishes sharp with a pretty noticable alcohol burn.

M: Creamy and smooth. Probably the best aspect of the brew. Good carbonation.

D and overall impression: Drinkability is on the lower side for me. Overall, I don't think this is one of CCB's best. Not a bad beer, I just thought the flavor profile was lacking. Was hoping for more. Skal.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 19:18:15 | More by Gtreid

Spider889

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Brought a 32oz growler back from FL and drank it in July, also sampled a bottle tonight (Dec).

I have averaged the scores since the option to review multiple serving types is about to be sacked. Given my notes, there is a definite difference between the two samplings.

Growler (3 day old growler consumed 7/19/11):
A - Black with decent thickness for a porter. Tall sandy head, excellent lace. (4.5)

S - Green hops and a dry light dusting of some phenols. Bitter roast with a mild sweetness to it. (3.5)

T - Sweet, mild bakers chocolate. Quite hoppy with nice bitterness in the form of pine and some citrus. (4)

M - Very dry, moderate carbonation. (3)

O - Not bad at all. A nice take on an "India Porter." A bit sweet for the style, but I liked this as a balance to all of the hops. (3.5)
____

Bottle (stamped on the label is NOV 2011 EIGHT):
A - Seemed much less carbonated. Barely any head, no lace. (3)

S - Not phenolic at all, which allows more of the roast and chocolate to shine. Hops aren't as green. (4)

T - The hops are coming through as very bitter and provide a minty quality that I am finding more and more distracting. (3)

M - The "mintiness" and the alcohol are tickling/warming the back of my throat as if I chewed up a mint and then took a sip of cool water. Not entirely unpleasant, but worse off than the growler I had. Sticky, lingering palate coating effect. The first time I had this beer (growler) I never even noticed the abv, and thus never would have guessed this beer was 8%. This time I have no struggle in believing it. (2)

O - Still a solid beer, but fresh from the source on tap has got to be the way to go here. Also, who knows what type of batch variation a brewery like CCB sees? (3)

Serving type: growler

12-26-2011 08:34:42 | More by Spider889

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Taken from notes on 4.18.11

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Dark brown in color with a tan head made up of tiny bubbles, nice retention.

S - Sugar and old fruit.

T - Coffee, raisins, and old fruit.

D - Little carbonation, coats the mouth fully.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 08:30:13 | More by HuskyinPDX

Treebs

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle served in Darkness Tulip. Great extra from Eric(Holland), Thanks man!

A: Pours an opaque brown, almost black color with a thin light tan head forming on the pour. The bubbly head recedes to a thin collar, but doesn't offer much else.

S: Piney and citrus hops up front lead way to a light bitter chocolate and coffee bean. There is a touch of roasted malts on the backend.

T: Light piney hops up front with a dark fruit sweetness. That quickly fades to a chocolate malt and bittering roasted coffee finish.

M: Medium body with a solid drinkability. Medium carbonation with a slight drying finish.

O: I'm not the biggest fan of hop forward porters and stouts, but this one was very solid overall. The hops didn't linger around too long and the malt bill was solid from start to finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 01:07:19 | More by Treebs

wagenvolks

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into an unmarked snifter. Thanks to sendsilk for the extra!

A great-looking porter, this. Dark, mulch-brown body with a towering head of khaki bubbles. Excellent retention. Aroma is hoppy with earthy musk and leather from what I assume is Cedar-aging. A tinge of tart, minty sourness resides in the background. Strange aroma, but still enticing.

Bitter, overly acrid roasted malt notes slam the palate with each sip, and the finish is both ashy and hop-laden. Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated with a medium body and drying, sticky finish. Can't decide if this is an overly hoppy Porter, or an overly roasted Black Ale. Either way, it doesn't quite work for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 20:01:48 | More by wagenvolks

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks again to Thirtsybird for sharing this find brought back from his trip down South. Pours an opaque dark brown with a creamy, tan-colored head that dissipates into a skim and a cluster of bubbles. Nose reveals dark roasted malts and a slightly muted herbal/medicinal quality. Aromas of brown sugar and/or molasses also present in the nose. Taste follows nose - perhaps a little ashy. A roasted character also comes out as it warms, as well as coffee grounds. A light hops bittering lingers at the finish. Mouthfeel is medium-light with a slightly creamy texture and a pleasant carbonation. A decent porter, but doesn't really rate high on my list.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 01:24:06 | More by Jwale73

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

return trip after the Cigar City event night, enjoyed on tap at Rattle N Hum. Big head and a good porter, above average mouthfeel. A little towards the baltic porter or imperial porter. Average drinkability.Chocolate and roasted malts.Nice that "coffee" taste is in secondary.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 03:19:45 | More by northyorksammy

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Dark brown to light black colored body. Light tan head. Lacing sticks everywhere on the glass.

Smell: Piney hops and some coffee. Hops inate the nose. Coffee is subtle.

Taste: This pretty tasty offering. Almost a coffee forward porter, but the hops come in and add some balance. The coffee tastes strong and even a bit burnt. You also get some bitter and somewhat sour notes from the hops. Piney and grassy tasting hops behind a decently amount of malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer with a moderate amount of carbonation. The beer excels in the mouthfeel department because its nice a creamy which seems to bring some balance the malts and hops.

Overall: Solid porter from Cigar City Brewery. This is my first beer from the brewery and I can't wait to try the other beers i have from them! I normally enjoy my porters on the malter side with just a dash of hops, but this was a well done beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 03:04:24 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

DarthKostrizer

California

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle thanks to Markwise

Look: Black and totally opaque with a 1/2 inch tan head and great retention that settles to a crazy 1/4 inch collar

Smell: Quite a bit of floral hops on the nose actually with some chocolate undertones

Taste: Again the beer starts off with the floral hops then there is some roasted malt mid palate and finishes with chocolate and coffee

Mouthfeel: Medium body and medium carbonation

Overall: Honestly I wasn't the biggest fan of this beer I didn't really care to much for it being hops forward.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 03:08:49 | More by DarthKostrizer

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from November 2011 into a Duvel tulip. Thanks to vonschplieffen for this one.

A: Intense for a Porter, with a fully black body sitting placidly underneath two inches of dense, steady, meringue-like light-brown head that leaves tons of lace. Perfectly beautiful.

S: Spicy hops, chocolate malt, graham cracker, and a bit of vanilla. Pleasant, but not spectacular.

T: Hoppy up front, with both spice and pine notes; solid chocolate malt fills out the middle along with some caramel sweetness, and the finish delivers powerful bitterness, light coffee roastiness, and a touch of booze. Again, good but less than great.

M: Very frothy, with tons of carbonation overwhelming what seems like it might have been a medium body. Not as much heft as I'd like from an 8% beer, but still pleasantly creamy.

O: I feel like this might have been a pretty solid Black IPA if it were really fresh, but after 5 months the hops are present more in their bitterness and spiciness than in terms of any distinctive flavors or aromas. It's an enjoyable beer, but I was expecting more.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:56:47 | More by woosterbill

brian44556

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a 12oz bottle into a Bell's Pint Glass. Couldn't find a bottle date anywhere on the bottle.

Pours a very dark, dark brown, almost black, but light is able to pierce through the beer a tad showing off its brown color. A small tan head forms and spreads out to the sides of the glass leaving a nice lace around the brim of the glass. This beer smells of coffee and sweet chocolate. I gather small notes of char, like this is a smoked porter. Taste is hoppy, grassy, with an after taste of chocolate and coffee. The taste doesn't seem to be quite in line with the smell. Mouthful is on the thin side and beer seems to be well carbonated. Overall another good beer from CCB. This porter ranks in between the 1st and 2nd tier of its class.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 22:02:38 | More by brian44556

rel

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this at the CCB tasting at cervezas. It was the only beer I picked blindly and out of my style preference.

Dark, oil like color with a very thick tan head. Amazing retention and some lacing.

Aroma is burnt/roasted malts, lots of coffee and some woodiness.

I enjoyed this beer for the most part. Very deep roasted flavors, coffee, some smoke... the bitterness made it my least favorite beer of the night.

Dry medium body, but that bitterness stuck around...

But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2011 19:54:23 | More by rel